Live Cricket Score - IPL 2022 Final - Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals, Ahmedabad

That's all from us folks! Hope you enjoyed this cracker! Until next time then ...

Awards -

Here's what the GT players had to say -

Shubman Gill: It means a lot. After winning the under-19 World Cup, winning the IPL is just as big. It is my fourth year. I wanted to be there till the end and that was the talk with the coaches. Glad I took them over the line. Our bowlers bowled really well to restrict them to 130. We wanted to keep them under 150 but fortunately it was much lesser.

Rahul Tewatia: We were relaxed evren in the qualifier game, we knew we had done well to top the league, we were confident about finishing well. Don't know about party plans, but someone asked me about goals for the tournament, I said I had no personal goal, the only thing was to win the tournament for my team. Everyone was saying we were short of an experienced batter, but the trust shown in myself and Miller by the team management in the middle order was outstanding. Hardik just told me to go out there and finish off games.

Lockie Ferguson:I couldn't be more rapped for the boys, finishing with a win. (On his fastest delivery) Very proud of the boys for the way they bowled. Hardik was superb too, he led from the front.

David Miller: It's been a phenomenal journey, finishing it at the back end was a special feeling, but it has been a collective effort, everyone has stuck up their hand and performed well. (On Pandya) He's been very relaxed, we've had a very good bond with Ashish (Nehra) and Hardik. He's got better and better as the competition gone on, tactically he's been brilliant. Just grown from strength to strength.

Rashid Khan: We assessed the wicket well, we knew it would be hard to chase down 150. Everyone had to take responsibility, we did well to come back well in the middle overs. He is the only guy whom we didn't want to bowl to and I'm happy that he's part of our team (on Shubman Gill), Biggest achievement of your career is to be part of a winning IPL team. You always want to do well in big competitions like this. Winning tournaments like this, you'll need to put in a lot of hardword and this is certainly a high point of my career.

Matthew Wade: Just the team environment, relaxing environment, Hardik, Rashid were leading from the front. It was a family atmosphere, everyone felt welcome, Ashish [Nehra] ensured that. Here everyone gets net time, everyone gets a chance. It has been amazing, hopefully we can come back next year in front of these fans.

Mohammed Shami: We needed to start the tournament well (on the first ball dismissal of KL in the team's first game), set-up a template for the team. The idea was only to start well for the team, concentrate on the line and length. We (himself and Saha) have known each other well for the last 20 years and have a good understanding as well.

Wriddhiman Saha: This is my 5th final 2nd final I have won, someone said our team was not good after the auctions, but we proved them wrong. The first ball he bowled was outstanding, everyone contributed and it was a team performance.

GT WIN IPL 2022

This is what dreams look like. Gujarat Titans are IPL champions in their first-ever season. Pandya believed. Rashid believed and so did Gill, Miller and Shami. What a night for the new franchise. Gill finishes things off with a six as the home fans see their team produce a title triumph. A clinical performance and a seven-wicket win. Miller smashed 32 off 19 in the end to ensure there was no last-minute drama.

Spare a thought for RR. Sports can be cruel at times. If there is a winner, there has to be a loser too. They had a splendid run with Buttler carrying the batting unit. They had a solid bowling line up but didn't have enough runs on the board. It'll be a tough night but RR made their fans very proud.

Pandya gone

Chahal is pumped as he's removed Pandya. A sharp legspinner and Pandya has edged the away going delivery to first slip. Pandya is not happy and he's making it clear in the dug out. The 63-run stand has come to an end and RR have a small hope now.

GT 88 for 3

Half-century stand

Ashwin has been spanked for 15 in his opening over - a four and a six from Pandya - and GT are cruising now. Gill and Pandya have raised a fifty partnership and helped in reducing the chase to an almost routine one after some early pressure.

GT 84 for 2 in 13 overs

10 overs done - GT 54 for 2; Need 77 more

Second opportunity

Gill gets another chance. A googly from Chahal and Gill wanted to go big. Doesn't time well and it goes up in the air. Hetmyer gets there at cover but can't lay a hand on it. In the first eight over, GT have played out 32 dot balls. Is this game slipping away?

GT 38 for 2

Powerplay done - GT 31 for 2

Boult strikes

And now Wade falls. Length ball and the traditional outswinger from the pacer. Tucked straight to mid wicket and GT have lost two early in the chase. Will this get tricky?

GT 23 for 2

Shocker

Chahal has dropped Gill. Length ball and it was coming in for Gill. The opener got a big inside edge and the ball then thudded into the thigh pad. Should have been an easy take for Chahal at square leg and he makes a meal of it. Sensationally poor from an experienced player. Prasidh comes on in the second over and knocks over Saha on the fourth ball. Could have had both openers but Chahal wasn't up to the mark.

GT 11 for 1 in two overs.

Saha and Gill will open for GT as expected. RR will start with Boult. All set?

GT need 131 to win IPL 2022

Hardik Pandya ended with the second-best figures by a captain in an IPL final. His 4-14-17-3 has ensured GT have a superb opportunity to win the IPL in their maiden season. Remember, Samson wanted to bat first and Hardik wanted to bowl. Both captains got what they wanted and one of them executed his plans to perfection. Don't forget Rashid, he ends with 4-9-18-1

This is not over yet. There's the pressure of chasing in the final. RR have a solid bowling line-up. Think about Gill. He had the opportunity to win but KKR lost to CSK last season. He now has the chance to walk away with a winner's medal. For RR, Buttler got 39, Jaiswal got 22 but the middle order didn't turn up. Samson (14), Padikkal (2), Hetmyer (11) and Ashwin (6) couldn't get going and that could well cost RR the title.

15 overs done - RR 94 for 5

This is Hardik's night. A third wicket for him and he's broken the back of RR. Hetmyer falls now as he's caught and bowled. Length ball and outside leg stump, he wanted to defend that one but ends up spooning a catch back to the bowler. RR need a big finish now

Big wicket - Buttler gone

Hardik Pandya has had Buttler caught behind. Outside off and Buttler wanted to steer it. Reached out and gets an edge as he was done by the extra bounce.

RR 79 for 4

Three down

Rashid strikes to remove Padikkal now. Length ball and the left-hander made room to cut, gets a thick edge and is caught at point. GT are staying in this contest and are also ensuring that the pressure is on Buttler to kick on. Hetmyer out there to up the pace now.

RR 79 for 3 in 12 overs

10 overs done - RR 71 for 2

GT are attacking both Buttler and Samson with Rashid. Both batters don't have a favourable matchup against the legspinner and they are happy to play him out. Remember, in the first Qualifier, Rashid bowled 4-10-15-0. Today, he's on 2-0-12-0. The pressure mounted and that resulted in the dismissal of Samson. Banged in and Samson wanted to smoke that one. Doesn't connect well and Sai Kishore plucked his second catch of the night.

Powerplay done - RR 44 for 1

Dayal strikes

The first wicket of the IPL final and it's the left-arm pacer that's given GT the early breakthrough. Banged in and Jaiswal was forced into the pull, doesn't time the ball and gets caught at deep square leg. The opener falls after a promising start.

RR 31 for 1 in four overs

Steady start

After just seven were scored in the opening two overs, Jaiswal hit a four and a six in the third over to get RR going. They've picked up pace and are looking to put GT under pressure.

RR 21 for no loss in three overs

Alrighty then, the national anthem is done and the wait is over. Jaiswal and Buttler walk out to bat. Shami will open the attack Titans. We are all set. Excited?

TOSS - RR opt to bat; GT bring in Ferguson in place of Joseph

RR: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Obed McCoy, Yuzvendra Chahal

GT: Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya(c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami

The evolution of David Miller.

What's changed for the GT batter?

"I had a bad season in 2016, and since then I've never really felt backed at all. I had to go back and work on my game, try and find a way to get it going. Although I felt really good playing for South Africa (it was about) finding that gap (in an IPL team). That's what happened this season. It allows you to not worry about the selection and you can focus on winning games."

Before we get going, here's the preview from Aayush Puthran -

If Voltaire's theory 'common sense is not so common' needed any more validation, IPL 2022 has provided that. Two of the most poorly assembled teams, or as it seemed after the auctions - Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals - find themselves in Ahmedabad on the final day to get hold of the big prize, after having already been the two best teams in the league stage.

With two different strategies and two separate sets of drawbacks - one with too many specialists and lacking depth in either department and the other with a one-dimensional batting approach with personnel handling roles they haven't hitherto been entrusted with in top-flight cricket - the two teams have managed to script their own success stories.

What remains common though in their victories, is the strong reliance on their respective bowling attacks. On the batting front, while Gujarat Titans have had multiple players in the middle order stand up and deliver match-winning performances, Rajasthan Royals has ridden on the success of Jos Buttler - a one-man run-making machine, who has clobbered over 800 runs with 4 centuries. The pain points of the two teams' batting concerns are different. While Royals haven't found ample support from the middle order, barring Shimron Hetmyer, the uncertain form of the top order has been an issue for the newcomers.

There hasn't been a lot separating the two teams on their road to the final, with Titans winning 11 games compared to Royals' 10, of which seven wins came in the last over. While it does give a strong indication of their ability to squeeze themselves out of pressure situations, it is also equally indicative that they haven't outplayed teams as much as the victory count so far should suggest. But what they do have to their advantage is that they are the only team that the Royals haven't beaten so far in this tournament.

Even as Gujarat Titans are making their maiden appearance in an IPL final, their captain Hardik Pandya is familiar with the stage and knows a bit about winning, something that not too many players from either side, who are like to be in the XIs on the final day can boast of.

Nonetheless, despite beating conventional wisdom, the two teams are set to enter the summit clash.

Maybe, it's just a case of two think tanks being ahead of the rest of the pack in terms of understanding the constructs of the best XI, which in T20 cricket has far advanced from more conventional approaches. Or maybe, they were able to find better role definitions for the players in their possession. Or more simply, most of the players clicked for them in those very roles, while it didn't work out as well for the other teams.

None of it would matter anyway for the Sunday evening show begins at the biggest stadium of them all. When the lights and cameras are ready, the game of plans, skills and nerves will take centre stage.