Gujarat Titans complete dream debut with IPL title

Titans captain Hardik Pandya put in an inspired bowling performance, taking 3-17 including the wicket of Jos Buttler

Hardik Pandya produced a magnificent all-round display as Gujarat Titans won the Indian Premier League in their first season with a seven-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals yesterday.

Titans captain Pandya took 3-17, including the prize scalp of England’s Jos Buttler for 39 to restrict Royals to 130-9 and then hit 34 from 30 balls.

Shubman Gill top-scored with 45 not out and the India batter hit the first ball of the 18th over for six to win the match in front of a record crowd of almost 105,000 people in Ahmedabad.

The Titans triumph was built on a good draft: Mohammed Shami, Rashid Khan, Lockie Ferguson and Pandya combined to make up an excellent bowling attack, with batting power coming from Gill, David Miller and Matthew Wade.

But putting a group of talented players together does not automatically bring success, and Pandya has expertly led them from the front despite captaining in the IPL for the first time.

In the final, on the biggest stage, he took the three prize wickets of Buttler, opposing captain Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer and rotated his bowlers perfectly.

- BBC

Chief scores
Rajasthan Royals: 130/9 in 20 overs (Y. Jaiswal 22, J. Buttler 39, H. Pandya 3-17, R. Sai Kishore 2-20, R. Khan 1/18, Y. Dayal 1-18, M. Shami 1-33)
Gujarat Titans: 133/3 in 18.1 overs (H. Pandya 34, S. Gill 45*, D. Miller 32*, T. Bolt 1-14, Y. Shahal 1-20, P. Krishna 1-40)