The 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) came to an end on Sunday (May 29), with Gujarat Titans (GT) defeating Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven wickets in the final to clinch the title in their maiden season.

Asked to bowl first, GT restricted RR to a below-par 130/9 on the back of captain Hardik Pandya’s outstanding bowling figures of 3 for 17 in his four overs.

In reply, the Titans overhauled the target in 18.1 overs. Opener Shubman Gill top scored with 45* while Hardik and David Miller contributed 34 and 32* respectively.

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After winning the trophy, Hardik Pandya sat alongside head coach Ashish Nehra for a fun interview for iplt20.com.

The GT captain quipped that even fans didn’t expect them to win the title.

“We have hit a six in the very first year. We became the champions and can’t be prouder. People said our batting and bowling aren’t that strong, but since we won the trophy, everything is good,” Pandya was quoted as saying.

Nehra, who became the first Indian head coach to win an IPL trophy, also expressed pride in the brand of cricket his wards played throughout the season.

“It’s a great feeling. More than winning the trophy, the most important thing was the way we played and it was very heartening to see. Under your leadership, the boys gelled very well,” Nehra told Pandya.

Hardik then made a hilarious revelation about how Nehra motivates players during the practice session.

“Nehra is someone who goes to practice first. So, if everyone has already batted, the general thing is to go. But for Nehra, if 20 minutes are left, he would ask players to bat again. The way we played, the credit goes to him because he has made everyone work hard with a lot of passion. Anyone who goes out in the middle either says he will middle the ball or bowl with great line and lengths,” Pandya stated.

In reply, Nehra said: “There’s nothing of such sort, it’s a lie."