"Leave the throne, Gujarat has come" - Aakash Chopra on Gujarat Titans becoming IPL 2022 champions in their maiden campaign

Aakash Chopra has pointed out that the Gujarat Titans' (GT) title-winning run in IPL 2022 has ushered in a new era in the history of the prestigious league.

The Titans, one of the two new sides to join the IPL bandwagon, surprised everyone by finishing atop the points table after the league phase. They went one better by winning the title in their first year in the league.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted that Hardik Pandya's side overshadowed the big-name teams with their performance on the field. He elaborated:

"Leave the throne, Gujarat has come. Gujarat Titans are the new champions. Usher in the new era because this 10-team IPL said that you will not be known for your name but for your deeds. The famous teams are sitting at the bottom but the team which came for the first time will be known for their deeds."

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the Titans had proved most cricket pundits, including himself, wrong. He explained:

"I didn't feel the Gujarat Titans had assembled a team that could win. So you come to know that you think what will happen, but it doesn't always happen like that. The bowling was good, the batters came to the fore, David Miller had a dream season, Wriddhiman Saha was played late but when he was played, he did the job."

Several cricket experts believed that the Titans had assembled a weak unit after the IPL 2022 auction. However, they proved their critics wrong with their consistent performances throughout the season.

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"This was an absolutely stellar season" - Aakash Chopra on Gujarat Titans' stupendous run

Matthew Wade did not have a great IPL 2022 [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra pointed out that the Titans could even carry an underperforming Matthew Wade in their playing XI. He observed:

"Matthew Wade didn't score runs but still it did not make a difference. They showed their might in the bowling, put the opposition teams under pressure and won the final in the end. This was an absolutely stellar season."

While naming Hardik Pandya the star performer on the day, the 44-year-old highlighted that Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill, the Gujarat Titans' other two draft picks, also delivered the goods. He said:

"Rashid was very economical, four overs, 18 runs and one wicket. Everyone gets hit but no one is able to hit him. All three draft picks performed in the final - whether you see Hardik, Shubman or Rashid Khan. Shubman Gill performed very well, remained unbeaten, these small things matter in the end."

Gill scored an unbeaten 45 off 43 deliveries to ensure that the Gujarat Titans achieved the 131-run target with relative ease.

Rashid was stingy as usual, with his 1/18 in conjunction with Hardik's 3/17 rocking the Rajasthan Royals batting in the middle overs.