Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar heaped praise on Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper and team management for their gamble at the mega auction and backing the same during the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Titans surprised many and proved a lot of them wrong in their memorable run in their debut season to the coveted trophy. Whether it’s Wriddhiman Saha at the top or David Miller assuming the role of the finisher or Rahul Tewatia bringing consistency to his finishing skills [after his auction price became a topic of debate] or skipper Hardik Pandya excelling in all three departments and as captain, every player whose selection was questioned, he answered it with performances.
Speaking about the Titans’ golden run, Manjrekar said that GT proved that the titles are not won at the auction. “Not many people thought they’ve done well with the selection of players. The player, the captain and they got their formula right and they go on to win it.
“I think the lesson from this IPL is that you don’t win an IPL title at the auction. Mumbai Indians for a while proved that to be the right way to go, but Gujarat Titans, just the players they gambled on and how big they have paid back with the gamble, that’s been the story of Gujarat Titans,” Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo.
Hardik and Miller ended the season among GT’s top three high-scorers while Tewatia single-handedly finished at least four games for the 2022 IPL champions. In Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, GT found new heroes every time the team was in trouble and ways to get across the line.
Skipper Hardik saved his best for the last as his bowling changes were spot on, figures of 3/17 with the ball and crucial 34 runs with the bat helped GT prevail over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the final.
