GT vs RR Highlights, IPL Final 2022: Hardik Pandya's all-round show helps Gujarat Titans clinch title in first season

Gujarat Titans set to play in front of home fans. Electric atmosphere at the stadium! Can they lift the title in debut season?

Simon Doull reckons the bounce is a bit higher here, sticking onto the surface a little bit. Bowlers who can hit the deck hard, bowl that back of a length can cause trouble to the batters, the dimensions are pretty much the same, although one side is slightly shorter. 

Teams that have batted first have won the final 9 times, win the toss, bat first and put up something around 180-190.

What a spectacle we've had at the Narendra Modi Stadium in front of perhaps a record crowd! Some catchy Bollywood numbers that set the tone for the title clash! The toss is just minutes away... Flip of coin at 7:30 pm IST. Stay tuned for live updates.

Legendary AR Rahman takes the center stage at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The flip of coin is just half an hour away... stay tuned for live updates!

Ranveer Singh flags off closing ceremony with his performance. Also, the IPL has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the biggest cricket jersey in the world.

Bollywood star Ranveer Singh flags off the star-studded closing ceremony that will also feature singers AR Rahman and Neeti Mohan. Almost 1 lakh fans have turned up for the title showdown at Ahmedabad.

Fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium cheer for BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, BCCI secretary Jay Shah and IPL chairman Brijesh Patel. Captains Hardik and Sanju also take the center stage. The 30-minute closing ceremony is all set to commence!

There are pockets of pink shirts in the stadium but let's not forget that it's the home turf of Gujarat Titans. A sea of Titans supporters expected at the world's biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad. Hardik would be ecstatic to play in front of home fans in fresh IPL chapter with Gujarat Titans!

"We all are going to miss Warnie. He would've been telling his team 'Find a way', says former Rajasthan man Graeme Smith before the title game.

The Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan squad are keen to win the trophy as a tribute to former captain Shane Warne, who led them to their maiden IPL title in 2008.

"He is such an influential figure," Jos Buttler said of the Australian spin great who died in March.

While Buttler aims to continue his stellar form, Hardik looks to lead from the front. Hardik's unbeaten 87 against Rajasthan remains the highest individual score by a Titans batter against the opposition. Buttler's 89 is the highest individual score by a Rajasthan player against Gujarat.

Rajasthan have relied heavily on Jos Buttler, who is comfortably the leading scorer after a record-equalling four centuries this season. A Jos special on the cards? He stands just 25 runs away from surpassing David Warner's tally of 848 runs, which he had pulled off during Sunrisers Hyderabad's 2016 title-winning run. Buttler will become the overseas batter with the most runs in a single IPL season.

The closing ceremony is set to start at 6:25 PM IST! Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur are also expected to be present for the big game.

Bollywood star Ranveer Singh as well as singers AR Rahman and Neeti Mohan headline the star-studded closing ceremony of the tournament.

Gujarat Titans have won two games including the Qualifier-1 against Rajasthan Royals. Also, both teams have suffered two defeats in their last five IPL games.

The Rajasthan pace attack has plenty to offer as well. Prasidh Krishna (18 wickets), Trent Boult (15 wickets) and Obed McCoy (11 wickets) will have to put brakes on the run-scoring rate of the Titans.

While the spotlight remains on in-form Jos Buttler, Rajasthan will expect game-defining spells from both spinners. Yuzvendra Chahal, who is eyeing a Purple Cap finish, has got 26 scalps under his belt. Wanindu Hasaranga has also got 26 plucks to his name.

Ravichandran Ashwin, who has taken 12 wickets so far, will have to complement his partner Chahal's efforts in the showdown clash! The toss will happen at 7.30 pm followed by match at 8 pm.

Suresh Raina, who has scored the most runs in the IPL playoffs and won four IPL trophies while playing for CSK, feels Titans will be fresh tonight as they got ample time to rest.

Raina told Star Sports that Titans will have a slight edge over Rajasthan Royals in the finals because they've had a good rest of four-five days. But he pointed out that Rajasthan cannot be taken lightly because they are looking in sublime form and if Jos Buttler fires for one last time in this season, then it will be a huge bonus for the team.

With 16 needed off the final over of Qualifier-1, the left-handed David Miller smashed each of Prasidh Krishna's first three balls for six to bring the house down at a full capacity Eden Gardens. Are more fireworks incoming? Expecting a cracker of a game tonight... stay tuned for live updates!

Gujarat Titans ended the first half of the league stage with six wins and just one loss. 12 points in the first seven games helped them secure a place in the top-4 bracket.

Titans eventually finished in the top spot with 20 points. They also were the first team to book a playoffs berth this season.

Gujarat Titans may be relatively new to the IPL razzmatazz but it has checked all boxes in the lead-up to the summit clash of the 10-team tournament.

Titans have left everyone awestruck with their performance comprising nail-biting finishes and upsets. The Hardik-led have found a new match-winner in almost every game.  Can they discover another hero tonight?

Former Rajasthan man Graeme Smith believes the Royals have an edge against Gujarat Titans.

"I think the advantage Rajasthan Royals have over Gujarat Titans is that they've played a game on this surface. They have got used to the atmosphere, the outfield, the pitch, and the extra bounce," Smith told Star Sports.

Ravichandran Ashwin, who has chipped in with some runs, will also be on his toes. Can he pull another bunny out of the hat? The seasoned tweaker has picked up 12 wickets so far. He has amassed 185 runs at SR of 146.83 too!

Young Batters like Devdutt Padikkal (374 runs) and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (236 runs) will also have to provide support to the Buttler-Samson duo. Jaiswal hit a brisk 21 in Qualifier-2 but perished off a Josh Hazlewood delivery in the powerplay.

While Rajasthan rode on Buttler's ton, "Killer" Miller hammered an unbeaten 68 to power Gujarat into the final early this week. He hammered Prasidh Krishna for three straight sixes in the final over.

Along with Jos Buttler, Rajasthan will expect runs from Sanju Samson, who stands just a win away from emulating Shane Warne's feat. The Indian batter has scored 444 runs at an average of 29.60 with two fifties. His job will be to boost the scoring rate.