Gujarat Titans capped of a perfect debut season in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The finished top of the table, they marched to the final following a win in Qualifier 1 and produced yet another dominating performance, this time in the final, to beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in front of a roaring home crowd in Ahmedabad to win the elusive title. (Follow IPL 2022 full coverage)
But how many actually expected Gujarat Titans in the final at the start of the tournament? Not many. Following what was termed as a "poor" auction back in February this year, analysts and veterans had already written off the team even before the tournament had kicked off. But the Titans proved doubters wrong through each of their 16 games this season and subsequently left them stunned with the IPL title glory.
Hence, when Wriddhiman Saha was asked about how he felt to have been part of the champion side, he took to opportunity to give it back to all the critics.
“This is my 5th final and the 2nd final I have won, someone said our team was not good after the auctions, but we proved them wrong,” he said after Gujarat's crushing seven-wicket win at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
{{/usCountry}}“This is my 5th final and the 2nd final I have won, someone said our team was not good after the auctions, but we proved them wrong,” he said after Gujarat's crushing seven-wicket win at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
{{/usCountry}}The response, to some extent, sided with Saha's journey in this IPL as well. Not many gave him a chance in T20 cricket despite a rather decent record especially with the bat in the powerplay. And was introduced in the GT XI after consecutive failures at the top of the order.
The 37-year-old played 11 matches this season and scored 317 runs as an opener at 31.70 with three half-century scores. He played a pivotal role at the top of the line-up alongside Shubman Gill in Gujarat's title-winning run.