Old head Rajasthan Royals and new kid on the block Gujarat Titans will go toe to toe in the IPL final here on Sunday.
Fourteen years have passed since Royals famously beat all odds to win the inaugural IPL edition. The late Shane Warne brilliantly led an unheralded team on an inspired run. Warne, who acted as captain and coach, was widely praised for banking on consistent team effort rather than star power.
Experience of a lifetime
For the likes of Swapnil Asnodkar, Mahesh Rawat, Siddharth Trivedi, Niraj Patel and a young Ravindra Jadeja, the lesser-known names in the Rajasthan squad, it was an experience of a lifetime.
That triumph will live forever. Even current captain Sanju Samson recalled watching Royals outclass Chennai Super Kings in the 2008 final. “I was playing an under-16 game in Kerala at the time,” Samson told the host broadcaster.
A second title for the Rajasthan side will be a fitting tribute to the ‘First Royal’ Warne, who passed away a couple of months ago. Samson and his teammates are keen to celebrate the great Australian with a thumping performance on Sunday.
“Right from the start of the tournament, we’ve played for Warne. We are just one step away from doing something special for him,” Samson told iplt20.com.
Much will depend on Samson and Jos Buttler who struck a blistering century against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Qualifier 2 here on Friday.
The bowling attack — consisting of pacers Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna and Obed McCoy, and experienced spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and R. Ashwin — is among the best in the business.
Gujarat Titans, the group-stage table-topper, stands in Royals’ way. The prospect of playing in front of a massive sold-out home crowd is sure to lift Titans to great heights.
For the record, Titans got the better of Royals in Qualifier 1 a few days ago.
Midas touch
Captain Hardik Pandya has been blessed with the Midas touch in this debut season for the franchise. South African David Miller has proven his worth as a finisher, while Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha have been consistent at the top of the order. Hardik, who has unbeaten scores of 40 and 62 in the previous two outings, is a stable middle-order presence.
Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan, with his deadly accuracy and variations, will choke the run flow. If the Royals batters try to hit Rashid out of the attack, he could add to his healthy tally of 18 tournament wickets. Royals will also be wary of losing early wickets to fast bowler Mohammed Shami (19 wickets) — another standout performer.
It should be a spectacular night out at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
