Debutants Gujarat Titans were declared Indian Premier League (IPL) champions on Sunday in Ahmedabad, defeating Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets.
Nobody gave Gujarat Titans a chance, but they stunned everyone by winning the Indian Premier League title in their debut season after a seven-wicket triumph over Rajasthan Royals in the final here on Sunday, defying all pre-tournament forecasts.
After losing the toss, Gujarat's highly-rated bowling attack, led by skipper Hardik Pandya (3/17), reduced a tough Rajasthan Royals batting squad to 130 for nine.
Shubman Gill and David Miller continued their unbeaten streaks with 45 and 32 points, respectively, to help their team to a convincing victory.
It was not a team studded with star players but Hardik impressed with his leadership and got the best out of his colleagues.
His performance with bat and ball also contributed immensely to the team's triumph besides the ability to bounce back from any situation through the brilliance of Miller and Rahul Tewatia.
The pace duo of Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna were brilliant in the powerplay, reducing Gujarat to 31 for two with Wriddhiman Saha (5) and Matthew Wade (8) back in the dugout.