IPL Final 2022 | Big congratulations to ‘deserving champions’ Gujarat Titans, remarks Jos Buttler

Gujarat Titans (GT) finished off their debut season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the best possible scenario. On Sunday evening at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, they beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven wickets to secure the title. After Sanju Samson won the toss and opted to bat, the Titans bowling unit, led by Hardik, restricted the Royals to 130/9. Then Shubman Gill (45* off 43 balls), David Miller (32* off 19 balls), and Hardik (34 off 30) stepped up with the bat to get the job done in 18.1 overs.

It was a one-sided IPL final, largely due to Jos Buttler's dismissal against the run of play. Buttler reached 39 off 34 balls and was about to tee off before he nicked Hardik to Wriddhiman Saha in the 13th over, which changed the course of the contest. The Englishman, however, ended up winning the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament award, as well as the Orange Cap. His stupendous tally of 863 runs came at a strike rate of 149.05.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Buttler expressed his disappointment for not winning the title. However, he also congratulated the Titans by calling them the 'deserving champions.'

"Exceeded all my expectations apart from today - the trophy we really wanted. Disappointed with that. Big congratulations to Hardik and the team. Deserving champions," said Buttler at the post-match presentation.

"My goals are to play my role for the team and try and react on the day regarding what the game is asking me to do. In good teams, you have a lot of trust in everyone. We have huge trust in everyone in our team. Very grateful for the opportunity to play today. Disappointed - that's completely natural. Have lost plenty of finals in my career, unfortunately."

Buttler will now return to England to start preparing for their home series against New Zealand.