AHMEDABAD: Fired by Jos Buttler’s marauding blade and inspired by Shane Warne’s memories, Rajasthan Royals will hope to complete the last chapter in their fairytale season when they take on Gujarat Titans in the IPL final here on Sunday. The Titans themselves are living a dream in their debut season.
What will add to the electric atmosphere and act as the ‘12th man’ for Hardik Pandya’s Titans is the presence of almost one lakh cheering fans, who will watch their new IPL team playing for the first time.
RR and GT will look to cap off what has been a simply magnificent season. Having lost to the Titans in Qualifier 1 at the Eden Gardens earlier this week, Sanju Samson’s Royals, relying heavily on Buttler, will be slight underdogs. However, they were the underdogs 14 years ago too, when Warne, who tragically passed away just a few weeks ago, led them to IPL glory in the inaugural edition.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if, for the last three days since they arrived here from Kolkata, all the Titans have done is to work out ways to get Royals opener Jos Buttler out early. The Englishman has ruled the batting charts with 824 runs and four hundreds. Another century and he’ll break Virat Kohli’s record of most hundreds in a season.
After enduring a slight dip in form, the 31-year-old has woken up with a roar, blasting 89* off 59 balls against Gujarat and then a 60-ball 106* that left RCB bruised.
So far, the Titans have beaten the Royals twice in the IPL, once in the playoffs, thanks largely to David Miller’s electrifying 38-ball 68*, and before that in the league stage. Will the Royals be third time lucky?
For that to happen, though, RR can’t just bank on Buttler every time. Skipper Sanju Samson must carry on if he starts well. Ditto for Yashasvi i Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer and even Ashwin, who has added muscle to his T20 batting.
If the pitch is similarly bouncy to what was on offer in Qualifier 2, the Royals will bank on Trent Boult for early breakthroughs. They will hope that the pacy Prasidh Krishna and Obed McCoy, who has superb variations, can repeat their Friday show, when they took six wickets to leave RCB limping. RR would want their ace leggie Yuzvendra Chahal, the ‘Purple Cap’ holder, to bounce back after going wicketless for 77 in eight overs in the last two games.
Ironically, the Titans’ journey bears striking resemblance with the Royals’ memorable run to the IPL title back in 2008. Like Warne’s bunch, the Titans too aren’t high on star power but have players who have turned world-beaters on their day.
Bought by Irelia Company Pte Ltd (CVC Capital Partners) last year, the franchise fell in troubled waters when it emerged that they had alleged investments in betting firms outside India. The team was finally given the green signal by the BCCI’s legal team, and on the roster first were captain Hardik Pandya, leggie Rashid Khan and opener Shubman Gill. Not many gave them a chance to go beyond the league stage.
However, after launching their campaign with a five-wicket win over Lucknow on March 28, the Titans, shepherded by a fine captain in Pandya, just kept looking like the team to beat. Bereft of superstars, they discovered new heroes in every game. Pandya himseld has put up a determined show, scoring 453 runs in 14 games @ 45.30 with four fifties.
KEY PLAYERS
David Miller: The senior South African player was considered well past his prime when Titans got him from the auctions. But Miller has been an extremely consistent finisher for Hardik Pandya’s team. Not only has he unleashed the big shots when required, Miller has also bided his time when required and looked to build crucial partnerships. The Miller-Chahal battle could be the decisive factor in the final.
Image credit: BCCI/IPL
Mohammed Shami: With 19 wickets at an economy rate of 7.98, the paceman has been very consistent. Titans will bank on Shami to give them the early breakthroughs. Even at the death, Shami has the ability to land his yorkers at pace. Another crucial factor is his big-match experience.
Rashid Khan: It is simply impossible to look past the wily Rashid Khan, probably the best T20 spinner of all time. With 18 wickets and an economy rate of 6.73, Rashid has been stifling the opposition in the middle overs. Such has been his influence that teams are often looking to just play him out, which makes a world of difference in a 20-over contest. Add to that Rashid’s new-found batting skills, courtesy some incredibly powerful wrists, which has won Titans a couple of games.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
Image credit: BCCI/IPL
Jos Buttler: The Englishman has sealed the Orange Cup and if he gets going at the top of the order, nothing is unachievable. After a dip in the latter league games, Buttler has rediscovered his touch and with 824 runs, is threatening to peak for a second time in the tournament. If he can get going against Shami in the Powerplay, Royals will get all the fuel that is necessary to go for the kill. It will be interesting to see how he approaches this final against IPL’s best attack.
Sanju Samson: Another crucial cog in the RR wheel. He can look a touch inconsistent, but Sanju is looking to play top-gear cricket all the time. It means that he doesn’t always get those half-centuries, but 444 is a decent turnover from a guy who is choosing to live on the edge. On Sunday, if Titans manage to get Buttler early, the onus will be on Samson to stay there for a bit longer. It remains to be seen if Samson is ready to go beyond his cameos and anchor the ship through choppy waters.
Yuzvendra Chahal: With 26 wickets at an economy rate of 7.96, Chahal has been magical. He is one of those rare slow bowlers who can be used even in the crucial 19th over. It’s probably not a coincidence that the teams with the two best leggies are playing the final. Chahal has to bring his guile into play to keep Pandya, Miller and Tewatia in check.
