It was a season to remember for IPL debutants Gujarat Titans as the side went on to lift the title after defeating Rajasthan Royals in the summit clash. It was skipper Hardik Pandya who brought his A-game to the middle as he took three wickets, including the key scalp of Jos Buttler. As Shubman Gill and David Miller took Gujarat over the line, it was Hardik’s composure that stood out the most. There were no flashy celebrations and he went about his business of congratulating his players and coaching staff.
As the cricketing action was done with, Hardik’s wife Natasa Stankovic also came down to the playing area and embraced Hardik. Natasa was visibly emotional after witnessing Gujarat Titans’ win.
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Speaking at the post-match conference after the IPL triumph, Hardik said: “She is someone who is very emotional, she gets very happy when she sees me doing well. She has seen me go through a lot of things; she has kind of seen me putting hard yards no matter what happens. I have worked genuine hard; I do not speak much about it but she knows how much hard work goes behind the scenes.”
“My family has always been my strong pillar. My brother Krunal, my sister-in-law Pankhuri and my other brother Vaibhav. A lot of people who have been part of me and my wife, and my son, they have been fantastic in making sure that I stay in the best frame of mind and you know, whenever the crunch situation comes and whenever I am playing, it kind of helps me because I know my family is there to support me no matter what happens. My brother as well cried when I called him, my sister-in-law also cried, they are the tears of happiness which is something fantastic. I live on and I feed on love which I keep getting from my family,” he added.
Talking about the final between GT and RR, the latter posted 130/9 in 20 overs. Jos Buttler top-scored with a knock of 39 while for Gujarat, skipper Hardik returned with the figures of 3-17.
Chasing 131, Shubman Gill and David Miller remained unbeaten on 45 and 34, respectively to take Gujarat over the line by seven wickets and 11 balls to spare.
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For Rajasthan, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna and Yuzvendra Chahal returned with one wicket each.
Earlier in the tournament, Gujarat had topped the league stage with 20 points from 14 games and they entered the final after outclassing Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 1.
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