IPL 2022 roundup: From MS Dhoni's confirmation to Gujarat Titans' historic triumph
The IPL 2022 edition was a huge hit. Here are some key talking points from the recently-concluded 15th season of the premier T20 tournament:
Gujarat Titans create history, win IPL in maiden season (Photo - IPL)
Under a first-time captain, in their maiden season, the Gujarat Titans created history by winning IPL 2022. They were the first team to qualify for the playoffs, top the league stage, enter the final and eventually beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the summit clash to win the elusive trophy.
Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat became only the second team to win the IPL trophy in their first-ever appearance, joining Rajasthan in the elite list.
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Rajasthan fall short but surely make late Shane Warne proud (Photo - IPL)
Rajasthan fell short of claiming their second title but surely made late Shane Warne proud. After the first-ever Royal passed away early this year, many non-Royals also joined in supporting the Pink Army in what was an emotional season for the franchise. While they fell short in the final, Warne would surely be proud of his brigade's overall efforts from upstairs.
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Not the season for the SERIAL WINNERS (Photo - IPL)
It wasn't the season for the serial winners as the likes of Mumbai Indians (MI), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), CSK, and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) weren't at their best. These four teams shared the trophy from 2010-to 2021. However, their dominance came to an end this season as all four featured in the bottom four of the points table.
On the other hand, the perennial underachievers RCB had a lot going right for them this season, they still couldn't return with the trophy. They played only a match more than the previous two seasons, ending their campaign in Qualifier 2.
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Third-longest IPL season, lengthiest in terms of no. of days (Photo - IPL)
It was the third-longest IPL season in terms of matches. In 2012 and 2013, there were a total of 76 games each. In this season, 74 games were hosted across four different cities.
However, IPL 2022 was the longest season by days.
62 days in 2022
51 in 2012
Only match days including, excluding break days
The BCCI, groundsmen, curators and various others did a splendid job to pull off such a high-pressure tournament without any fuss despite Covid-19 and other concerns.
(Photograph:Others)