Unfancied teams eye a fitting culmination to a memorable ride

If Voltaire's theory 'common sense is not so common' needed any more validation, IPL 2022 has provided that. Two of the most poorly assembled teams, or as it seemed after the auctions - Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals - find themselves in Ahmedabad on the final day to get hold of the big prize, after having already been the two best teams in the league stage. With two different strategies and two separate sets of drawbacks - one with too many specialists and lacking depth in either department and the other with a one-dimensional batting approach with personnel handling roles they haven't hitherto been entrusted with in top-flight cricket - the two teams have managed to script their own success stories. What remains common though in their victories, is the strong reliance on their respective bowling attacks. On the batting front, while Gujarat Titans have had multiple players in the middle order stand up and deliver match-winning performances, Rajasthan Royals has ridden on the success of Jos Buttler - a one-man run-making machine, who has clobbered over 800 runs with 4 centuries. The pain points of the two teams' batting concerns are different. While Royals haven't found ample support from the middle order, barring Shimron Hetmyer, the uncertain form of the top order has been an issue for the newcomers. There hasn't been a lot separating the two teams on their road to the final, with Titans winning 11 games compared to Royals' 10, of which seven wins came in the last over. While it does give a strong indication of their ability to squeeze themselves out of pressure situations, it is also equally indicative that they haven't outplayed teams as much as the victory count so far should suggest. But what they do have to their advantage is that they are the only team that the Royals haven't beaten so far in this tournament. Even as Gujarat Titans are making their maiden appearance in an IPL final, their captain Hardik Pandya is familiar with the stage and knows a bit about winning, something that not too many players from either side, who are like to be in the XIs on the final day can boast of. Nonetheless, despite beating conventional wisdom, the two teams are set to enter the summit clash. Maybe, it's just a case of two think tanks being ahead of the rest of the pack in terms of understanding the constructs of the best XI, which in T20 cricket has far advanced from more conventional approaches. Or maybe, they were able to find better role definitions for the players in their possession. Or more simply, most of the players clicked for them in those very roles, while it didn't work out as well for the other teams. None of it would matter anyway for the Sunday evening show begins at the biggest stadium of them all. When the lights and cameras are ready, the game of plans, skills and nerves will take centre stage. When: Sunday, May 29, 2022, 8:00 PM IST Where: Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad What to expect: The contest will be played on a fresh pitch, but it is unlikely to be as fast as the one in Kolkata, where the two teams previously met. Rajasthan's previous encounter here against RCB saw a pitch that had good bounce, aiding those who hit the back-of-length hard. The temperature could be close to 40 degrees Celsius, but with low humidity. Team Watch Gujarat Titans Tactics & Matchups: Rashid Khan has had the measure of Jos Buttler, dismissing the RR opener 4 times in 41 balls, and conceding only 25 runs. The leggie will remain crucial since none of the GT pacers have done well against Buttler. Rashid has even managed to keep Sanju Samson quiet, conceding at only nearly run-a-ball, but dismissed him only once in 77 balls. Probable XI: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal Rajasthan Royals: Tactics & Matchups: Shimron Hetmyer, who has been in good form this season, has historically taken down Rashid Khan. In 45 balls, the southpaw has scored at a strike rate of 140 against the leggie Probable XI: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Obed McCoy, Yuzvendra Chahal Did you know? MI is the only side since 2011 to top the league and win the title. They did it thrice (2017, 2019 and 2020). The side that finished second won the title seven instances since 2011, and they beat the side finishing first in the final on as many as six occasions. All the eight times Titans chased this season, the match was decided in the final over and seven times they ended up winning. No side has previously won more than five games in a season chasing in the final over. Royals have hit the most sixes by a team in the season so far while Titans have the most fours, two ahead of Royals. Despite having an ensemble of big hitters, Titans' 75 sixes is the fewest by a team this IPL. Buttler's 194 runs in the most by a player in IPL Play-Offs in a season surpassing 190 by David Warner in 2016. Buttler currently sits third in the list of most runs in a single IPL - 824. What they said? "We've played some unbelievable cricket in the last 14 games and then the playoffs as well. It'll be about going in with the same mindset. I know it's a big final for us but you don't change your skills or your mindset." - Rashid Khan, Gujarat Titans' spinner. "I was very young and it was the first IPL season and I remember playing an under-16 game somewhere in Kerala and I remember watching the last game with my friends and remember that last run where Shane Warne and Sohail Tanvir hit the run and they were running, it was a very vague memory which I have." Sanju Samson on the memory of watching Rajasthan Royals win the title in 2008.