Hardik Pandya reveals Krunal Pandya and sister-in-law were teary eyed after GT, under his leadership lifted maiden IPL title in Ahmedabad.
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A fairytale campaign for the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 15th season of the Indian Premier League only came to an end after they lifted their maiden IPL title, in only their debut appearance by defeating the Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 7 wickets in the night of the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad.
To act as the icing on the cake was Pandya’s match-winning performance – 3/17 and 34 (30), which earned him a rare spot in the list of captains to win ‘Player of the Match’ award in an IPL final.
Charged with the franchise’s captaincy responsibility right after marking a return back to competitive Cricket after recovering from injury during the 2021 T20 World Cup, the 28-year-old was cancelled by fans and experts, as far as GT’s chances going forward in IPL 2022 were concerned.
While his fitness was always a concern, many former cricketers even rated the GT squad as an average one on paper, devoid essentially of the power-hitters in it.
However, here they are, soaking in all the praises and congratulatory messages overnight, which was followed by a roadshow in Ahmedabad as well the next evening, where scores and scores of people struggled to get a mere glimpse of the superstars of their victorious home franchise.
Hardik Pandya reveals Krunal Pandya and sister-in-law were teary eyed
Post the win, however, Hardik revealed yet again how his family members have been his constant support throughout the ups and downs of his off and on-field journey, and how his team’s victory yesterday, made his brother Krunal Pandya and sister-in-law Pankhuri Sharma emotional, when he called them post the win.
“My family has been my strength. My brother Krunal, sister-in-law Pankhuri, second brother Vaibhav. All of them gave me mental comfort even in difficult times. When I called, both brother and sister-in-law cried. These were tears of joy. I know that as long as such people are behind me, I can play well,” exclaimed Hardik post the win.
While Hardik lifted the trophy for Gujarat, Krunal’s Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), who also impressed right away in their maiden IPL season, finished at the fourth spot after bowing down against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ‘Eliminator’.
