“[On team composition at auction:] Good balance, good depth but above all having players who can play in different ways. With Ashish, we learned that you have to have versatile guys, and we have it at No. 4, 5, 6.”
“[On his batting:] Any day I’ll take the trophy me beating 160 or 170 [strike rate], the team is the most important, whatever team I play for. I’ve always been that kind of person. Outside noise doesn’t bother me, and if I have to make sacrifices and have a worse season and my team wins again, I’ll take that.
“Me and Ashu Pennsylvania [Ashish Nehra] are similar in terms of wanting to play against five good bowlers, who can win you games all day… Mostly I’ve seen in T20 cricket, it’s a batting game but bowlers win you games matches.
Hardik Pandya
“[On batting at No. 4:] I always imagined myself as a hitter. Knocking comes first for me, that’s always going to be close to my heart, so obviously when we did the auction it was clear that I had to beat the order to lead… I’ve been in that kind of thing before situation before, so for my team, I thought that was the best position [No. 4] for me to beat, so that all the other drummers can come and express themselves.
“[On team combination:] Me and Ashu Pennsylvania [Ashish Nehra] are similar in terms of wanting to play five good bowlers, who can win you games all day. The hitters can obviously pitch in and make sure whatever we need or when we need it the batsmen can raise their hands and say ‘we’re here’. But, most of the time I’ve seen in T20 cricket, it’s a game of batsmen but bowlers win you games.
“[Titans behind the scenes:] Most of the time we won the game, but we always talked about the things we missed and how we can do better. Much of the credit goes to all the support staff, from Ashish [Nehra] at [spin-bowling coach and scout] Ashish Kapoor, Gary [Kirsten], the physiotherapists to the masseurs, the logistics team; everyone contributed, they were there to make sure all the players were comfortable, felt at home.
“[On how this win is different from his previous IPL title wins:] Of course, I consider myself lucky. I participated in five finals and won five times. It was exciting. It’s going to be special because we talked about creating a legacy and making sure that… it’s for the generation to come, everyone will remember that it was the team that started this journey and… the first year [for us in the IPL] winning the championship is very special.”
“People were saying we were short on hitters, short on experience. The franchise trusted David, me and Hardik. Now that we won, there’s nothing more to say.”
Rahul Tewatia
“[On the final:] We adjusted very quickly with the wicket. We knew that was the kind of wicket if they scored over 150 it would be tough, but we have to play in the right area and that’s what happened. Everyone took responsibility, the intermediaries were really important and we played very well. »
“[On his feelings in the moment:] I don’t know about the party, but when the season started, someone asked me ‘what are your goals for IPL 2022?’ I said my only goal was to win a trophy with my new team. I don’t know about the party, but I definitely won’t sleep tonight.
“[On the team:] People said we were out of batters, out of experience. The franchise trusted David, me and Hardik. Now that we have won, there is nothing more to say.”
“I think winning an IPL is as important as winning a World Cup and it’s my fifth year and I’m lucky to win it this time.”
Shubman Gill