Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Hardik Pandya said that he and head coach, Ashish Nehra, had always planned to build a strong all-round unit, and the strategy paid off as they lifted their maiden title in their debut season.

Hardik had an excellent outing in the final as well, taking three wickets and also scoring a 30-ball 34, setting up the foundation for the run chase of 131. Eventually, GT overhauled the target with 11 balls to spare.

“This is the right example for any team in the world. If you can play as a team and build a good unit with genuine people around, wonders can happen. I and Ashu pa, we like to play proper bowlers.”

“Batters can obviously chip in, but most of the time I have seen in T20 cricket – it’s a batter’s game but bowlers win you games. A lot of times we won the games as well, but we always spoke about what are the things we missed out and how we can get better from here,” Hardik said after the conclusion of the game.

“Count myself lucky winning 5 finals” – Hardik Pandya

Hardik was previously part of the Mumbai Indians squad which secured four IPL titles. He had learned the knack of winning important matches and he deployed it with his new franchise, this time as the captain.

“Everyone chipped in. Count myself lucky winning 5 finals, it’s been exciting. This is going to be a special one. We spoke about creating a legacy. Generation to come, everyone will remember this was the team who started this journey and to win the championship first year is very special,” Hardik added.

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