“[On team composition at auction:] Good balance, good depth but most importantly have players who can play different ways. With Ashish we have learnt you need to have guys who are versatile, and we have that at No. 4, 5, 6.”
“[On his batting:] Any given day I’d take the trophy than me batting at 160 or 170 [strike rate], team is the most important, whichever team I play for. I have always been that kind of individual. Outside noise does not bother me, and if I have to sacrifice and have a worse season and my team still wins, I’ll take that.
“Me and Ashu pa [Ashish Nehra] are similar in terms of wanting to play five proper bowlers, who can win you matches all day… Most of the time, I have seen in T20 cricket, it’s a batters’ game but bowlers win you games.”
Hardik Pandya
“[On batting at No. 4:] I’ve always fancied myself as a batter. Batting comes first to me, it’s always going to be close to my heart, so, obviously when we got the auction done, it was clear that I had to bat up the order to guide… I have been in this kind of situation before, so for my team, I thought that it’s the best position [No. 4] for me to bat, so that all the other batsmen can come and express themselves.
“[On team combination:] Me and Ashu pa [Ashish Nehra] are similar in terms of wanting to play five proper bowlers, who can win you matches all day. Batters can obviously chip in and make sure that whatever or whenever we require batsmen can raise their hand and say ‘we are there’. But, most of the time, I have seen in T20 cricket, it’s a batters’ game but bowlers win you games.
“[Titans behind the scenes:] A lot of the time, we won the game, but we always spoke about what are the things we missed out on and how we can do better. A lot of the credit goes to all the support staff, from Ashish [Nehra] to [spin-bowling coach and scout] Ashish Kapoor, Gary [Kirsten], the physios to the masseurs, the logistics team; everyone chipped in, they were there to make sure all the players were comfortable, feel at home.
“[On how this win is different from his previous IPL title wins:] Obviously, I count myself lucky. I’ve been in five finals and won five times. It’s been exciting. This is going to be a special one because we spoke about creating legacy and making sure… this is for the generation to come, everyone will remember that this was the team who started this journey and… first year [for us in the IPL] to win the championship is very special.”
“People said we were batters short, short on experience. The franchise showed faith in David, me and Hardik. Now we’ve won, so nothing left to say.”
Rahul Tewatia
“[On the final:] We adjusted ourselves very quickly with the wicket. We knew it was the kind of wicket if they scored 150-plus it would be hard but we have to bowl in the right area and that’s what happened. Everyone took the responsibility, the middle overs was really important and we bowled really well.”
“[On his feelings in the moment:] 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. Don’t know about party, but I definitely won’t sleep tonight.
“[On the team:] People said we were batters short, short on experience. The franchise showed faith in David, me and Hardik. Now we’ve won, so nothing left to say.”
“I think winning an IPL is as big as winning a World Cup and this is my fifth year and I’m fortunate enough to win it this time.”
Shubman Gill