Rashid Khan’s ‘high point’; helping Gujarat Titans secure maiden IPL title 

Thrilled with his team’s win on Sunday, Gujarat Titans’ star leg-spinner, Rashid Khan, posted pictures of himself with the IPL 2022 trophy on social media and thanked his fans for their good wishes and support.  

Not wasting anytime, Rashid said on Facebook “we will see you in the [upcoming] match against Zimbabwe. Remember us in your prayers.” 

Rashid, who could not hide his emotions after his team’s resounding win against Rajasthan Royals, with 7 wickets to spare, gave one of his best performances in an IPL season.  

“Biggest achievement of your career is to be part of a winning IPL team. You always want to do well in big competitions like this.  

“Winning tournaments like this, you’ll need to put in a lot of hard work and this is certainly a high point of my career,” Rashid told host broadcaster Star Sports. 

Messages of congratulations also poured in from fans for the team. 

Afghan cricket fans were meanwhile treated to an enthralling closing ceremony that was broadcast live on Ariana Television on Sunday evening ahead of the exciting final.  

There was action, music, and fireworks at the packed Narendra Modi Stadium as the crowd was enthralled by the popular numbers of Rahman, which included the Oscar-winning ‘Jai Ho’. 

The foot stomping music was followed by performances from Ranveer Singh and a special film chronicling the journey of Indian cricket over the last 75 years was screened. 

The event was also attended by Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar and several former Indian national cricket players along with members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and other member nations. 

After two years of holding the tournament in the United Arab Emirates due to the COVID pandemic, the BCCI managed to successfully hold the IPL back on home turf this year.  

The electrifying atmosphere generated during the closing ceremony was then carried through to the final match, which saw Gujarat Titans turning up the heat from the outset by setting an achievable target of 131 runs.  

Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to bat first, ending with 130 runs in 20 overs. Gujarat Titans, on the other hand, chased the target in only 19 overs and lost just three wickets to secure the trophy.  

Gujarat captain Hardik Pandya led from the front with an all-round performance which powered his team to their maiden IPL title after a clinical 7-wicket victory.