The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 finally wrapped up on Sunday, with debutants Gujarat Titans lifting the trophy and becoming deserving champions of the 15th edition of the tournament as they defeated Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets.
At the final, on 29 March at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, both teams brought their top-class game to the field. The record-breaking, effortless performances by the players made the game much more enjoyable and an entertaining spectacle for the fans.
Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya was the star skipper during the IPL final with his nail-biting performance. Hardik is now a five-time IPL champion and became only the third captain to win Man of the Match in the IPL final after Anil Kumble (2009) and Rohit Sharma (2015).
Aside from the major prize, numerous awards were up for grabs. Despite the Royals missing out on the title, their star players, including Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal, bagged the prestigious awards of the tournament as the highest scorer and most wickets, respectively, during IPL 2022.
Buttler remained in full swing during the IPL tournament, so his dominance in the post-season accolades didn’t surprise. He scored four ferocious centuries, with his last century (106 runs off 60 balls) in Qualifier 2 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, leading his team to victory and to the finals. He bagged the Player of the Tournament title and the Orange Cap. During the post-match presentation, he said,
“I have exceeded my expectations from the season. Disappointed to not get the trophy we really wanted to, but very grateful for the opportunity to play today.”
Jos Buttler at the post-match presentation at IPL 2022 final.
He further continued by stating, “My goals are to play my role for the team and try to react on the day regarding what the game is asking me to do. In good teams, you have a lot of trust in everyone. We have huge trust in everyone in our team. Very grateful for the opportunity to play today. Disappointed – that’s completely natural. Have lost plenty of finals in my career, unfortunately.”
Indian Premier League 2022 award winners
Orange Cap Award
Jos Buttler of the Rajasthan Royals was a standout throughout the season, so it was no surprise that he walked away with the most accolades and became the highlight of the evening. Buttler won the Orange Cap title as the leading run-scorer of IPL 2022 with a glorious scorecard of 863 runs generated in 17 innings at an average of 57.53 and a strike rate of 149.05.
Purple Cap Award
Rajasthan Royals spinner Yuzvendra Chahal earned the Purple Cap award this year after taking 27 wickets in 17 matches. He maintained an impressive strike rate of 15.1 and an average of 19.51.
Chahal put forth an outstanding performance during the IPL 2022 and stayed at the top of the wicket-taking charts, tying with Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Wanindu Hasaranga until the very end of the tournament. Hasaranga finished second with an impressive 26 wickets in 16 matches, followed by Punjab Kings’ Kagiso Rabada (23) in third place and Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Umran Malik (22) in fourth place.
Most Valuable Player Award
Rajasthan Royals’ aggressive opener Jos Buttler won the most valuable player (MVP) trophy in IPL 2022. He had earned a top-class reputation and had proven to be a standout performer throughout the competition, helping his team win matches with his outstanding all-around efforts.
In 17 matches, Buttler scored 387.5 runs, including 78 fours and 45 sixes in IPL 2022.
Fairplay Award
Both finalist teams, Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals shared the trophy for the Fairplay Award, which is awarded to the leading team(s) with the most points during the tournament.
Emerging Player Award
Fast bowler Umran Malik of Sunrisers Hyderabad
The Catch of the Season Award
Batter Evin Lewis of the Lucknow Super Giants
The Super Striker of the Season Award
Dinesh Karthik of Royal Challengers Bangalore
A Game Changer Award
Jos Buttler of Rajasthan Royals
Most Fours
Jos Buttler of Rajasthan Royals
Most Sixes
Jos Buttler of Rajasthan Royals
Power Player of IPL 2022
Jos Buttler of Rajasthan Royals
Fastest delivery of IPL 2022
Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson of Gujarat Titans