Sri Lanka scripted one of the best cricketing moments by defeating Pakistan in the Asia Cup final to lift their 6th title. From being the underdogs to winning the trophy, their journey was inspiring. However, very few might have noticed that Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup triumph had some unbelievable similarities with Gujarat Titans’ IPL 2022 win. Hardik Pandya-led side won the 2022 IPL in their maiden edition by defeating Rajasthan Royals in the final. The article will highlight five unbelievable similarities between the two triumphs.
Started the tournament as underdogs
Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants were the new entrants to this year’s IPL. The two new teams were the underdogs compared to IPL giants such as Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, and Royal Challenger’s Bangalore, and no one expected them to win in their first season. Additionally, looking at the squad depth, a poll was conducted at the start of the IPL, asking the viewers if GT’s side is better or LSG’s. The majority of the fans favored LSG. Defying all odds, Hardik Pandya and his men topped the group stage with ten wins and four losses. They then went on to defeat Rajasthan Royals in the final to win their maiden IPL trophy. On the other hand, Sri Lanka had to deal with a lot of stuff other than cricket. The Island nation is facing economic and political turmoil, and winning the continental Cup was an incredible journey. Due to their conditions back home, no one expected them to win the tournament. Apart from losing their first match against Afghanistan, Sri Lanka won their remaining matches.
Both captains are fast bowling all-rounders
Another similarity that must not go unnoticed is that Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka and GT captain Hardik Pandya are both fast-bowling all-rounders. Hardik scored 487 runs and took eight wickets in the IPL, while Shanaka amassed 111 runs in six innings and picked up two wickets. Apart from being fast bowling all-rounders, no one believed in their captaincy prowess.
One world-class leg-spinner
Another similarity between the two teams is they had one world-class leg-spinner. Gujarat had Rashid Khan, who was one of the key contributors to their success, while Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga won the player of the tournament award for his bowling display. Hasaranga’s three-wicket haul in the final turned the match in Lanka’s favor. Rashid picked up 19 wickets in the IPL, while Hasaranga was the 2nd highest wicket-taker in the Asia Cup with nine wickets behind India’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar. It is worth noting that Rashid ranks 5th on ICC’s T20I bowler’s list, while Hasaranga is 6th.
Finished top of the table in the round-robin stage
Sri Lanka finished second in the group stage but were the table toppers in the Super 4 stage, which was a round-robin. The Island nation played three matches in the ‘last-four’ round and won all of them. Similarly, Gujarat Titans finished top of the table with ten wins in their 14 matches.
Defeated the same team twice in their last two matches
Gujarat Titans reached the final of the IPL by defeating Rajasthan Royals in the first qualifier. Rajasthan won qualifier two against RCB and set up another match against Gujarat in the final. In the re-round, Gujarat emerged victorious again and won the IPL. The same happened with Sri Lanka, who defeated Pakistan in the Super 4 round and then again in the final.