How Hardik Pandya's Gujarat Titans Emerged As IPL 'Title Favourites' Again
When the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans started their journey in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, one would have been pardoned for not considering them as serious contenders for the title. For IPL has not been kind to 'new teams' in the past. Be it Kochi Tuskers Kerala (2011), Sahara Pure Warriors (2011), Gujarat Lions (2016) or Rising Pune Supergiant (2016) none of the teams that got added in the cash-rich could get any title success. Pune came closest as it finished runners-up in the 2017 edition. So, when GT and Lucknow Super Giants got introduced in 2022, one would not have considered them to go the distance right in the first season.