Indian Premier League 2022: Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya Breaks 34-Match Trend At The Toss Vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Leading an Indian Premier League (IPL) team for the first time, Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Hardik Pandya has been nothing short of a revelation in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. With five wins from six games, he has led the new franchise with incredible skill and temperament. The results are there for all to see as his team finds itself among the top-four in the points table. Some of his on-field tactics, especially under pressure, have been remarkable. On Saturday, against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Pandya broke a 34-game unique streak that started from Match 1 of the IPL 2022.

Pandya became the first captain this season to opt to bat after winning the toss against KKR at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai. Before this game, captains of all franchises who had won the toss, opted to field.

This trend stemmed from the statistics that favoured the side bowling first heavily in the previous IPL seasons. Of the 364 matches played in the IPL over the last six years, the team batting second won 214 matches as compared to 150 games won by the teams batting first.

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Talking about this trend, former Indian Cricketer Saba Karim said: “The trend is quite startling. It is similar to the national T20 trends. The emergence of strong power hitters has propelled the teams to rework their strategy. They feel if you have batters till No.5 or No.6, it is better to chase. In shorter formats, the teams batting second have more chance to pull off a win.”

With the growing buzz regarding the toss, the outcome of the GT vs KKR match can add to the debate of the choice of captains after winning the toss.