IPL 2022 | What clicked for Rajasthan Royals as Sanju Samson and co. make it to finals

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) crashed Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB's) party by 7 wickets in Qualifier 2 to storm into the final of the IPL 2022 season. The Sanju Samson-led side will now face table-toppers Gujarat Titans for the title clash at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, May 29.

Remarkably, the Rajasthan-based franchise was the first to lift the coveted title back in 2008 under the spirited guidance of the late Shane Warne. But their fortunes changed for the worse in the subsequent years with declining performance and failures to make it to the final.

This time around, they shrugged off records and reputations by making it to the biggest stage of the tournament. As Royals relish having one hand on the title, here we take a look at what really clicked for the pack as they delivered their best seasonal performance since 2008.  

Royals squadron echoes Esprit de Corps, clicks as a unit at the right time

Sanju Samson and co. finished second on the IPL 2022 points table with nine wins from 14 league matches. More important than claiming games and collecting points, they won all the right moments by clicking together as a team.

Be it via recruitment of the right international talent to some profound grooming of young blood, be it persisting with their captain to having multiple cap winners, the franchise seems to have found their right footing and lost glory, which was once evidenced when the tournament started.  

For instance, England star Jos Buttler has hardly exchanged his Orange Cap with any other batsmen this season. The batting powerhouse belted 824 runs in 16 innings before the final with four tons and as many fifties. He received much support from his dynamic captain Sanju Samson, who used his pedigree of quickly scoring in the middle overs to full effect with 444 runs at a staggering rate of 147.50.

Young guns Devdutt Padikkal and Yashasvi Jaiswal also exhibited much batting class this season, collectively stroking away 610 runs across 25 innings played between them.

Rajasthan Royals spin merchants Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin have enjoyed profitable seasons so far. Chahal, in particular, has collected 26 wickets from 16 matches at a healthy average of 19.50. The Indian white-ball specialist has been fighting for Purple Cap honours with his RCB rival Wanindu Hasaranga. If Chahal manages to claim one more wicket in the final against Gujarat Titans, he will claim the coveted cap for the season.

The Royals' bowling department has flourished beyond its spin section as their pacers, too, have come to the fore. In the must-win Qualifier 2 against the RCB, young Prasidh Krishna bowled with his trademark zip to claim figures of 3-22. The 26-year-old has now extended his season tally to 18 wickets.

Meanwhile, RR's New Zealand import Trent Boult extracted swing across several batting-friendly surfaces to pile up 15 wickets. West Indies' Obed McCoy and uncapped Indian Kuldeep Sen have also delivered team-endorsing performances with 11 wickets from 6 matches and 8 wickets from 7 games, respectively.

As the inaugural winners look to honour Shane Warne's legacy to the fullest, just a couple of months after his untimely death, Sanju Samson's Royal battalion will once again be hoping to click together as a team if they are to entertain any chances of stopping the Titans juggernaut in the final.

The high-octane final match will be played this Sunday, and the action will commence from 8:00 pm IST onwards.