It's not important to have 11 best players: Gujarat Titans all-rounder Rashid Khan ahead of IPL 2022 final against Rajasthan Royals

Gujarat have had eight players who picked Player of the Match awards, with Rashid winning once and left-handed batter David Miller bagging the award twice.

Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans were not given chance by many cricket experts to be in the playoffs of IPL 2022 ahead of the season. Beating all the odds Gujarat not just qualified for the playoffs but was the best team in the league stage and also topped the points table. GT became the first team to qualify for the IPL 2022 final as well. The ingredients of success for Gujarat, as per leg-spinner Rashid Khan, have been down to two things: top-class balance and clarity in roles to the players.

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"To me, it is not important that you have all the best players in the eleven, that is something which is not important to have in your team. The kind of players you need to have, you need to give them certain roles in the team. If you have the best five-six players who bat at the top order and not able to bat at number five or six, I don't think you can manage that team well," said Rashid in the pre-final virtual press conference.

Rashid further explained that with everyone in the team made clear about their roles before the start of the tournament, it helped in getting the required balance for the playing eleven. "More important has been the balance we have in the team, which has helped to take us in this position because it was very clear to each and every player what is my position, where I will bat and even knew that this is the situation I will face in the game and be fully prepared for that.