Gill's century outclasses Sooryavanshi's masterclass; RCB to take on GT in IPL 2026 final

Mullanpur (Punjab) [India], May 29 : A century from skipper Shubman Gill and another century partnership between him and Sai Sudharsan helped Gujarat Titans (GT) seal the Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Qualifier Two at Mullanpur on Friday.
With this win, the Gujarat Titans have set up the title clash against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Ahmedabad on Sunday. After RR put to bat first, a fine knock from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (96 in 47 balls, with eight fours and seven sixes) and a cameo from Donovan Ferreira (38* in 11 balls, with two fours and four sixes) took RR to 214/6 in 20 overs. Later in the chase of 215 runs, skipper Shubman Gill (104 in 53 balls, with 15 fours and three sixes) and his 167-run stand with Sai Sudharsan (58 in 32 balls, with eight fours and a six) set the platform for a three-wicket win.
In the run chase, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan started off well, with the pair peeling off 19 runs in the opening over bowled by Jofra Archer, including three fours.
GT reached the 50-run mark in four overs.
After the power play, GT were 69/0, with Sudharsan (30*) and Shubman (29*) unbeaten.
The ninth over of Tushar Deshpande produced 17 runs, including two fours and a six from Gill, who brought up his seventh half-century of the season in 31 balls, with seven fours and a six. GT reached the 100-run mark in 8.5 overs.
The 10th over by Ravindra Jadeja produced 19 runs, with Gill scoring two sixes and a four. At the end of 10 overs, GT were 127/0, with Gill (71*) and Sudharsan (44*) unbeaten.
Sudarshan also reached his half-century in just 26 balls, with seven fours and a six. He and Gill peeled off another 17 runs of Yash Raj Punja's 11th over.
With a four from Gill, GT reached the 150-run mark in 11.5 overs. The 167-run partnership between the duo ended in the most unfortunate way, as he was hit wicket for 58 in 32 balls, with eight fours and a six. GT were 167/1 in 12.5 overs.
Gill also reached his fifth IPL century in 47 balls, with 15 fours and three sixes.
GT also lost Gill (104 in 53 balls, with 15 fours and three sixes) and Washington Sundar (16 in nine balls, with two fours and a six). However, GT chased the target in 18.4 overs, with Jos Butler (9*) and Rahul Tewatia (17*) unbeaten.
Earlier, an excellent 47-ball 96 by 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and a late-innings blitz by Donovan Ferreira rescued Rajasthan Royals from a horrific start, guiding them to a challenging 214/6 in their 20 overs.
A counter-attacking half-century, Sooryavanshi rescued Rajasthan Royals from a catastrophic start, lifting them from 9/2 to 2145/6 in 20 overs. An unbeaten 11-ball 38 off Ferreira's bat also played a key role in RR's resurgence after early wickets.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Rajasthan's decision backfired instantly as GT's pace attack unleashed a fiery opening spell. Mohammed Siraj set the tone in the very first over, dismissing the dangerous Yashasvi Jaiswal for just 1, as the left-hander was caught trying to break the shackles early. Things worsened for the Royals in the following over when Kagiso Rabada cleaned up Dhruv Jurel, leaving RR struggling at 9/2.
Sooryavanshi unleashed an instant counter-attack as he slammed three boundaries off Siraj in the third over. After 3 overs, RR were 34-2.
With the responsibility of manoeuvring the Powerplay overs falling majorly on Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old single-handedly shifted the momentum back toward RR.
He, along with Ravindra Jadeja, guided RR to a solid 70/2 after the Powerplay, with Jadeja (26*) and Sooryavanshi (31*) unbeaten.
GT's Washington Sundar and Jason Holder delivered quiet overs, and after 8 overs, RR stood at 82/2.
Notably, Jadeja retired hurt as he walked off the field after he felt discomfort in his elbow. However, it did not stall RR's momentum as new batter in, captain Riyan Parag (11), took no time to launch an aggressive assault on GT bowlers as RR got 18 runs off the ninth over, delivered by Rashid Khan. The 100-run mark was up in 8.5 overs.
However, Parag's stay on the crease was short as Holder got rid off the opposition captain in the 10th over. After 10 overs, RR were 103/3. Holder got another wicket as he dismissed Dasun Shanaka (3) in the 12th over, reducing RR to 111/4 in 12 overs.
Prasidh Krishna removed Jofra Archer in the 13th over to reduce RR to 118/5 after 12.4 overs. Following Archer's wicket, Jadeja came back to the crease.
While RR lost wickets at regular intervals, Sooryavanshi brought up his sixth fifty of the season in 31 balls, his slowest so far.
The left-handed batter slammed a six and two boundaries to Holder in the 16th over, taking RR to 154/5. In the next over as well, Sooryavanshi went full-on onslaught mode as he slammed two sixes off Washington Sundar in the 17th over, reaching 90s. After 17 overs, RR were 171/5.
Just when Sooryavanshi looked set for a century, Kagiso Rabada struck in the 18th over, removing the opener for a 47-ball 96 run knock, including eight fours and seven sixes. RR were 172/6 in 17.2 overs.
New batter Donovan Ferreira played a destructive cameo as he helped RR get 39 runs in the last two overs, including 27 off the last over as he slammed Rashid Khan for four sixes, taking RR to 214/6 in 20 overs.
For GT, Rabada (2/35 in 4 overs) and Holder (2/27 in 4 overs) were the standout performers in the bowling department.
Brief Scores: RR: 214/6 in 20 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 96, Ravindra Jadeja 45, Kagiso Rabada 2/35) lost to GT: 219/3 in 18.4 overs (Shubman Gill 104, Sai Sudharsan 58, Nandre Burger 1/35).