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Shubman Gill-inspired Gujarat Titans (GT) have stormed into Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final after crushing Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven wickets in the Qualifier 2 clash on May 29. GT will now face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2026 final at the Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi stadium on May 31.
Gill and Sudharsan masterclass powers GT into IPL 2026 final
Batting first RR rode on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's blistering 47-ball 96 to post a big total of 214/8. In reply, Sai Sudharsan's 32-ball 58 and Shubman Gill's 53-ball 104 completed the chase in just 18.4 overs.
The high-stakes Qualifier 2 clash began with a batting masterclass from teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who unleashed an array of astonishing strokes in a brilliantly paced 96 off 47 balls. His fireworks steered the Rajasthan Royals to an imposing 214 for six after they opted to bat first on a sluggish, used surface. While a target of that magnitude would have daunted most teams, the Gujarat Titans made incredibly short work of the chase, courtesy of a spectacular 167-run opening partnership off just 77 deliveries between Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan.
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The manner in which Gill and Sudharsan dismantled the target was a pure treat for cricket traditionalists. Eschewing reckless slogs, the prolific duo relied on immaculate placement and classic, textbook cricketing shots to pierce the field with perfection. Gill looked particularly majestic, executing his trademark pull shot with effortless ease even against the express pace of Jofra Archer, while routinely stepping down the track to loft the spinners for boundaries.
Dominant Titans set up RCB rematch
Gujarat's march to victory faced only one bizarre hiccup when Sudharsan, after a crisp 58 off 32 balls, freakishly lost control of his bat for the second consecutive game to be dismissed hit-wicket. Despite the strange dismissal, the Titans comfortably coasted to the target in just 18.4 overs. Captain Shubman Gill anchored the finish beautifully, bringing up a magnificent century (104 off 53 balls) by dancing down the wicket to smash Ravindra Jadeja over extra cover for a boundary.
With this comprehensive victory, the Gujarat Titans have booked their ticket to Ahmedabad for Sunday's blockbuster final against the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru. This sets up a thrilling narrative of redemption for Gujarat, coming just days after they were heavily defeated by the same Bengaluru outfit in Dharamsala
Sooryavanshi and Ferreira's blitz in vain
Earlier, Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played an array of astonishing shots in a brilliantly paced 96 off 47 balls, setting the foundation before Donovan Ferreira provided a grand finish. Ferreira dismantled master spinner Rashid Khan for four colossal sixes in the final over, propelling the Rajasthan Royals to an imposing 214 for six against the Gujarat Titans in their high-stakes IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 clash on Friday.
A massive crowd packed the stadium, far surpassing Wednesday's attendance, with the vast majority turning up specifically to watch the 15-year-old prodigy go about his belligerent business. The spectators got more than their money's worth as Sooryavanshi continued to fearlessly dominate some of the world's best bowlers, routinely taking down the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder throughout his stay at the crease.
The innings required immense maturity from the young opener after Rajasthan suffered a nightmare start, losing both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel inside the first two overs. Facing a used pitch—the exact same surface played on just 48 hours prior, the ball did not come onto the bat as smoothly as it did during the Eliminator. To make matters tougher, the Titans' pace trio of Mohammed Siraj, Rabada, and Prasidh Krishna operated with a meticulous plan, persistently bowling back-of-a-length into his body while mixing in sharp bouncers to keep him contained.
Struggling for timing early on due to the tight lines and a lack of room to free his arms, Sooryavanshi had to adapt on the fly. Despite the tactical handcuffs thrown at him, the Southpaw still managed to unleash a few awe-inspiring strokes to break the shackles. The absolute highlight of his early resistance was a breathtaking straight six launched off a blistering 153 kmph back-of-a-length delivery from Rabada.
Mid-Innings Surge and a Bitterly Familiar End
Promoted to number four to stabilize the rocking innings, Ravindra Jadeja played his role to perfection with a calculated 45 not out off 35 balls. He looked to attack the pacers early on, particularly targeting Krishna for bowling too short in his opening spell. Though a nagging tennis elbow forced Jadeja to temporarily retire hurt after the eighth over, he later returned to the middle to provide crucial support to Ferreira during the death-overs blitz.
Sooryavanshi also enjoyed a crucial slice of luck when he was dropped by Sai Sudharsan on 46. He capitalized heavily on the reprieve, bringing up his sixth half-century of the tournament before launching a fierce middle-overs assault. Even after taking a blow to the helmet from a sharp Rabada bouncer, the youngster stood tall, later smoking a pair of audacious forehand shots off the otherwise impressive Jason Holder. However, just as a well-deserved century seemed inevitable for the second game in a row, history repeated itself; Sooryavanshi mistimed a short ball from Rabada and holed out to third man.
While Gujarat looked well on track to restrict the Royals to a sub-200 total after the breakthrough, their gamble to hand Rashid Khan the final over backfired spectacularly. Capitalizing on the spinner's forgettable night, Donovan Ferreira unleashed a ruthless barrage of maximums, plundering 27 runs from the 20th over to shift the psychological edge firmly in Rajasthan's favor. But at the end nothing worked in RR's favour and Gill-Sudharsan's wizardry snatched the game away from them without breaking a sweat.
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