Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) dream run in IPL 2026 finally came to an end after Gujarat Titans (GT) defeated them by seven wickets in Qualifier 2 to storm into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Despite posting a massive total of 214 runs on the board, RR bowlers had no answer to the sensational opening stand between GT skipper Shubman Gill and Sai Sudarshan.
Gill played a captain’s knock of 104 off 53 balls while Sudarshan smashed 58 off 32 to completely take the game away from RR and guide Gujarat into the third IPL final.
After the heartbreaking defeat, RR captain Riyan Parag opened up on the team’s campaign and reflected on what went wrong in the massive clash.
Riyan Parag reflects on RR’s campaign and praises Sooryavanshi
Speaking after the loss, Parag admitted that Rajasthan Royals were slightly short with the bat despite crossing the 200-run mark.
"I think it was a par score. I feel 215 was defendable but I felt that after the heavy roller the wicket got a little better. I feel in the first innings spinners got a bit more grip and shorter slower balls were sticking more. I think 230-240 would have been a score that would have made the chase very challenging."
The RR skipper further admitted that Gujarat Titans’ powerful batting lineup made things difficult once the openers survived the initial phase.
"215, with the batting they had, we knew we had to get their openers early but we didn't and it was going to be a tough road after that."
Parag also made a surprising revelation while reflecting on RR’s overall campaign.
"A whole lot of positives but if I had to sum it up in a sentence or a few lines, we were not supposed to qualify. A lot of inexperience and a lot of new transitions and combinations we tried and tested, but a lot of character the boys showed and it's a great start for a long journey ahead."
The captain also showered praise on teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after another breathtaking innings from the youngster.
"Vaibhav has been, I can't really put it in words, there is one way where you just go and slog and get runs but he's not blind slogging. The kind of innings today you can't get with blind slogging. He calculates, he assesses conditions."
"He does everything and I still can't figure out how. I just hope he keeps doing the same for the country and bringing the country laurels and keeps playing for us and gets us that second championship."
RR’s massive total goes in vain as GT openers dominate chase
Batting first after winning the toss, RR posted a commanding total of 214 runs thanks largely to another explosive knock from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The teenage sensation smashed 96 off 47 balls and narrowly missed out on another IPL century after getting dismissed while attempting an upper cut towards third man — exactly the same fashion in which he got out during the Eliminator against SRH.
Apart from Sooryavanshi, Ravindra Jadeja played a valuable innings of 45 off 35 while Donovan Ferreira chipped in with a quickfire 38 off 11 balls.
However, Gujarat Titans’ chase completely revolved around their opening pair. Gill and Sudarshan stitched together another century stand — their 11th 100-plus partnership as an opening pair — to completely dismantle RR’s bowling attack.
Sudarshan eventually got hit wicket in bizarre fashion similar to his dismissal in the previous game against RCB, while Gill departed shortly after completing a magnificent century.
But by then the damage had already been done. Washington Sundar scored 16 off 9, Rahul Tewatia remained unbeaten on 17 off 9 while Jos Buttler stayed not out on 9 off 9 to comfortably take GT across the finish line.
With the win, Gujarat Titans have now booked their place in the IPL 2026 final against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru scheduled to be played at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on May 31.