Gill outshines Sooryavanshi to guide GT to IPL 2026 final

The match referee Prakash Bhatt did not hear Riyan Parag's call, meaning Shubman Gill had to toss the coin again. Parag called 'Heads' loudly the second time, it landed heads, and he opted to bat. A disappointed Gill said he would have done the same. From Gujarat Titans' perspective, they were glad he didn't.

For the third time in four innings, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi came up with an entertaining innings before getting out in the 90s. His knock set up Rajasthan Royals' total of 214 for 6 in Qualifier 2. But it wasn't sufficient, with conditions improving for batting as the match progressed. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan put on a 167-run stand, with the GT captain scoring his fifth IPL century as the Titans got home with eight deliveries to spare. They registered their first successful 210-plus chase in the IPL, and also achieved the highest target in the playoffs stage, to book a finals date with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 214/6 in 20 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 96, Ravindra Jadeja 45*; Jason Holder 2-27) lost to Gujarat Titans 219/3 in 18.4 overs (Shubman Gill 104, Sai Sudharsan 58; Nandre Burger 1-35) by 7 wickets.

GT's plan for the RR batters was clear: bowl short. Yashasvi Jaiswal went for a pull off Mohammed Siraj but miscued it. Dhruv Jurel, after striking a four off Kagiso Rabada, attempted to drive and got a leading edge. At the end of the second over, Sooryavanshi had only faced three deliveries. But things changed soon enough as the teenager unleashed his counterattack.

It started with three fours off Siraj in a 21-run over, followed by a four and a straight six off Rabada. Ravindra Jadeja, promoted to No.4, also got a couple of boundaries as RR raced to 50 in 4.3 overs. Siraj was struggling with his shoulder and left the field after the fifth over.

Sooryavanshi and his different batting partners

Jadeja raced to 34 off 19, outpacing Sooryavanshi, before retiring hurt with an elbow issue ahead of the ninth over. Riyan Parag and Sooryavanshi continued positively, striking a couple of sixes in Rashid Khan's first over as RR brought up the 100 in the ninth. Parag fell to Jason Holder, but there was a big miss in the next over as Sai Sudharsan dropped a top edge from Sooryavanshi.

Holder bowled a tight spell and also dismissed Dasun Shanaka. Jofra Archer came in, struck a six, and fell soon after. Sooryavanshi brought up his slowest fifty, off 31 balls. Jadeja came back to resume his partnership with Sooryavanshi, who hit a six over wide long off and was then struck on the side of his helmet grille while trying to pull.

Sooryavanshi's 90s show, Ferreira's finishing touch

After the hit on his helmet, Sooryavanshi didn't take long to get going again. He pulled Siraj for a six and struck two fours and a six off Holder to take RR past 150. Two more sixes off Washington Sundar followed as he brought up another fifty-run stand with Jadeja.

However, Sooryavanshi missed out on a three-figure score yet again, falling four short of it as an attempted upper cut off Rabada did not get him the desired result. But his dismissal did not deny a flourishing finish, thanks to Donovan Ferreira. After two fours off Prasidh Krishna in the 19th over, he struck four sixes in the final over off Rashid to push RR past the 210 mark.

Gill and Sudharsan power GT's fiery start

The tone was set in the opening over as Sudharsan and Gill struck two fours apiece off Archer, and the boundaries continued as GT raced to 52 in four overs. Sudharsan had a lucky break on 14 trying a pull off Burger as Ferreira put down the catch. The Titans finished one short of what the Royals had managed in the Powerplay.

Gill, Sudharsan, and the familiar GT script

Things didn't slow down even after the field spread. Gill reached a 30-ball fifty with a six and a four off Deshpande in the ninth over, by which time he and Sudharsan had already put together their eighth century partnership in the IPL. Jadeja was taken to the cleaners by Gill, who hit two sixes and a four to power GT to 127 for 0 at the halfway stage. Sudharsan brought up a 26-ball fifty with a six before Gill wrapped up the over with two fours. GT went past 150 in the 12th over, with Gill entering the 90s.

Another hit-wicket for Sudharsan!

For the second time in as many games, Sudharsan was out hit-wicket. It was a low full toss from Brijesh Sharma, which Sudharsan sliced away to the fence, but while completing the shot he lost the grip of his bat and it landed directly onto the stumps. GT needed 48 off 43 at that stage.

Gill falls after ton, GT seal date with RCB

Gill came down the track and went inside out over cover for a four off Jadeja, bringing up the fastest T20 hundred for GT, in 47 balls – going past his own 49-ball effort in the 2023 Qualifier 2. He also became the first to register multiple hundreds in the IPL playoffs, and the first captain to get to three-figures in the playoffs. Gill eventually fell to Archer, trapped leg-before, with GT needing 33 off 30. Sundar struck a four and a six before getting out, with GT needing 14 off 17. Rahul Tewatia finished it off with an unbeaten 17 off 9, hitting two fours and a six in the 19th over.

The Titans go to the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad to take on RCB in the final. The campaign ends for RR, who have lost Qualifier 2 for the third time.