Gujarat Titans are through to the IPL 2026 final after Shubman Gill produced one of the finest knocks of this season. Chasing 215 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on May 29, GT got home with 7 wickets and 8 balls to spare. Gill’s 104 off 53 balls was the difference between the two sides.
GT will now face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad, a rematch of Qualifier 1, which RCB had won.
Gill and Sudharsan Put the Game to Bed Early
Gujarat’s chase never really looked in doubt. Gill and Sai Sudharsan walked out and played with a calm that made a 215-run target look routine. The two put on 167 runs off just 77 balls, the highest partnership in IPL playoff history. By the time Sudharsan fell for 58 off 32 balls in the 13th over, the game was effectively over.
Jofra Archer, who had taken seven first-over wickets during the league stage, struggled badly with his lines. He gave Gill width early and leaked runs down the leg side, which only helped GT settle into the chase without pressure.
Gill reached his century off 47 balls, the fastest hundred in IPL playoff history. It was also his fifth IPL ton overall and the first century by a captain in IPL playoff cricket. He became the first batter to score more than one century across IPL playoff matches. His innings was built on placement and timing rather than slogging. He found gaps at will, drove through the covers, pulled with control, and used his feet effectively against the spinners.
After Gill was dismissed for 104 in the 15th over, Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia finished the job without any drama.
Sooryavanshi Fights Hard but RR Collapse in the Middle
Rajasthan Royals had elected to bat first and were in trouble almost immediately. Yashasvi Jaiswal fell for 1 in the first over, and Dhruv Jurel followed in the second. Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old who has carried RR’s batting all season, had to rebuild from scratch alongside Ravindra Jadeja, who was promoted to number four.
The pitch was slow and two-paced, making clean hitting difficult early on. Sooryavanshi took time to settle but still managed to hit a straight six off a 153 kmph Rabada delivery during the powerplay. Jadeja played a steady hand until his tennis elbow flared up and forced him to retire hurt at 34.
With Jadeja off the field, RR’s middle order caved quickly. Jason Holder removed Riyan Parag and Dasun Shanaka in back-to-back overs. From 82 for 2, RR slipped to 118 for 5 inside 13 overs. Sooryavanshi kept going almost alone.
He was dropped on 46 by Sudharsan at deep square leg, a miss GT would have regretted. Sooryavanshi went on to 96 off 47, but for the second match running was dismissed in the 90s — this time caught at third man attempting an upper cut off Rabada.
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Ferreira Rescues RR but Total Falls Short
Donovan Ferreira produced a stunning cameo at the end, hitting Rashid Khan for four sixes in the final over to plunder 27 runs. Ferreira finished unbeaten on 38 off just 11 balls. Jadeja, who returned after his injury break, ended on 45 not out off 35.
The late blitz lifted RR to 214 for 6, but it was never enough against a GT side in this kind of form. Sooryavanshi ended IPL 2026 with 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.3 — the greatest batting season by any player in a single T20 tournament, but his side could not make the final.
Gujarat Titans, meanwhile, head into their third IPL final in five years with real momentum behind them.
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