Shubman Gill scored 104 to secure Gujarat Titans a position in Sunday’s final, but Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who on Friday became the joint-second fastest player in the Indian Premier League to achieve 1,000 runs, was unable to help Rajasthan Royals win. In Sunday’s final, the Titans will play Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Gill’s team defeated Rajasthan by seven wickets after chasing down their score of 214.
Sooryavanshi, 15, stepped up to hit an incredible 96 off 47 deliveries while the Royals’ top order failed to score any runs. Before storming to a half-century off 31 deliveries, he had 932 runs from 22 IPL outings at the start of the game. It happened after he reached the milestone off 16 balls during Wednesday’s win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, matching the fastest 50 ever hit in the IPL play-offs.
With six fours and two sixes, Sooryavanshi showed no mercy to the Gujarat Titans bowlers, scoring his fifth fifty of the season and sixth in his IPL career. After reaching his fifty, he put his foot on the gas pedal and hammered four more fours and a thunderous six before flailing at a shorter delivery from Kagiso Rabada, sending the ball skyward to deep third, where Gill caught him.
Sooryavanshi tied Lendl Simmons as the second fastest player to reach 1,000 IPL runs in 23 innings, despite heartbreakingly missing out on what would have been his second century of the 2026 IPL this season.
“I can’t put it into words,” stated Riyan Parag, captain of the Royals. “There is a method where you go, slog, and score a lot of runs. However, his batting style isn’t just blind slogging; you can’t accomplish what he achieved today if you’re starting from ball one. He does everything properly, including calculations and condition assessments. I still don’t understand how. However, I hope he continues to do so. I hope he continues to represent the Royals, represents our nation, and wins us a second title.
Additionally, Sooryavanshi was just seven runs short from surpassing his season-high IPL score of 103 against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 25. Midway through their innings, the Rajasthan Royals appeared to be in trouble after losing four wickets for 109 runs in 12 overs. The Titans’ top bowlers were Rabada and Jason Holder, who each claimed two wickets, while Mohammed Siraj removed Yashasvi Jaiswal for just one run off of just two deliveries.
Before Ravindra Jadeja stabilized the ship, Rabada sent Dhruv Jurel strolling for seven runs off six deliveries. Before being forced to retire due to an injury, he scored 45 runs off of 35 deliveries. Even though it was a setback for the Royals, Sooryavanshi got back up and kept the run rate going, bringing the team within 28 runs of 200 runs when Rabada removed him.
Sooryavanshi prove his dominance
The Royals gave the Titans a target of 215 to win, and Donovan Ferreira (38), Riyan Parag (11), Dasun Shanaka (3), and Jofra Archer (7) finished the innings.
Following Sooryavanshi’s impressive performance, Gill thrilled the PCA New Cricket Stadium crowd by reaching a score of 104 off just 53 deliveries.
Before Archer dismissed him, he amassed his sixth century in IPL cricket with a staggering 15 fours and three sixes. The Titans advanced to 182-2 after 15 overs thanks to a strong performance from fellow opener Sai Sudharsan, who scored 58 runs off 32 deliveries.
Washington Sundar (16) and Rahul Tewatia (17*) helped the Titans secure their spot in the final, and Jos Buttler arrived at the crease following Sudharsan’s dismissal to register an undefeated total of nine. This year, they have faced Royal Challengers Bengaluru three times, losing two of them. Earlier this week, they were defeated by 92 runs in their most recent qualifying final match.
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