IPL 2026: Shubman Gill’s Regal Ton Sends Gujarat Titans into Title Clash

New Chandigarh: Shubman Gill’s majestic 104 off 53 balls and a record 167-run opening partnership with B. Sai Sudharsan powered Gujarat Titans to acing their highest successful chase in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, as they overhauled Rajasthan Royals’ 214 in Qualifier 2 to book a spot in the title clash, where they will take on defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

At the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Gill scored his fifth IPL century, laced with 15 fours and three sixes coming at a strike-rate of 196.23. Though the rest of the GT batters finished off the chase, the game will be remembered for Gill’s brilliant hundred, where he didn’t mistime much and was at his classy best - finding the gaps with ease and being elegant in his pulls and lofts to bring RR’s season to an end.

Sudharsan, meanwhile, hit 58 off 32 balls before he was extraordinarily out, hit wicket for the second consecutive time. GT’s chase of 215, with eight balls to spare, is their highest successful run-chase as their usual template of Gill and Sudharsan scoring plenty of runs clicked yet again. The win now sends them into their third IPL final, where they will face RCB in Ahmedabad -- a repeat of Qualifier 1, with the league’s top two sides contesting for the title.

GT’s chase began with Sudharsan and Gill taking down Jofra Archer, as 19 runs came off it. Gill then hit back-to-back boundaries against Archer in the latter’s next over to set the tone of a masterful run chase. Nandre Burger leaked more runs, including Sudharsan being dropped on 14 by Donovan Ferreira. Gill’s timing was impeccable, driving and pulling with authority, while Sudharsan matched him stroke for stroke.

By the end of the Power-play, the pair had taken GT to 69 for no loss. Gill continued to dominate, cutting and lofting Brijesh Sharma and Yash Raj Punja with elegance, as he brought up his fifty in 30 balls. Sudharsan too reached his fifty in 26 deliveries with a lofted six off Punja.

The partnership continued to flourish with breathtaking and well-timed boundaries, which meant the asking rate never went out of control, before Sudharsan’s innings ended bizarrely, hit-wicket for the second time in successive matches – this time off Brijesh Sharma. Gill, meanwhile, brought up his hundred with a lofted extra-cover drive off Ravindra Jadeja and celebrated with his trademark bow.

Though Gill was trapped lbw by Archer, Jos Buttler and Washington Sundar kept the chase on track, adding quick runs in the middle overs. Sundar struck Archer for a six and four, but perished to Burger for 16. Rahul Tewatia struck Brijesh for successive boundaries before sealing victory with a straight six and booking GT’s spot in the final.

Earlier, Rajasthan Royals rode on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s sparkling yet mature 96, Ravindra Jadeja’s attacking 45, and Donovan Ferreira’s whirlwind 38 not out to post 214/6.

On a tricky two-paced pitch with variable bounce, RR were jolted early by Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada. Jadeja provided impetus before retiring hurt with an elbow injury and returned later to make 45 off 35 balls.

Ferreira then tore into Rashid Khan in the final over, bringing 27 runs, including smashing four sixes, to hit 38 off just 11 deliveries, while Sooryavanshi’s knock, different in nature from his Eliminator knock of 97, was just as impactful as his 96 off 47 balls was studded with eight fours and seven sixes.

It also made Sooryavanshi the quickest batter to reach 1000 IPL runs and become the new holder of the record of most boundaries hit by a batter in a single edition of the IPL. The teenager reached his fifty in 31 balls – his slowest half-century in the IPL, but added 46 runs in the next 17 deliveries.

Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 214/6 in 20 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 96, Ravindra Jadeja 45 not out; Jason Holder 2-27, Kagiso Rabada 2-45) lost to Gujarat Titans 219/3 in 18.4 overs (Shubman Gill 104, B. Sai Sudharsan 58; Nandre Burger 1-35, Brijesh Sharma 1-44) by seven wickets . IANS

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