Gujarat Titans (GT) cruised past Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 7 wickets in Qualifier 2 and marched into the final of IPL 2026 at Tira in New Chandigarh. Rajasthan Royals were asked to bat first and posted 214/6 in 20 overs.

Even on a pitch that initially looked difficult for batting, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played another blazing knock of 96 runs off just 47 balls. Ravindra Jadeja supported him well. A short and fiery cameo from Donovan Ferreira, who scored 38 runs off just 11 balls, helped Rajasthan Royals cross the 200-run mark. Jason Holder (2/27 in 4 overs) was the most successful bowler for Gujarat Titans, while Kagiso Rabada also took two wickets.

While chasing, Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill took full control of the game as the pitch became easier to bat on. They added 167 runs for the first wicket in just 12.5 overs before Sai Sudharsan was dismissed hit wicket in the 13th over. Shubman Gill also played a brilliant innings, scoring 104 runs off 53 balls. Gujarat Titans lost a few wickets, but Rahul Tewatia and Jos Buttler finished the job comfortably with 8 balls to spare.

Nandre Burger (1/35 in 4 overs) was the most successful bowler for Rajasthan Royals, while Jofra Archer and Brijesh Sharma also took one wicket each. Gujarat Titans will now face RCB in the final on 31 May at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Sooryavanshi’s continues his assault

Vaibhav Sootryavanshi faced a difficult pitch that played unevenly early on. At the same time, Rajasthan’s middle order collapsed under pressure, especially after their new No. 4 Ravindra Jadeja suffered an injury. Despite all this, Sooryavanshi kept fighting.

He reached a slow half-century in 31 balls, then accelerated to 96 off 47 deliveries. Just when a century looked possible again, he was dismissed at deep third-man, missing out on a second consecutive hundred.

Even in defeat, his innings stood out for clean hitting and control. However, Gujarat’s disciplined bowling and stronger partnerships made the difference.

Toss drama before the match

There was also drama even before the match began. Gill showed frustration when the toss had to be redone because the match referee could not hear Riyan Parag’s call. Both teams strongly wanted to bat first on a used surface.

On the second attempt, a team led by Kumar Sangakkara once again won a major toss, chose to bat, and later saw the opposition successfully chase the target as conditions improved under lights. The toss was conducted by Ravi Shastri, as it was in previous major ICC events.

Siraj and Rabada strike early

Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada gave Gujarat a strong start with the ball. Both had been expensive in the previous match, but this time they responded with disciplined bowling.

Siraj troubled the batters with hard lengths and earned the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal through a top edge. Rabada followed with pace and movement, removing Dhruv Jurel with a sharp 146 kmph delivery that forced a mistake.

Their early breakthroughs kept Rajasthan from building momentum in the powerplay.

Jadeja experiment and injury setback

Rajasthan tried a tactical move by promoting Ravindra Jadeja to No. 4 to support Parag and Donovan Ferreira. For a while, Jadeja handled the new ball well and even scored quicker than Sooryavanshi.

However, his tennis elbow flared up, forcing him to retire hurt. This disrupted Rajasthan’s rhythm badly.

At one stage, Rajasthan were well placed at 82 for 2 in eight overs, but after Jadeja’s exit and a collapse in the middle overs, they slipped to 118 for 5 in 12.4 overs. During this phase, Sooryavanshi hardly faced deliveries, and Rajasthan lost control of the innings.

Jason Holder played a key role for Gujarat, removing Riyan Parag and Dasun Shanaka quickly and tightening the middle overs.

Sooryavanshi and Ferreira fight back

In the final overs, Sooryavanshi returned to form and rebuilt momentum with Ferreira. Together with Jadeja earlier, Sooryavanshi became part of two fifty-plus partnerships in the same innings, a rare T20 achievement. His clean hitting over long-off and extra cover stood out. He also played an upper-cut shot over point when he created room.

However, Rabada struck again to dismiss him for 96, denying another century and reaching 28 wickets to reclaim the Purple Cap.

Rashid Khan taken apart at the end

The finishing phase turned ugly for Gujarat spinner Rashid Khan. Ferreira attacked him aggressively in the final over, hitting four sixes in a row down the ground and straight from the crease. It pushed Rajasthan to a competitive total despite earlier setbacks.

Gill and Sudharsan make the chase look easy

While Sooryavanshi carried Rajasthan’s innings almost alone, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan controlled the chase for Gujarat with calm, risk-free batting.

The chase began with some early discomfort for Rajasthan when Jofra Archer failed to make an impact with the new ball. From that point, Gill and Sudharsan settled quickly and built pressure-free partnerships. Both batters also crossed the 700-run mark for the season, but in a more controlled style compared to Sooryavanshi’s aggressive approach.

The key difference between the teams was simple: Sooryavanshi played alone for long stretches, while Gill and Sudharsan built a partnership together.

Archer struggles as chase becomes easy

Rajasthan depended heavily on Jofra Archer with the ball, but he could not deliver early breakthroughs. He bowled loose deliveries on both sides of the wicket, giving Gill and Sudharsan scoring opportunities.

As the pitch improved, the ball started coming onto the bat more smoothly. The uneven bounce disappeared, and batting became much easier.

Gill and Sudharsan capitalised fully, playing controlled and low-risk cricket. Sudharsan got a lucky break early, but Gill soon overtook him with elegant strokeplay.

Record-breaking finish for Gujarat

Gill eventually scored the fastest century by a Gujarat Titans player in IPL history. The partnership between Gill and Sudharsan became the 11th century stand in T20 history involving the pair.

Gujarat Titans completed their highest-ever successful chase, sealing a dominant win and securing their place in the final.

One unusual moment came when Sudharsan lost his bat while playing a shot for the second time in two nights and was dismissed hit-wicket again, ending a dramatic but successful chase for Gujarat.