Gujarat Titans Secure Spot in IPL 2026 Final
Gujarat Titans have advanced to the IPL 2026 final after a convincing seven-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 at New Chandigarh. This win marks a significant step for GT as they aim for another IPL title, while Rajasthan’s season comes to an end.
The match started with some controversy when Rajasthan captain Riyan Parag’s toss call was not heard by the match referee initially. The toss had to be repeated, and Parag eventually won it, choosing to bat first. Rajasthan entered the game with the same playing eleven as their previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Gujarat made one change, replacing Kulwant Khejroliya with R Sai Kishore.
Rajasthan’s Struggles and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s Performance
Rajasthan faced a difficult start, losing their opener Yashasvi Jaiswal for just one run. Jurel followed soon after, scoring only seven runs, leaving Rajasthan at 9/2. A surprising decision saw Ravindra Jadeja sent in ahead of the skipper, which helped stabilize the innings. Jadeja scored 34 before retiring hurt, but he returned to complete his innings.
Riyan Parag got off to a solid start, though not as impressive as usual. The standout performer for Rajasthan was young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who played a remarkable 96-run innings, narrowly missing out on a century by four runs. Jadeja remained unbeaten on 45 when he returned to the crease.
Donovan Ferreira finished the innings with a flurry of sixes, scoring 38 off just 11 balls. Rajasthan Royals ended their innings with a total of 214 runs on the board.
Shubman Gill Leads Gujarat Titans’ Chase
Chasing 215, Gujarat Titans began their innings with a strong start from their skipper Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan. The pair added an impressive 167 runs for the first wicket, putting Rajasthan under immense pressure.
Sudharsan scored 58 before being dismissed in an unusual manner, as his wicket was dislodged by a hit-wicket, marking the second time in three days he was dismissed in such a way. Gill was at his best, scoring a brilliant hundred. He reached 104 after bringing up his century off 47 balls, securing a commanding position for Gujarat.
Rahul Tewatia remained unbeaten on 17 and hit the winning runs for Gujarat Titans, booking their spot in the IPL 2026 final. Washington Sundar contributed 16 off nine balls before being dismissed.
Post-Match Reactions and Reflections
Riyan Parag reflected on the loss, stating, “It was a par score, it was defendable. I thought it got better for us after the heavy roller in the second innings. In the first innings, the bowlers got some grip and the slower one worked well. I thought it would have been a par score of 230 and a score of around 240 would have been challenging, but we should have gotten the openers out early.”
He added, “It did not happen and it became tough for us. To sum up one sentence for this entire season, it’s been a season of positives. We were not expected to qualify at all, given that majority of our players were so young, but lot of young guns performed exceptionally well and there is only going to be more to come.”
Parag also praised Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, saying, “But he is not a slogger, look at his innings today—he calculates and hits his shots and I cannot say how but he is certainly going to perform better in his career perform for Rajasthan Royals and win us a second title.”
Looking Ahead
Despite the loss, Rajasthan Royals leave the season with many positives, especially the performance of young players like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. On the other hand, Gujarat Titans are full of confidence as they head into the IPL 2026 final, ready to fight for another title.
