Shabman Gul Gujarat Titans produced a captain-high performance as they cruised to a seven-wicket victory in their third IPL final in five seasons. Rajasthan Royals Friday in Qualifier 2. Chasing a tough 215, Gujarat completed the most successful chase in franchise history and did so with remarkable ease, reaching the target in just 18.4 overs. The night began with Rajasthan Royals putting up another explosive batting display led by young sensation Vibhu Suryavanshi, whose 47-ball 96 once again set the tournament alight. Opting to bat first on a used surface, Rajasthan posted 214 for 6, initially looking more than competitive in a knockout clash. But Gujarat Titans’ brilliant opening pair of Shibman Gill and Sai Sudharsan put an end to the chase with a brilliant partnership of 167 runs off just 77 balls. His stand became the highest contribution in IPL playoff history and effectively ended long before the contest was over. Gill was the chief architect of the chase with a brilliant 104 off 53 balls, an innings that was full of timing, placement and simple strokeplay rather than brute force. In an era dominated by raw hitting, Gill’s knock felt like a classic batting display. Again and again he pierced, pulled, the gap with precision. Jofra Archer Danced on the track against the spinners with confidence and complete control despite the high speed. The Gujarat captain completed his century in just 47 balls, making it the fastest century in the history of the IPL playoffs. It was also the first century by a captain in the IPL playoffs and his fifth IPL century overall. Gill became the first batsman to score multiple centuries in IPL playoff matches. Sai Sudharsan once again played an excellent supporting role with a blistering 58 off 32 balls. Interestingly, for the second game in a row, Sudharsan lost his grip on the bat during the shot and took a strange hit wicket. The victory once again highlighted the remarkable consistency of the Gujarat Titans since their entry into the IPL in 2022. In just five seasons, they have now reached the final three times, winning the title in their first campaign. For Rajasthan Royals, it was another night where Vibhu Suryavanshi almost single-handedly kept them alive. The 15-year-old arrived at the crease after RR lost Mohammad Siraj and Kagiso Rabada in the first two overs to Yeshswi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jorrell. On a pitch that had already hosted an eliminator and was seemingly slow, the Gujarat bowlers hit Suryavanshi with hard body lengths and sharp short balls. Early on, he struggled to find fluidity as the ball didn’t come off the bat easily. Still under pressure, the youngster produced astonishing strokes, including a sensational straight six off Rabada at 153 kmph. Ravindra JadejaPromoted to No. 4, played an important steady role with an unbeaten 45 off 35 balls. Battling a tennis elbow problem, Jadeja was briefly injured before returning later in the innings to support Donovan Ferreira during the death overs. Suryavanshi also got a piece of luck when Sai Sudharsan dropped him for 46. Gujarat paid dearly for this miss as the youngster picked up the pace in the middle overs, taking on Rabada and Jason Holder with a fearless strokeplay. Another century looked inevitable after his 97 in the previous match, but the 90s were heartbreaking again. Suryavanshi was caught at third man for 96 while trying to uppercut Rabada. Even after his dismissal, Rajasthan looked poised for a total just below 200 before Donovan Ferreira caused utter chaos in the final over. Rashid Khan endured one of the worst overs of his T20 career as Ferreira hit four sixes to score 27 runs from the over to push Rajasthan past 210. However, this too proved insufficient as Gill and Sudharsan launched a brilliant reply by the Gujarat Titans. After losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the first play-off, Gujarat have now booked a rematch against the defending champions in Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad.
