Money talks. Shubman Gill speaks louder. The Gujarat Titans captain turned a daunting 215-run chase into a casual evening stroll, securing a seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 with ten balls to spare. It was Gujarat’s highest successful chase ever. Just like that, they are back in the IPL final for the third time in five years.
Rajasthan started with fireworks. Fifteen-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi bludgeoned 96 off 47 balls, making a mockery of a sluggish, used pitch. Rajasthan posted 214 for 6. In a high-stakes knockout, that usually guarantees a win. Usually.
Then came Gill and Sai Sudharsan. They did not just chase; they slaughtered. Their 167-run opening stand took just 77 balls, shattering the record for the highest partnership in IPL playoff history. The contest was dead before the drinks break.
Gill was sublime. He hit 104 off 53 balls. No ugly hoicks. No desperate swinging. Just pure, classical geometry. He pulled Jofra Archer’s express pace with disdain and danced down the track to the spinners. He reached his century in 47 balls. That is the fastest hundred in IPL playoff history, the first by a captain in the playoffs, and his fifth overall. He is now the only player with multiple playoff tons.
Sudharsan played his part. He smashed 58 off 32. Then, bizarrely, he lost his grip and hit his own stumps. Again. Two games in a row. Cricket is weird.
Gujarat’s consistency is sickening. Three finals in five years. For Rajasthan, it was the same old story of wasted youth. Sooryavanshi carried them. He walked in after Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada removed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel inside two overs.
Gujarat tried to bully the kid. They targeted his ribs with short stuff on a slow deck. He struggled early. Then he adjusted. He even launched a 153 kmph Rabada delivery over the sight screen. Sudharsan dropped him on 46. That mistake cost Gujarat dearly as the teenager went berserk.
Ravindra Jadeja, battling tennis elbow, gritted out an unbeaten 45. He retired hurt, came back, and held the middle order together. Sooryavanshi looked destined for a ton but fell for 96, caught at third man off Rabada. Heartbreak.
Donovan Ferreira then ruined Rashid Khan’s night. He smashed four sixes in a 27-run final over to push Rajasthan past 210. It felt like enough. It was not. Gill and Sudharsan made sure of that. Now, Gujarat gets a shot at redemption against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad.
