Shubman Gill hit a 47-ball ton for Gujarat Titans. | Photo Credit: RV MOORTHY

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, all of 15, will sparkle in the Indian Premier League for long. Certain as that appears after a 776-run season, the final of IPL 2026 in Ahmedabad on Sunday will not have his precocious presence.

It is for no fault of his, for the prodigy smashed a 47-ball 96 to propel Rajasthan Royals to 214 for six against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium on Friday.

But in a contest billed as Titans’ collective strength versus RR’s individual brilliance, the opening pair of Sai Sudharsan (58, 32b, 8x4, 1x6) and skipper Shubman Gill (104, 53b, 15x4, 3x6) reiterated that there are many paths to excellence.

Both openers cut, drove and pulled with old-school finesse on their way to a stand of 167. It sealed a seven-wicket victory for Titans, which will now play Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Sunday’s summit clash in a repeat of Qualifier 1. It is its third final in five seasons.

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The opening alliance ended in rather unfortunate fashion when Sai Sudharsan’s bat, after driving Brijesh Sharma for a boundary, slipped out and landed on the stumps for the second time in as many games.

Till then, the GT pair had kept up with the asking rate from the get-go without ever seeming to take undue risks. Gill was at his regal best, getting to his century off 47 deliveries by waltzing down the track to drive Ravindra Jadeja for four.

In a rare occurrence, Sooryavanshi’s knock – his third score in the 90s in the last four innings -- was relegated to the background.

On the same pitch that was used for the Eliminator, Sooryavanshi showed a very different side of his game even if a strike rate of 204.25 doesn’t suggest so. It told in his taking 31 deliveries to reach his half-century, the slowest of his nine fifty-plus scores in the IPL. He took 14 balls to hit the first of his seven sixes. That wickets fell at the other end didn’t deter him, nor did a blow on the helmet off a Kagiso Rabada bouncer.

It was just that Gill’s class on the night, in particular, was a shade superior.

Published on May 29, 2026