Signing you in

And just like that, the Vaibhav Sooryavanshi show is over for IPL 2026. Gujarat Titans brought the curtain down on the 15-year-old's atrociously, beyond-believable, utterly entertaining party — knocking out Rajasthan Royals and storming into the final. A breathtaking 96 from Sooryavanshi, breathtaking not in the way his blazing strokeplay usually is, but in the painful, laborious, grind-every-run way, forged against stern plans and a superb fast-bowling show from Gujarat Titans, ultimately wasn't enough in Mullanpur on Friday.

Shubman Gill had other ideas, producing his first IPL century in two years at the most perfect moment possible. Gujarat Titans chased down 215 – a 200-plus target for the first time this season – with seven wickets and eight balls to spare, Gill and Sai Sudharsan putting on a stunning 167-run opening stand that made the whole thing look like a Sunday stroll.

They will now face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final – their third in five seasons – a rematch of Qualifier 1, where Gill's men were steamrolled by the defending champions. But they head home to Ahmedabad brimming with confidence, and Sunday's final at Narendra Modi Stadium promises to be an enticing battle. But that is for another day.A knock to salute A trademark celebration to frame Updates https://t.co/eupS8cBPc2#TATAIPL | #Qualifier2 | #TheFinalLeap | #GTvRR | @gujarat_titans pic.twitter.com/noseNMmrib— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 29, 2026For now, back to New Chandigarh.VAIBHAV TRUMPS GILL IN CHANDIGARH

Not many had turned up to the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium wearing Shubman Gill shirts — not even in the Test captain's own backyard. Nearly half the crowd, kids included, had made the journey for one reason alone: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Young fans of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from Haryana in New Chandigarh (India Today Photo)

Both the captain and the schoolboy gave them plenty to cheer about, but it was Punjab da puttar who walked away with the bragging rights when it mattered most.

And this is precisely why teams scrap and grind to finish in the top two. It buys you something invaluable — a second chance, a clean slate, a path to the final even when you arrive bruised. Gujarat Titans were exactly that after Royal Challengers Bengaluru steamrolled them in Dharamsala on Tuesday — bruised, battered, and written off by many. Yet they walked out looking like a side with selective amnesia, unburdened by the memory of that defeat. Their bowling attack rose to the occasion first, reining Rajasthan Royals in to 214 despite one of the most mature and magnificent knocks Sooryavanshi has produced in the IPL. And with the bat, they were clinical and determined from the very first ball.

This was exactly the kind of win Gujarat Titans needed — a validation of their process, their belief in a style more orthodox than most in this T20 tournament on steroids. Even on the eve of the game, assistant coach Parthiv Patel bristled when asked if Gujarat were one-dimensional, predictable in their batting and bowling plans.

"Everybody has a different way of playing. We have our own style. Even in the first half of the tournament, when we were not doing that great and were just doing okay, we still stuck to our process. We trust our ability and know what we can do," he said.

And that process was no secret. Gujarat Titans were a top-heavy batting side — they needed Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler to go big, and they relied heavily on their in-form new-ball duo of Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada to defend or set totals. Nine of their 14 league wins were built on exactly that script. No surprises, no tricks up the sleeve — just backing their best players to deliver, and more often than not, they did.

Then came Qualifier 1, and the wheels came off spectacularly. None of the top three fired. Siraj and Rabada were taken to the cleaners. The momentum didn't just slow — it collapsed. So did they, tumbling from Dharamsala to New Chandigarh to face a Rajasthan Royals side riding high after thrashing SunRisers Hyderabad.

Yet Gujarat walked out looking like a team that had deleted the memory of Tuesday entirely.SAI AND GILL MOTOR ALONG

But rewind to the first innings, and the story that will linger longest.

Yashasvi Jaiswal found deep square leg off Siraj and was gone for 1 off 2 balls. The first over, barely begun, and Rajasthan Royals were already 2 for 1. The weight of their season fell squarely on the shoulders of a 15-year-old. Rabada then got rid of Dhruv Jurel for 7 off 6 balls in the very next over, pushing Rajasthan further onto the back foot. Two down inside two overs, and Gujarat Titans had announced themselves.A DIFFERENT SOORYAVANSHI

What followed over the next 47 balls was not the Vaibhav Sooryavanshi the crowd had come to see — the one who launches Siraj for a six off the first ball and makes international bowlers look like club cricketers. This was a different, harder, more quietly remarkable version. Gujarat Titans arrived with a plan, and it showed. Siraj hit him with bouncers early, testing his temperament before his eye was in.

But Sooryavanshi had the smarts to counter. When the short fine leg was moved, he waited — and swept Siraj there, using his wrists to collect the boundary. When the fielder shifted to the off-side and a third man was posted for the ramp, he simply waited again, and swept once more. A 15-year-old, reading field placements like a seasoned campaigner.

Jadeja, before retiring hurt with an elbow injury, added 73 runs for the third wicket with Sooryavanshi — the pair counterattacking with ferocity to drag Rajasthan back into the game. Dropped on 46, Sooryavanshi kept going. His fifty came in 31 balls — his slowest of the season — yet he accelerated to 96 off 47 before being caught at deep third with a century in sight for the second time this tournament.

Jadeja's unbeaten 45 and Donovan Ferreira's extraordinary 38 off just 11 balls in the final over dragged Rajasthan to 214. It felt like enough. It should have been enough. But Sooryavanshi had already done his part — and done it the hard way.