Gill’s Stunning Century Makes Light Work of 215 as Gujarat Titans Cruise to Victory

Gujarat Titans won by 7 wickets (with 8 balls remaining). In the penultimate match of the IPL 2026 regular season – match 73 of 74 – Gujarat Titans sealed second place in the standings with a ruthless seven-wicket demolition of Rajasthan Royals at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh.

Despite a sensational 96 off 47 balls from Vaibhav Suryavanshi, RR’s 214/6 was chased down with eight balls to spare thanks to a breathtaking century from GT captain Shubman Gill.

First Innings: Rajasthan Royals 214/6 (20 overs)

It was a disastrous start for Rajasthan. Yashasvi Jaiswal fell for just 1 off 2 balls, caught in the first over with the score on 2. Dhruv Jurel followed quickly, managing only 7 off 6 before being caught with the total on 9/2 in the second over. Two down inside two overs – RR were in deep trouble.

Enter Suryavanshi. The teenager took the Gujarat attack apart with a display of clean hitting that belied his age. He put on a stand with Riyan Parag (11 off 6, one four and one six) that steadied things before Parag fell caught at 101/3 in the 10th over. Dasun Shanaka struggled badly – 3 off 9 balls at a strike rate of 33 – before being caught at 109/4, and Jofra Archer launched a quick 7 off 4 including a six before departing at 118/5.

But it was Suryavanshi’s partnership with Ravindra Jadeja that rebuilt the innings. The pair batted together through the middle overs, with Suryavanshi playing the aggressor – 8 fours, 7 sixes, striking at 204. He fell agonisingly short of a century, caught for 96 at 172/6 in the 18th over.

Then Donovan Ferreira arrived and detonated. His unbeaten 38 off just 11 balls – 2 fours and 4 sixes at a strike rate of 345 – alongside Jadeja’s composed 45 not out off 35 (5 fours, 1 six, SR 129) pushed RR to a competitive 214/6.

For Gujarat’s bowlers, Jason Holder was the standout with 2/27 from his four overs at an economy of 6.75 – comfortably the best figures of the innings. Kagiso Rabada took 2/35, while Rashid Khan had a day to forget – 0/45 from just 2 overs at an economy of 22.5.

Second Innings: Gujarat Titans 219/3 (18.4 overs)

Chasing 215 was supposed to be a challenge. Gill and Sai Sudharsan made it look routine.

The opening pair put on a staggering 167 runs in just 12.5 overs, dismantling every bowler RR threw at them. Sudharsan played the supporting role brilliantly – 58 off 32 balls with 8 fours and a six, striking at 181 – before an unusual hit-wicket dismissal ended his innings.

Gill was imperious. Fifteen fours and 3 sixes in his 104 off 53 balls, striking at 196. He batted deep into the chase before falling LBW with the score on 182 in the 15th over – by which point the result was barely in doubt. Washington Sundar chipped in with a brisk 16 off 9 (SR 178) before being caught at 201/3, and Rahul Tewatia (17 not out off 9) and Jos Buttler (9 not out off 9) saw GT home with eight balls to spare.

RR’s bowlers had no answers. Nandre Burger was the pick with 1/35 from 4 overs (economy 8.75), while Archer took 1/45. Brijesh Sharma conceded 44 from 3.4 overs, Tushar Deshpande went for 34 from 3 without a wicket, Yash Raj Punja leaked 29 from 2 overs, and Jadeja’s 2 overs cost 28.

Statz MVP: Vaibhav Suryavanshi

The official Man of the Match went to Shubman Gill – but Statz disagrees. Our match impact formula, which calculates player value based on match context rather than raw numbers, gives the MVP to Vaibhav Suryavanshi with a match impact rating of 116.28 – higher than Gill’s 110.41.

Why? Suryavanshi’s 96 off 47 came when RR were 9/2 in the second over. He single-handedly rebuilt the innings from crisis, striking at 204 and scoring the bulk of RR’s runs in a losing cause. Gill’s century was outstanding, but he had the luxury of chasing with a settled opening partner and a target that his team was always capable of reaching. Context matters – and Statz rewards it.

Top 5 Statz Ratings

Turning Point

The moment this match slipped away from RR? Sai Sudharsan‘s hit-wicket dismissal at 167/1 in the 13th over. It sounds counterintuitive – a wicket as the turning point for the batting side – but the damage was already done. The Gill-Sudharsan opening stand of 167 in 12.5 overs had effectively killed the chase as a contest. By the time Sudharsan departed, GT needed just 48 from 45 balls with 9 wickets in hand. The real turning point was the absence of any early wicket – RR needed to break through inside the powerplay and simply couldn’t. Gill and Sudharsan made 167 before the first wicket fell, and the match was over long before it officially ended.

Match Context

This result confirms Gujarat Titans in second place heading into the final match of the regular season. The standings are incredibly tight at the top – RCB (1st), GT (2nd), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (3rd) are all locked on 18 points with 9 wins and 5 losses apiece, separated only by net run rate.

Rajasthan Royals sit 4th on 16 points (W8, L6) – still in playoff contention but needing results to go their way in the final match. Punjab Kings (15pts), Delhi Capitals (14pts), and KKR (13pts) are all still in the mix, while CSK (12pts), MI (8pts) and LSG (8pts) are out of the running.

With one match remaining in the league phase, the playoff picture remains wide open. The top three are locked together and RR’s net run rate could yet be decisive.

View the full scorecard on Statz