Shubman Gill Century, Highest Chase Among Five Defining Moments As GT Enter IPL 2026 Final  

Shubman Gill Century (104 off 53) powers GT to the highest successful chase in IPL playoff history — 215 off 19 overs. Five defining moments from GT’s 7-wicket win over RR in New Chandigarh.

North Desk Correspondent

Chandigarh, May 30

Some cricket matches end before the final ball. Last night’s IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 in New Chandigarh ended, in spirit, sometime around the 12th over of Gujarat Titans’ chase — when Shubman Gill flat-batted a back-of-length delivery to the boundary and the scoreboard made the result look inevitable.

By the time it was over, GT had chased down 215 — the highest successful chase in IPL playoff history. They did it in 19 overs, with 7 wickets in hand, with Gill scoring 104 off 53 before Jofra Archer finally ended his innings. They are in the IPL 2026 final.

And in Ahmedabad on Sunday, the tournament gets its rematch: GT vs RCB. The same top two teams who met in Qualifier 1, now meeting again for the trophy — and the ₹20 crore that comes with it.

Here are the five moments that defined a historic night in New Chandigarh.

1. SOORYAVANSHI AGAIN — 96 Off 47, Caught at Deep Third for the Second Straight Match

The crowd at Mullanpur had come partly to see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. After his 97 off 29 against SRH in the Eliminator, the 15-year-old had given this tournament’s final stages a personality — fearless, instinctive, impossible to prepare for.

He did not disappoint. On a pitch that played slower than the Eliminator surface, he still reached his fifty in 31 balls —his slowest IPL fifty of the season, which tells you everything about the standard he has set. He fought through the conditions, overcame an early two-paced pitch and a GT bowling attack that had planned specifically for him, and got himself to 96 off 47 balls.

Then, as in the Eliminator, he went for the big shot. Caught at deep third. Out for 96 — one boundary from a century, for the second knockout match in a row.

His IPL 2026 is over: 776 runs, strike rate of 237. No one in IPL history has ever scored more runs in a single season at that kind of pace. He will come back next year. The records will probably come then too.

2. THE OPENING OVER THAT SET THE TONE — Archer Goes For Runs, GT Don’t Look Back

Jofra Archer had been RR’s match-winner in the Eliminator — three wickets, the chase broken open in the first over. Last night, GT’s openers treated his first over as a signal to attack rather than absorb.

Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan went after Archer from ball one. By the end of the powerplay, GT were 69 for no loss — chasing 215, they were already ahead of the run rate they needed. The score at that point in the Eliminator had been the moment SRH’s chase began to fracture. Here, it was the moment RR’s bowling plan began to unravel.

When the best bowler in your attack goes for runs in the first over of a 215 chase and your openers don’t flinch, the match has already tilted.

3. THE HUNDRED-RUN STAND — Gill AND Sudharsan, Not Just Gill

It is easy, watching Gill bat, to forget there is someone at the other end. Last night, Sai Sudharsan would not let you forget.

The GT opening partnership produced 100-plus runs in the first nine overs at a controlled, clinical pace — neither batter taking unnecessary risks, both reading the pitch better than any RR bowler managed to. Sudharsan reached his fifty off 26 balls, his second half-century in consecutive playoff matches. He was out for 58 off 32 — dismissed, for the second successive game, just when he had done the hard work.

That dismissal barely registered on GT’s chase. They needed 33 runs off 30 balls when Sudharsan fell. Gill was still there.

4. Shubman GILL CENTURY — Fifth IPL Ton, This One in 47 Balls, In a Chase of 215

Shubman Gill century: When Shubman Gill scores a century in a knockout match, it is no longer a surprise. It has become, over his IPL career, an expectation. He scored 129 in a Qualifier 2 in 2023. He has now scored 104 in a Qualifier 2 in 2026. The format, the pressure, the occasion — none of it changes what he does.

This one came off 47 balls — his fifth IPL century overall. It was reached, appropriately, with a boundary. The crowd at New Chandigarh, which had roared for Sooryavanshi in the first innings, now stood for the GT captain.

The mathematics of the chase at that point were formality. GT needed around 30 off 25. Gill had 104. The match was over as a contest.

One small detail that made this moment even sharper: Gill is from Punjab. He grew up watching cricket in Chandigarh. New Chandigarh’s Maharaja Yadavindra Singh stadium is, in the most literal geographical sense, his home ground. So, a Shubman Gill century here, in a Qualifier 2, to reach an IPL final — you don’t need to say anything else!!

5. TEWATIA ENDS IT WITH A SIX — The Finishing Touch GT Always Find

When GT need to finish a chase, they find someone. In 2022 and 2023, it was Rahul Tewatia hitting sixes in the last over when no one else could. Last night, with Gill gone for 104, with the target down to single figures, it was Tewatia again — a straight six in the 19th over that ended the match and sent the New Chandigarh crowd home knowing they had watched history.

GT chased 215. They did it in 19 overs. They lost three wickets. The highest successful chase in IPL playoff history — and it didn’t feel close.

THE MATCH IN BRIEF

RR, winning the toss, chose to bat. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 96 off 47 — on a slower surface, still the most watchable innings of the night — anchored the first innings, alongside Ravindra Jadeja’s 45 not out off 35 and Donovan Ferreira’s 38 not out off 11 in the death overs. RR posted 214 for 6. GT’s chase was authoritative from the first over. Gill and Sudharsan added 100-plus in the powerplay and beyond; Sudharsan made 58 off 32 before falling. Gill went on to 104 off 53, fifth IPL Shubman Gill century, before Archer dismissed him lbw. Rahul Tewatia finished it with a six in the 19th over. GT won by 7 wickets, completing the highest successful chase in IPL playoff history. GT are in the final. RR are out.

GT will face RCB in the IPL 2026 Final, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, Sunday May 31, 7:30 PM IST.

Result: GT beat RR by 7 wickets

Player of the Match: Shubman Gill century — 104 off 53

ALSO: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 97 Off 29: Five Defining Moments from RR’s IPL 2026 Eliminator Win

Read: IPL 2026 Prize Money: Winner Gets ₹20 Crore

RCB vs GT Qualifier 1 IPL: Five Defining Moments as RCB Crushed GT by 92 Runs

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