Good morning. The talk around the IPL final has a familiar undertone: a “reunion” moment for the 2016 Sunrisers Hyderabad group, with the franchise once again being drawn into celebration ahead of the title match. That 2016 campaign carries a particular kind of weight, because winning the trophy after being sent into the Eliminator is still remembered as one of the league’s more dramatic routes to glory.
There was also a strong sense of déjà vu in the latest qualifier clash involving Rajasthan Royals. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi looked every bit at home, nearly steering RR down the same kind of path that had made his earlier outings so damaging. Yet, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan combined to take control in the way they have repeatedly done, repeatedly turning Sooryavanshi’s hard work into nothing more than a brief threat. In the end, their partnership set up a rematch of Qualifier 1, but this time it will be played on home turf in Ahmedabad.
If you missed the action from last night, here’s the essential rundown. Siraj and Rabada provided Gujarat Titans with a dream start, with Sooryavanshi and a promoted Jadeja doing the hard graft to keep Rajasthan in the hunt. Sooryavanshi missed plenty of opportunities again, but RR still managed to post a competitive total of 214. Then Gill and Sudharsan turned the chase into a statement, with Gill driving the innings forward and ultimately scoring a century that ensured Gujarat Titans would face Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final.
There was an extra layer of intrigue too, in the way the story echoed a much earlier moment in cricket history. The match brought to mind the 2011 World Cup final, where 15 years on, eerily similar emotions surfaced. On that day, MS Dhoni was left frustrated after the match referee ordered a redo of the toss. Last night, Shubman Gill looked equally irritated as Riyan Parag lost the toss the first time, only for the match referee to fail to hear it and call for another toss. This time, Parag ended up on the winning side, and Dhoni’s experience ultimately proved decisive for India on April 2, 2011. Now the script flipped again on May 29, 2026, when Gill was named player of the match for his superb hundred.
Pulse Awards and the defining moments
The “new-day-new-record” award was handed to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Once again, the record books were forced to adjust around him after each appearance. Last night, he became the first player in IPL history to score more than 500 runs in Powerplay overs within a single edition. He also claimed the “reckless-nineties award” for once more showing no fear as he edged closer to a century, only to fall short of the milestone. That pattern has now appeared three times in his last four outings.
Kumar Sangakkara received the “pushing-things-a-bit-too-far” tag. Jofra Archer had been sent out at No. 7 after 12.5 overs the previous day, but last night he was promoted to No. 6 after just 11.3 overs. Archer’s stay at the crease lasted only four deliveries, a short burst that still managed to reshape the scoreboard dynamic.
Donovan Ferreira earned the “hero-turns-villain” award. He struck 38 not out off 11 balls to place RR in a commanding position, but then he dropped Sai Sudharsan during the Powerplay—an error that gave Gujarat a major escape route. Sudharsan, fittingly, claimed the “impossible-is-possible award” for the kind of incident that rarely repeats so quickly. It happened once before, and no one expected it again, but the bat slipped from his hand and hit the stumps last night. At the non-striker’s end, Gill couldn’t believe what he was seeing and dropped to his knees, as did everyone watching.
Speaking of Gill, the “gentle-reminder award” was presented with Sai Kishore’s face printed on it. Only five players picked up more wickets than Kishore in IPL 2025, yet he had played only two matches before last night. In what was supposed to be his third outing, he didn’t bowl a single over.
Talking point, quotes and IPL chatter
The talking point was Shubman Gill’s response to pressure. After being dropped from the Indian team for the T20 World Cup just before the tournament, Gill sent another clear message with a stunning knock last night. The groundwork had started the previous night, when he spent several minutes near the pitch analysing, visualising, and familiarising himself with the conditions. Gill was still dealing with the disappointment of a rare top-order collapse against RCB in Qualifier 1, but he made amends in style by helping set up the rematch in the final.
In the “chatter” section, Kumar Sangakkara sounded confident about the youngster’s future. He said that with everything Vaibhav had shown against top bowlers worldwide, he looked more than prepared for any challenge and that the call-up was likely to arrive very soon. Sangakkara also addressed the situation around Sam Curran, noting that they had been told Curran had a season-ending injury but that he appeared to be playing for Surrey for two or three games, which he admitted was disappointing. He added that their medical team—working extremely hard over the last two, best part of three months—would assess him and do whatever was necessary to get him back out on the park.
GT director of cricket Vikram Solanki offered a hopeful view on Mohammed Siraj’s availability for the final. He also joked about what he’d seen around Siraj’s dismissal, mentioning that he had watched a clip online about taping his hand and that he might need to do something similar in the next match.
Gill, meanwhile, found humour in the moment that followed his start. He remarked that his opening partner disturbed the stumps again with the bat, prompting a funny reaction from the batter.
For the “stat snack,” Vaibhav Sooryavanshi unsurprisingly made the cut. He surpassed 1000 IPL runs last night, doing so in the quickest time—reaching the mark in just 440 balls. The next best figure was 545.
The gossip column suggested that IPL organisers can now breathe a little easier now that the Royals are out. The franchise had been placed in a difficult situation, effectively needing to reward both the MVP and the Emerging Player with the same individual. With RR out of the running, the word is that Rabada now has another chance to pip Sooryavanshi to the MVP award—provided he can bowl Gujarat Titans to the title in the final.
Tonight’s watchlist focuses on the RCB press conference and/or practice session, with attention on Phil Salt’s status ahead of the big final. And for a reckless prediction: another franchise will look to steal the spotlight from the tournament by parting ways with its captain.
