Gujarat Titans director of cricket Vikram Solanki has been blown away by the form and consistency his captain Shubman Gill has shown in the Indian Premier League. Gill has totalled 722 runs this season, scoring the bulk of the runs for his team alongside opening partner Sai Sudharsan (710). Both are operating at a healthy strike rate of 160. Gill gave a batting masterclass in his team's chase of 215 on Friday, steering the Titans to their third final in five seasons. Gill, the Test and ODI captain for India, was dropped from the T20 side ahead of the World Cup earlier this year. Considering his appetite for runs in the shortest format, Gill seems determined for a national comeback. "It is on the back of a lot of hard work. I can only imagine all of the work that Shubman has put in throughout his career to get to where he is as far as batting is concerned. He's an exceptional young man, and sometimes you have to realise he is still a young man. To be playing the cricket that he is,
Chasing a daunting target of 215, Gill led from the front with a magnificent 104 off 53 balls as GT completed the highest successful chase in IPL playoff history
Shubman Gill's 104-run innings overshadowed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's fiery 96 runs innings as GT extened thier head to head record vs RR to 3-0 in IPL playoffs
Both RCB and GT/RR will have the chance to win their second IPL title on Sunday and become the fourth-most successful franchise in IPL history
Vaibhav also becomes joint second-fastest overall to reach 1000 IPL runs alongside Lendl Simmons
During the first attempt, Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill was reportedly unable to clearly hear Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag make his call while the coin was in the air.
Having delivered a complete performance with both bat and ball, RR now prepare for a high-stakes clash against Gujarat Titans, with a place in the final on the line.
Gujarat Titans head into the contest after suffering a heavy 92-run defeat against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1.
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru have already secured their spot in the final after winning Qualifier 1.
Both GT and RR are heavily dependent on their top three when it comes to scoring big runs this season
Sooryavanshi has emerged as one of the biggest stories of IPL 2026, scoring 680 runs at an extraordinary strike rate of 242.85.
Powered by a breathtaking unbeaten 93 from captain Patidar and backed by a clinical bowling display, RCB outclassed GT in all departments to become the first team to seal a place in the summit clash
Meanwhile, with the win, RCB have kept alive their hopes of becoming the third team after CSK and MI to defend their title
Only twice in IPL playoffs history has a total of 200 or more been successfully chased, once by PBKS and once by KKR
JioHotstar in India will stream the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans through its app and website
Virat Kohli also holds the record for most runs in a single edition with his 973-run season in IPL 2016
Both RCB and GT have had almost similar seasons as both sides finished with 18 points each, and their superior net run rate helped them finish in first and second spots respectively
The winner of the RCB vs GT IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 match will qualify for the final on Sunday in Ahmedabad
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have played just three matches at HPCA Stadium, out of which they have won two and lost one
Kohli has amassed 557 runs in 14 matches this season with the help of four half-centuries and one century and is RCB's highest run-scorer in IPL 2026