Sudharsan eventually departed for 58 in bizarre fashion, becoming hit wicket for the second consecutive match after his bat slipped from his hands and crashed into the stumps. The dismissal drew disbelief from players and spectators alike, but by then Gujarat were firmly in control.
The stage was set for Gill. With a place in the final on the line, the captain delivered exactly what leaders are expected to produce. His century came off 47 balls, a knockout-match hundred crafted with poise and precision.
Gill was eventually trapped leg-before by Archer, but his work was done. The result had long ceased to be in doubt. Gujarat completed the chase with ease and booked a meeting with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Sunday’s final.
Earlier, a night after setting New Chandigarh alight with a breathtaking assault against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Sooryavanshi produced something arguably more impressive — a 96 off 47 balls that was not merely about power, but about judgment, adaptation and temperament.
The Rajasthan innings began amid early turbulence. Gujarat’s fast bowlers had come prepared and landed the first punches. Mohammed Siraj dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal in the opening over, while Kagiso Rabada struck in his very next over when Dhruv Jurel’s ambitious lofted drive found mid-off. Rajasthan were 9/2 and Gujarat had executed the perfect start.
What followed was a fascinating contrast to Sooryavanshi’s whirlwind century in the Eliminator. Against Sunrisers, he had batted as if every ball deserved punishment. Here, Gujarat forced him into a different examination. Rabada peppered Sooryavanshi with short balls above 150kph, hurrying him with genuine pace. There were a couple of swings and misses from him too, rare moments of vulnerability.
Yet the response revealed another layer to his talent. One 154kph back-of-a-length delivery was launched straight back over Rabada’s head for a stunning six, a shot that drew comparisons with Virat Kohli’s famous strike off Haris Rauf in Melbourne during the 2022 T20 World Cup. It was audacious, but it was also calculated.
The Powerplay ended with Rajasthan at 70/2, but the youngster was not operating in overdrive. He picked his moments. He absorbed pressure. He respected good deliveries. For perhaps the first time this season, there was visible evidence that Sooryavanshi understood that T20 batting is not only about boundaries; it is also about managing phases.
Even when Ravindra Jadeja retired hurt briefly and wickets fell around him — Riyan Parag departed for 11, Dasun Shanaka and Jofra Archer followed — Sooryavanshi remained composed. A dropped catch by Sai Sudharsan offered him a lifeline, but he did not allow the opportunity to go to waste.
His fifty came off 31 balls, remarkably his slowest half-century of the season. That statistic alone explained the evolution on display. The innings was built rather than exploded into existence.
Then, once set, he accelerated with devastating effect. There was a glorious inside-out six over extra cover, a shot of pure class against the longer boundary. There were three ferocious forehand-like shots that resembled Rafael Nadal whipping winners from the baseline — one for four, one for six and another for four over the mid-off fielder. Somewhere amid the carnage, Sooryavanshi became the fastest player to 1,000 IPL runs and crossed 700 runs for the season.
The only disappointment was the ending. Four runs short of a deserved hundred; Sooryavanshi fell for 96 attempting to dispatch another short ball around his left shoulder, the dismissal uncannily similar to the one that ended his innings against Sunrisers. As the catch settled in the deep, the stadium rose to its feet. The teenager walked off distraught. Everyone else knew they had witnessed something special.
Donovan Ferreira’s blistering 38 off 11 balls and Jadeja’s unbeaten 45 ensured Rajasthan surged past 200, but the innings belonged to Sooryavanshi.