The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 The season reached its fever pitch at the Mullanpur International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Friday. High-stakes Qualifier 2 clash Gujarat Titans (GT) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) delivered all the drama expected from a knockout match. With a seat in the spectacular final, fans witnessed an emotional rollercoaster anchored by one of cricket’s most exciting young prodigies. After RR elected to bat first, the electric atmosphere gave way to an unforgettable individual performance that eventually left the stadium in stunned, appreciative silence.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi narrowly misses century vs GT in IPL 2026 Qualifier 2
The night was headlined by Rajasthan’s teenage sensation, Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Coming into the crease under immense pressure after the early wickets fell, Suryavanshi played a heroic, counter-attacking knock that completely impressed the fans and pundits. However, cricket can be a ruthless game of margins. For the second match in a row, the explosive left-hander agonizingly missed a deserved milestone.
Heart attack peaked in 18. Facing the South African speedster Kagiso Rabada In the second ball of 17.2 overs, Suryavanshi attempted his signature tennis shot with a deceptively short delivery. Unfortunately, the ball stuck to the bat’s finger and soared into the sky, landing comfortably in his hands. Prasidh Krishna in the deep third.
Suryavanshi was dismissed for 96 off just 47 balls, scoring an incredible 204.25. His breathtaking knock includes 8 fours and 7 powerful sixes. The stadium initially fell into a hush as the young prospect stood distraught, reflecting on his sacking from his previous job when he fell to 97. However, the sadness quickly turned into a standing ovation as fans applauded her sheer bravery and maturity on the big stage.
RR showed a huge result against GT
Despite losing the opening partnership cheaply, with Yashasvi Jaiswal 12 and falling Dhruv Jurel Departing for 7 in the first two overs, Suryavanshi’s masterclass completely revived Rajasthan Royals’ innings. Backed by a fiercely sustained middle-order effort, RR successfully weaponized their scoring rate to post a massive total of 214/6 in the allotted 20 overs.
An important anchor for the innings was the veteran all-rounder Ravindra JadejaHe scored a quick, unbeaten 45 off 35 balls. Jadeja’s innings was a testament to his physical stamina as he was briefly retired injured in the eighth innings but later returned to steady the ship. Donovan Ferreira. Ferreira played an important cameo, blasting a blistering 38 off just 11 balls at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 345.45, ensuring Royals finished with a bang. RR’s score increased dramatically towards the end and scored 76 runs in the last 5 overs alone.
On the bowling front, Gujarat Titans have had mixed fortunes. Rabada was the pick of the bowlers finishing with figures of 2/35 from 4 overs while Jason Holder was in excellent control with 2/27. However, a premium spinner Rashid Khan suffered a rare, costly outing, leaking 45 runs in just 2 overs. At the break of the innings, the data models placed Rajasthan Royals with a huge probability of victory, Shubman Gill‘s Gujarat Titans are chasing a mammoth target of 215 runs to secure their last place.
Also WATCH: Vaibhav Suryavanshi plays a Kohli-esque six off Kagiso Rabada during GT vs RR Qualifier 2
Here’s how the fans reacted:
VAIBHAV SOORYAVANSHI SCORES HUNDREDS in Playoffs 💔🥺
◾ 97 (29) and SRH in Eliminator 🔥
◾ 96 (47) 🔥 vs GT in Qualifier 2
◾ misses hundreds of consecutive IPL knockouts by the best margin 😭
– HE LOST A CENTURY, BUT EVERY CHILD HAS BEEN MORE ❤️ #GTvRR #IPL2026 pic.twitter.com/84F04h7ruj— Yogesh Goswami (@yogeshgoswami_) May 29, 2026
93(38) on 19 May against LSG.
97(29) against SRH on 27th May.
On 29 May 96(47) against GT.THE ONE AND ONLY VAIBHAV SOORYAVANSHI 🥶 pic.twitter.com/Cvl0q9kLTR
– Jones. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 29, 2026
Heartache for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 😔
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 💯 once again.
He should have taken advice from Virat Kohli on how to play for his 💯, being single in the 90s. He is the master of it.
So sad that he missed out for the second time in a row… pic.twitter.com/UjYQIiFdW3— Troll Cricket Unlimited (@TUnlimitedd) May 29, 2026
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Very Unlucky. He missed another decent century. Sacked 3 Times in Last 4 Games in 90’s. He doesn’t care about Personal Milestones at all. Constantly attacking pic.twitter.com/oJMOhxjvDv
— Aryan Goel 2.0 (@AryanGoelNew) May 29, 2026
Vaibhav suryavanshi’s maturity shined 🔥
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) May 29, 2026
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is 15 years old and people still question his maturity?
The pressure was on when the Rajasthan Royals lost two early wickets, but the youngster did not panic. He played sensitive and mature cricket, formed an important partnership with Jadeja and had incredible … pic.twitter.com/Tsixfn8hHU
— Mohit Bohra (@mohitsharma1910) May 29, 2026
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made 96 off 47 balls.
– Hundreds of back-to-back misses in the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/FXHEhOjpAj
— Maina Singh (@Maina_Singhx77) May 29, 2026
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi! Going for 96, ❤️🩹 They showed great character and application when the guy ran out of chops. How many hits with this hitting phenomenon. #RRvGT pic.twitter.com/8t5kVLH5oP
– Pramod Kumar Singh (@SinghPramod2784) May 29, 2026
He could have easily taken the singles and doubles to complete his century, but once again the team is above individual milestones.
Generation player Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Take the bow. 🔥#RRvGT pic.twitter.com/yYOMXhB6xy
— Lala (@FabulasGuy) May 29, 2026
🔥 ONE AND ONLY VAIBHAV SOORYAVANSHI. 🔥
🥶 93(38) vs LSG.
🥶 97(29) and SRH.
🥶 96(47) vs GT.Three incredible shots. Three lost centuries. An extraordinary talent. pic.twitter.com/gH6jjic81X
— Faruk (@uf2151593) May 29, 2026
Half century in Eliminator ✅
Half a century in classification 2 ✅Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has already played Dhawan, Samson, Rahul, Sehwag, Pollard, Ishan, Gilchrist, Klaasen, Miller, Rahane, Uthappa, Stoinis, Abhishek etc in the IPL Playoffs. scored 50+ points from players like pic.twitter.com/rEdFJO47QF
— 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒔 (@Shebas_10dulkar) May 29, 2026
Also READ: Vaibhav Suryavanshi opens up on Rajasthan Royals’ IPL 2026 title ambitions ahead of GT clash
