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The stage is set for May 31. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look to retain their crown against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in the final of IPL 2026. But the road to the final through the playoffs was one to remember, full of twists, broken records and exhilaration.
First up in Qualifier 1, Bengaluru played Gujarat Titans, booking their place in the final in style with a 92-run win in Dharamshala. To avoid the chase specialists of RCB, Shubman Gill put his Gujarat side to field, a decision he would come to regret. The top order of Virat Kohli, Venkatesh Iyer and Devdutt Padikkal gave Bengaluru a flying start, but it would be captain Rajat Patidar who would do the most damage. No longer the cameo man, Patidar was front and center to get the Royal Challengers to a massive 254/5 with an unbeaten 93 off just 33 deliveries.
Gujarat never seemed to get going in the chase, with a start made worse by their top scorer Sai Sudarshan getting dismissed by a rare hit wicket. The Titans were brought down to 88/8 by the stellar RCB bowling attack, and impact player Rahul Tewatia alone salvaged the innings with a knock of 68 not out to get his team to 162, as Bengaluru marched into the final.
Next up was a do or die game- the eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals, where the Royals ended Hyderabad’s journey with a 47-run victory. More specifically it was one man, or in this case, boy who ended the Sunrisers campaign, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The 15-year-old showcased his best performance of the season, bludgeoning the Hyderabad bowling, including veteran and legend Pat Cummins as if this were a tennis ball league.
Sooryavanshi well surpassed Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes in an IPL season, bringing his tally to 65. He was also on track to break Gayle’s record for the fastest hundred in T20 Cricket off 30 balls, but then came the ultimate heartbreak.
On 97 off 28, Sooryavanshi went for the moment of glory, but a mistimed strike off a slower bouncer from Praful Hinge saw the ball find Ravichandran Smaran at third man, ending the dream for the youngster. But he walked off with the applause and praise of not just the people at the ground, but the entire cricket world. The Sooryavanshi special alone guided Rajasthan to 243/8 and Hyderabad knew they had to give an explosive response. There was explosion in the chase, but a lot of implosion as well for the Sunrisers, who were rapidly losing wickets as they were scoring runs. In the end they mustered 196, giving Rajasthan the win and confirming their tie with Gujarat Titans for Qualifier 2.
But after that special win, Gujarat put an end to Rajasthan’s journey with an emphatic seven wicket win to go into their third IPL final. Sooryavanshi produced yet another special innings, scoring 96 and missing out on a hundred in very similar fashion as the previous game. However, the rest of the Rajasthan batting were wasteful, as they ended on 214/6.
Defendable, but a Gill-Sudarshan opening stand for the ages made the formidable target seem menial. Sudarshan scored another half century but in a bizarre circumstance was dismissed by a hit wicket in back-to-back games. But that wasn’t the highlight, it was Gill showcasing his quality as an all-format player by completing a century in just 50 balls. Gautam Gambhir and co will be given a good headache when choosing the T20I squads from now onwards. The opening partnership made this a walk in the park for the Titans who will take on Bengaluru once again, this time on home turf in Ahmedabad.
Stars of the week
Kagiso Rabada- Rabada is undeniably one of the best fast bowlers in the world. But in his previous three IPL seasons, he could have easily fooled us all about that. 20 wickets in the previous years, and a switch to the Titans from Punjab Kings, it’s not been easy for the South African.
Yet now, he’s the spearhead of arguably the best bowling attack of the season. With 28 wickets and leading the Purple Cap race, Rabada is the ultimate big game player, and will be one to watch in the final.
Krunal Pandya- The older Pandya brother has definitely got the shorter end of the stick as compared to Hardik, at least on the international stage. But in the IPL, Krunal has a cult status Hardik can only dream of living.
Going in every season with low expectations from him, Krunal has consistently been reliable and impactful for IPL franchises, always coming in at crucial match winning scenarios. Particularly this season with RCB, he has been involved in key moments innumerable times, scoring 225 runs and taking 13 wickets, the perfect balance. The last time he wore the Indian blue was 2021, and now 35, has he done enough to find his way back to the international setup?
Up next, the 2026 IPL Final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans, live from Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 31, 19:30 IST (9:00 EST).
