Vaibhav Sooryavanshi falls agonisingly short of century again as Rabada ends dream knock in Qualifier 2

It was another case of heartbreak in the 90s for Rajasthan Royals sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who narrowly missed out on a century for the second consecutive match during Qualifier 2 against the Gujarat Titans in Mullanpur.

After scoring 97 in the Eliminator against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, the 15-year-old prodigy produced another breathtaking innings, smashing 96 off just 56 balls. With a century seemingly within reach, Sooryavanshi looked set to register his third IPL hundred and second of the 2026 season before falling to a familiar weakness.

The youngster’s innings, which featured eight boundaries and seven sixes, came to an end in the 18th over when Kagiso Rabada deceived him with a short ball outside off stump. Attempting an upper cut, Sooryavanshi could only find third man, where Prasidh Krishna completed the catch.

The dismissal mirrored his exit against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where a similar shot also cost him a century. As he walked back to the pavilion, the packed Mullanpur crowd rose to applaud another extraordinary innings from the teenage star.

Dugout interaction sparks social media buzz

Following his dismissal, television cameras captured an animated conversation between Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag and Sooryavanshi in the dugout.

Parag appeared to be passionately discussing the dismissal with the youngster, gesturing repeatedly while Sooryavanshi listened quietly. The brief exchange quickly became a talking point online, with fans speculating about the nature of the discussion. However, neither player publicly commented on the interaction.

More records tumble

Despite missing out on a century, Sooryavanshi continued rewriting record books.

The 96-run knock took his season tally to 776 runs in 15 matches, strengthening his grip on the Orange Cap race. He also became the fastest Indian batter to reach 1,000 T20 runs, achieving the milestone in just 23 innings.

Measured by balls faced, the achievement was even more remarkable, with Sooryavanshi reaching the landmark in only 440 deliveries. He also became the youngest player to score 1,000 T20 runs, surpassing the previous record held by Rishabh Pant.

The dismissal also placed him in an unwanted club. He now shares the record for the most dismissals in the 90s in IPL history, with three, alongside David Warner, KL Rahul, Glenn Maxwell and Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Gill powers Titans into final

Rajasthan Royals posted a competitive 214/6 after being asked to bat first, with Sooryavanshi leading the charge. Valuable late contributions from Ravindra Jadeja (45 not out) and Donovan Ferreira (38 not out) helped push the total beyond 200.

However, the target proved insufficient as Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill delivered a captain’s knock, smashing 104 to anchor the chase.

The Titans reached the target with seven wickets in hand and eight balls remaining, sealing their place in the IPL 2026 final.

Gujarat will now face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the title clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium on May 31, with both teams eyeing IPL glory.