Sooryavanshi's 96 in vain as Gujarat down Rajasthan to reach final

Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's 96 was in vain as Gujarat Titans beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets on Friday to set up an IPL final against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Chasing 215 for victory after Sooryavanshi's second successive 90-plus score in the last play-off, Gujarat skipper Shubman Gill's 104 saw them chase down their target with eight balls to spare in New Chandigarh.

Gill put on 167 runs with opening partner Sai Sudharsan, who made 58, as Gujarat, who lost the first play-off to Bengaluru, reached their third final in five seasons since their title-winning debut in 2022.

Teenage sensation Sooryavanshi bowed out at the top of this season's batting chart with 776 runs after his 47-ball knock laced with eight fours and seven sixes.

Gill -- India's Test and ODI captain -- is behind the boy wonder with 722 runs but has a chance to move ahead of him in the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

"I was in the kind of zone where I was just looking at the gaps and the bowler and see my zone and try to hit it there," said player of the match Gill. "That's what happens when you're batting well, you see the gaps and middle it."

Gill and the left-handed Sudharsan batted with control in a classical display to ease into the chase against a bowling attack led by Jofra Archer.

Sudharsan, who was dropped on 14, fell hit wicket for the second time in two matches as his bat slipped to rattle the stumps after he had guided the ball for a four.

Gill reached his first century of this season with a four but soon departed as Archer trapped him lbw before Jos Buttler (9) and Rahul Tewatia, with a winning six in his 17, steered the team home.

Sooryavanshi and Jadeja show 
 

Earlier Sooryavanshi's partnership with Ravindra Jadeja, who hit an unbeaten 45, stood out in Rajasthan's 214-6.

Sooryavanshi, who hit a blistering 29-ball 97 in the eliminator, missed out on his ton for a second straight game after he miscued a shot to deep thirdman off Kagiso Rabada.

He went on to raise his fifth half-century of the season in 31 balls -- his slowest IPL fifty, but held the innings together despite the regular fall of wickets.

"Vaibhav has been, I can't really put it in words, there is one way where you just go and slog and get runs but he's not blind slogging," said Rajasthan skipper Riyan Parag.

"He calculates, he assesses conditions. He does everything and I still can't figure out how. I just hope he keeps doing the same for the country and bringing the country laurels and keeps playing for us and gets us that second championship."

Gujarat quicks peppered the left-handed Sooryavanshi with short balls and the teenager edged one from Rabada on to his helmet, but soon got back to business after a mandatory concussion check.

He picked up the pace with a couple of sixes and fours and put life back into the innings with a 58-run stand with Jadeja.

Jadeja and Sooryavanshi had put on 73 for the third wicket to hit back after Gujarat pace bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Rabada struck early on.

Donovan Ferreira made Rajasthan finish with a flourish in his unbeaten 11-ball 38 but the effort was not enough for Rajasthan, who won the inaugural IPL edition in 2008.

Rabada and fellow fast bowler Jason Holder took two each.