Shubman Gill produced one of the greatest knocks in IPL playoff history on Friday, smashing a breathtaking century against Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 and rewriting multiple records in the process. Chasing a daunting 215 after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s stunning 96 and Donovan Ferreira’s late carnage had powered Rajasthan Royals to 214/6, Gill walked into one of the biggest matches of Gujarat Titans’ season and delivered a captain’s innings for the ages. The Gujarat Titans skipper raced to his century in just 47 balls, making it:
- The fastest century in IPL playoff history
- The fastest hundred ever scored by a Gujarat Titans batter
- The first century by a captain in IPL playoff history
Gill also became the first batter ever to score multiple hundreds in IPL playoffs, adding another historic achievement to his growing IPL legacy. It was also his fifth IPL century overall. The classy right-hander dominated Rajasthan’s attack from the outset, mixing elegant timing with controlled aggression. His innings included 15 fours and three sixes before Jofra Archer finally trapped him lbw for a magnificent 104 off 53 balls. Interestingly, Archer’s breakthrough also sparked debate over whether Rajasthan had delayed bringing their strike bowler back into the attack for too long as Gill had already inflicted massive damage by then. But Gill was not alone in the run-fest. Sai Sudharsan continued his extraordinary consistency and together the pair stitched the highest partnership in IPL playoff history. Their unbeaten 160-run stand surpassed the legendary 159-run partnership between Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay for Chennai Super Kings against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2011 IPL final. Highest partnerships in IPL playoffs:
- 160* – Shubman Gill & Sai Sudharsan (GT) vs RR, 2026 Qualifier 2
- 159 – Michael Hussey & Murali Vijay (CSK) vs RCB, 2011 Final
The innings also helped Gill enter another elite IPL list. He now joins Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and Sai Sudharsan as one of the few batters to score 700-plus runs in multiple IPL seasons. Gill’s historic night came after Rajasthan Royals had earlier lit up the evening through teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who hammered 96 off just 47 balls despite RR losing Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel inside the first two overs. However, Gill’s astonishing chase completely shifted the momentum of the knockout clash as the Gujarat Titans skipper turned Qualifier 2 into a record-breaking spectacle.