Rajasthan Teen Engine Overpowers Steady Gujarat in Final Hunt

Fixture: IPL 2026 Eliminator – Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mullanpur, May 27, 2026. Context: RR knocked out GT earlier and now face SRH with the final in sight. Teen Steam: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Performance: 97 off 29 balls vs SRH in the Eliminator. Records broken: Shattered records of Chris Gayle, Suresh Raina and David Warner in one innings. Background: The 14-year-old prodigy earlier hit 38-ball 101 vs GT in 2025 – the second-fastest IPL hundred. Style: Announced himself launching Mohammed Siraj for six first ball. Also scored 18-ball 31 vs GT in 2026 with an upper-cut six off 149 kph. Even in the age of the Impact Player, GT's openers, Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan, prefer a low-risk approach to collect their runs. Their scoring rate in the powerplay this season has been 9.66, which puts them in the bottom half. They are happy with just-above-par totals and back their bowling unit to defend those. RR, meanwhile, are led by the 15-year-old phenom Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who tries to send every ball over the boundary. Gill and Sai Sudharsan combined have hit 59 sixes this season; Sooryavanshi alone has smashed 65. Even with Yashasvi Jaiswal not at his best, RR's run rate of 11.66 in the first six overs has been the best in the tournament. GT form: "Steady" – Rose to 2nd after dominating RR on May 9, 2026. Gill & Rashid led as GT won by 77 runs, 229/4 vs 152/10. RR form: "Teen steam" – Beat GT by 6 runs on April 4, 2026. Chased with Dhruv Jurel 75 (42), Yashasvi Jaiswal 55 (36). Sooryavanshi set tone with 18-ball 31. Playoff picture: GT’s batting "might outmuscles RR" in May. But RR "roar back after three defeats" beating LSG chasing 221, with Sooryavanshi power-hitting. Therefore, if the coin lands in RR's favour on Friday, they might consider batting first and batting GT out of the game. Moreover, the match will be played on the same pitch where the Eliminator was held. So chasing might not be easy on a worn-out surface with little dew expected. Stakes: RR piled up 243/8 vs SRH in Eliminator thanks to Sooryavanshi’s 97. H2H vs GT: GT lead 5-1 historically. RR’s only win vs Titans came in Ahmedabad in 2023. RR’s issue: Failed to win any of 5 chases this season, despite best powerplay scoring rate 10.38. New Chandigarh has been a high-scoring venue, with targets of 220 and 223 being chased easily earlier in the season. But a worn-out pitch could change the scene. There is a chance of rain, even a hailstorm, around 1pm but it shouldn't affect the game. Bottom line: RR are leaning on 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s explosive batting – "teen steam" – to carry them past consistent GT and into the IPL 2026 final. GT remain the "steady" side with top-order dominance and Rashid’s 4-wicket hauls.