Ahmedabad, May 31: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Orange Cap race appears to be over as Gujarat Titans openers Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan were dismissed cheaply in the high-intensity final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. With both GT batters failing to score big in the title clash, Vaibhav has effectively secured the Orange Cap for the IPL 2026 season.
The early dismissals came as a major setback for Gujarat Titans, who were looking to build a strong foundation while chasing their IPL dream against a confident RCB side.
RCB bowlers struck early after captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and chose to bowl first. Sai Sudharsan has been GT's most consistent performer in IPL 2026, however, he managed to score only 12 runs before being dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Soon after, captain Shubman Gill also departed for 10 runs which gave RCB complete control over the contest in the Powerplay itself.
The two early wickets not only hurt Gujarat Titans' chances in the IPL 2026 Final but also ended any remaining hopes of overtaking Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the race for the Orange Cap. Both Gill and Sudharsan needed around 50 and 60 runs to claim the tournament's highest run-scorer award.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi ended the ended the season with 776 runs at a strike-rate of 237.30 for Rajasthan Royals in 16 matches. Sai Sudharsan was the second highest run-scorer with 722 runs while entering the finals at a strike rat of 163.71. Captain Shubman Gill followed close at number 3 with 710 runs in 16 matches at a strike-rate of 159.55.
Gill and Sudharsan's stats show that how crucial they are for the Gujarat Titans batting line up. With the departure of both the openers, RCB has managed to push them on backfoot and tightened their grip on the match. RCB will look to make the most of their strong start, while GT's middle order faces the task of rebuilding the innings and keeping their title hopes alive.
