A breathtaking, history-making masterclass from skipper Shubman Gill completely eclipsed a heroic, record-shattering effort from teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, steering the Gujarat Titans (GT) into the IPL 2026 Final. In a high-octane Qualifier 2 clash at the PCA Stadium in Mullanpur on Friday, May 29, 2026, the Titans successfully hunted down a mammoth target of 215, eliminating the Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven wickets with eight balls to spare. Earlier in the evening, the 15-year-old uncapped sensation Sooryavanshi lit up the stadium, blasting a fearless 96 runs off just 47 balls to become the first uncapped player to breach the 700-run mark in a single IPL edition. However, the night ultimately belonged to Gill, who showcased elite composure and regal strokeplay to score a magnificent 104 off 53 balls. Stitching a destructive 167-run opening partnership with Sai Sudharsan (58), Gill brought up his fifth IPL century off just 47 deliveries—registering the fastest hundred in IPL playoff history and setting up a blockbuster championship showdown against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

In an unprecedented escalation of academic security measures, the Central Government is planning to deploy the Indian Air Force (IAF) to transport confidential question papers for the upcoming NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled on June 21. The high-stakes logistics strategy was hammered out during an emergency joint meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. Moving completely away from traditional state courier and Department of Posts networks, the multi-agency overhaul aims to eliminate all structural vulnerabilities following the cancellation of the original May 3 national medical entrance exam, which was compromised by a widespread pre-exam leak scandal. The PMO is directly auditing the deployment of military aircraft, which officials state is also designed to bypass unpredictable pre-monsoon weather bottlenecks across remote sectors. Meanwhile, opposition benches have sharply criticized the decision, questioning if calling in the military exposes a foundational collapse of trust in the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) independent institutional machinery.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday, May 29, 2026, sounded a critical ‘yellow’ weather alert across six vulnerable southern and central districts of Kerala following an aggressive, early advancement of the southwest monsoon. Fueled by an active upper air cyclonic circulation churning over the Southeast Arabian Sea, heavy downpours ranging between 64.5 mm and 115.5 mm are projected to slam Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam over the next 24 hours. Localized disaster management teams have been placed on high alert for urban waterlogging, severe traffic bottlenecks, and potential high-range mudslides. Simultaneously, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) issued a high-risk coastal advisory warning of severe sea incursions linked to the dangerous ‘Kallakkadal’ (swell surge) phenomenon. Driven by deep ocean storms traveling thousands of kilometers from the southern Indian Ocean, high waves peaking at 1.6 meters are expected to hit shallow shores tonight, prompting administrators to enforce a strict maritime ban on all local fishing activities.

The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, delivered a landmark judgment unanimously upholding the constitutional validity of the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi ruled that under Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the poll body possesses clear, plenary powers to launch large-scale verification drives to purge duplicate, dead, or shifted entries. Rejecting public interest petitions that argued the exercise would trigger arbitrary mass disenfranchisement in states like Bihar and West Bengal, the apex court observed that free and fair elections fundamentally depend on the absolute credibility of voter logs rather than just the mechanics of polling day. Crucially, the bench clarified that while the ECI is legally empowered to conduct a limited, “rebuttable” inquiry into an elector’s citizenship to verify structural eligibility, its findings do not constitute a final legal declaration of citizenship, ordering the ECI to instantly forward all disputed deletions to competent tribunals under the Citizenship Act for a time-bound final adjudication

In a catastrophic legal verdict for India’s digital entertainment sector, the Supreme Court on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, upheld the constitutional validity of the government’s 28% Goods and Services Tax (GST) on online real-money gaming on a retrospective basis. A division bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan ruled that once monetary stakes are placed on future uncertain outcomes, the distinction between a “game of skill” and a “game of chance” loses relevance, effectively categorizing platforms like Dream11 and Gameskraft under “betting and gambling” for fiscal purposes. Treating the 2023 GST Council amendments as purely “clarificatory,” the apex court confirmed that the highest tax bracket applies to the full face value of user deposits rather than gross gaming revenue (GGR), completely setting aside the landmark relief previously granted by the Karnataka High Court. While tax authorities are set to aggressively revive 91 major show-cause notices targeting over ₹1.12 lakh crore in past dues, industry experts warn the victory may remain largely on paper, given that the sector has already ground to a near-total halt under the strict regulatory bans of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming (PROG) Act, 2025.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi stole the show in Mullanpur with a masterclass in aggressive batting, helping Rajasthan Royals secure a 47-run win over SRH in the Eliminator. Backed by Jofra Archer’s three-wicket haul, the Royals safely advanced to Qualifier 2 to face the Gujarat Titans.