IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals pip Gujarat Titans in high-scoring thriller
What's the story
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) held on to their team total 210/6 in their IPL 2026 match against the Gujarat Titans (GT). GT almost pulled off the chase but fell short by six runs. They managed 204/8 in their 20 overs. RR's innings was powered by stellar half-centuries from wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. In response, Sai Sudharsan's 73 wasn't enough for GT. The match was held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Opening partnership
RR openers add 69 runs in the powerplay
The RR openers, Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, capitalized on a batting-friendly pitch to give their team a flying start. They added 69 runs without loss in the powerplay, with Jaiswal's aggressive strokeplay complementing Sooryavanshi's inventive hitting. However, the 70-run partnership ended when Rashid Khan induced a miscued pull from Sooryavanshi in the seventh over. He was dismissed for a quickfire 31 off 18 balls.
Middle order resilience
Jaiswal anchors the innings before getting dismissed
Despite losing Sooryavanshi, Jaiswal continued to anchor the innings. He brought up his half-century off 32 balls with a stylish boundary through extra cover. However, his stay was cut short by Kagiso Rabada's sharp delivery that crashed into the stumps, dismissing him for 55 off 36 balls. RR lost Riyan Parag and Donovan Ferreira quickly but Jurel ensured the scoring rate never dipped.
Final push
Jurel powers RR with his blistering knock
Jurel, who was the star of the match, first rotated the strike before launching a calculated assault in the final phase. He brought up his 50 in the 17th over and continued to dominate the death overs with big hits. Late cameos from Shimron Hetmyer and Ravindra Jadeja also helped RR cross the 200-run mark. Jurel was eventually dismissed by Siraj after scoring an impressive 75 off 42 balls, including five fours and as many sixes.
Bowling
Summary of the GT bowlers
Mohammed Siraj bowled four overs and picked 1/48. Rabada claimed 2/42 from his 4 overs. In 86 IPL games, he owns 122 wickets at 23.01. Ashok Sharma managed 1/37 from 4 overs. Prasidh Krishna bowled 4 overs and clocked 1/43. Rashid Khan, who led the side in Gill's absence, had to settle for 1/39 from his 4 overs.
Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal hammers his 16th half-century in IPL
Jaiswal's knock of 55 was laced with six fours and three sixes. He faced 36 balls. With this effort, he now owns 2,259 IPL runs from 69 matches at 35.29. Jaiswal clocked his 16th IPL fifty (100s: 2). He is closing in on 100 sixes (96). As per ESPNcricinfo, Jaiswal owns 195 runs from 8 matches against GT at 27.85 (50s: 2).
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24th T20 fifty for Jaiswal
Overall in T20s, Jaiswal has smashed 3,775 runs from 123 matches (119 innings) at 34. The southpaw clocked his 24th fifty (100s: 4). He also went past 450 T20 fours (453) in addition to smoking 160 sixes.
Jurel
Dhruv Jurel floors Gujarat Titans with 75
Jurel slammed 5 fours and 5 sixes. His strike rate was 178.57. With this effort, he now owns 773 runs from 44 IPL matches (37 innings). He registered his 5th IPL fifty and averages 29.73. In 58 T20 matches (48 innings), Jurel has 877 runs at 25.79 (50s: 5). He is now two shy of 50 T20 sixes (48), as per ESPNcricinfo.
Chase
How did GT's chase pan out?
Sudharsan dominated the show upfront as he and Kumar Kushagra added 78 runs. With the southpaw then perishing in the 11th over (107/2), GT went on to lose their way. They lost wickets in a flurry and were reduced to 133/5 and then 161/7. A 43-run stand between Rashid and Rabada ignited GT's hopes. However, some solid bowling in the final two overs helped RR prevail and defend their score.
Sudharsan
Sai Sudharsan surpasses 2,500 T20 runs with 73 versus RR
Sudharsan smashed nine fours and three sixes. He struck at 165.91. With this effort, he surpassed 2,500 runs in T20s. From 68 T20s, he owns 2,549 runs at 43.20. This was his 16th T20 fifty (100s: 3). His strike rate is 139.59, as per ESPNcricinfo. As many as 1,879 of his T20 runs have come in the IPL from 42 matches at 49.44. He smashed his 13th IPL fifty (100s: 2).
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Bishnoi gets past 200 T20 wickets with a four-fer
Bishnoi floored GT with a four-fer. He claimed 4/41 from his 4-over quota. In 79 IPL games, he has raced to 77 wickets at 29.79. He picked his maiden four-fer in IPL. Overall in T20s, he surpassed 200 scalps (202) at 23.44. He picked his 4th four-fer.
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Here's a look at the points table
With this win, RR have got back to the top. They own 4 points from 2 games with their NRR being +2.233. On the other hand, GT suffered their 2nd straight defeat. They are placed 7th.