After a comfortable win in their first game, Rajasthan Royals (RR) were pushed all the way by Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad before holding their nerve to seal a six-run win in yesterday’s IPL match. It was the first double-header on Saturday, with Delhi Capitals (DC) beating Mumbai Indians (MI) in the afternoon affair.
Defending 210 on a flat surface, RR were made to work till the final over, but Tushar Deshpande’s execution at the death ensured they went two from two in IPL 2026.
Jaiswal-Jurel leads the charge
RR’s total had substance from the start. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi came out with intent and took them to 69/0 in the powerplay. Clean hitting once again and it was fun to watch. GT didn’t help themselves with a few missed chances. While Suryavanshi got out, Jaiswal completed his fifty and played superbly.
Once the openers fell, the innings could have stalled. Instead, Dhruv Jurel stepped in and held it together. He accelerated at the right time. From 11 off 12, he shifted gears, took on Rashid Khan and the pacers and finished with 75 off 42. Five fours, five sixes, and complete control of the back end.
RR did lose a bit of momentum in patches, especially through the middle overs, but late cameo from Shimron Hetmyer (18 off 8) and others pushed them to 210. On that pitch, it felt competitive. Not safe. Meanwhile, amidst all the chaos, GT introduced us with another extreme pace-bowling asset in Ashok Sharma, who clocked in at almost 155 KMPH.
Bishnoi turns it, Deshpande finishes it
GT’s chase had phases. And they had control for a long time. Shubman Gill wasn’t there as he wasn’t available due to an injury. Instead, Kumar Kushagra played, who played a couple of good shots but was undone under the IPL debut pressure. However, Sai Sudharsan was the glue and stepped up again. His 73 off 44 kept the innings on track while others played around him. At 127/2 in 12 overs, GT were cruising. The game was theirs.
Then Ravi Bishnoi happened. He removed Sudharsan with a googly, came back to pick Glenn Phillips and Washington Sundar, and suddenly GT went from control to collapse. From 127/2 to 133/5, that was the game swinging.
But GT didn’t go away. Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada dragged them back with a 43-run stand. From nowhere, it came down to 11 needed off the last over. That’s where Deshpande stepped up. Yorker after yorker. Rashid had one chance off a slot ball but sliced it straight to Jofra Archer. That was the moment. GT needed one hit. They never got it.
First, that middle-overs collapse. Losing 3 wickets for 6 runs completely stalled what was a smooth chase. Second, the finishing. From 15 off 12 with wickets in hand, they should have closed it out. But RR’s execution at the death was spot on. Archer cramped batters for room, Deshpande nailed his lengths, and GT ran out of answers.
IPL 2026 points table after GT vs RR match
| Rank | Team | P | W | L | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RR | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | +2.233 |
| 2 | DC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | +1.170 |
| 3 | PBKS | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | +0.637 |
| 4 | RCB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | +2.907 |
| 5 | SRH | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | +0.469 |
| 6 | MI | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -0.206 |
| 7 | GT | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -0.424 |
| 8 | LSG | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1.397 |
| 9 | KKR | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -1.964 |
| 10 | CSK | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -2.562 |
Next IPL 2026 matches
| Date | Match | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 5 | SRH vs LSG | Hyderabad | 3:30 PM |
| Apr 5 | RCB vs CSK | Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
