Gujarat Titans (GT) dominated Rajasthan Royals (RR), crushing them by 77 runs in their IPL 2026 encounter in Jaipur on Saturday. Shubman Gill’s brilliant 84 from 44 balls powered GT to 229/4 in their full quota of overs, while bowlers like Jofra Archer struggled badly. Chasing the target, RR, captained by temporary leader Yashasvi Jaiswal, crumbled to 152 all out in just 16.3 overs. Rashid Khan spearheaded the bowling attack with four scalps, while Jason Holder claimed three wickets, Kagiso Rabada secured two, and Mohammed Siraj grabbed one. Young prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, aged 15, achieved the milestone of becoming the quickest to smash 100 sixes in T20 cricket, though his exit after a brisk 16-ball 36 triggered a complete batting meltdown. This victory marks Gujarat Titans’ fourth consecutive triumph, propelling them to second place in the IPL 2026 standings. Strong performance by Gujarat Titans against RR boosts team to 2nd spot.
TOSS
Rajasthan Royals won the coin flip and chose to bowl first.
PLAYING XI
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI):
Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler(w), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI):
Yashasvi Jaiswal(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja
GUJARAT TITANS
The bowling display was poor, and two masters of calculated batting like Gill and Sudharsan weren’t about to let the opportunity slip. Tushar Deshpande delivered far too many balls down the leg side to the left-handed batsman, who took early control before Gill showcased a masterclass in elegant power-hitting, effortlessly sending Archer’s deliveries sailing over the boundary. An explosive 82-run powerplay became GT’s most fruitful start this season. Both players reached their half-centuries in identical fashion – requiring 30 balls each.
Coach Kumar Sangakkara engaged in an intense discussion with his team during the strategic break following the powerplay. The conversation appeared effective as spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Yash Raj Punja applied pressure, claiming 2/71 from their combined eight overs. The gradual deceleration affected Sudharsan, who mistimed a full delivery from Punja straight to long on, while Buttler mishit a 107.2 kph Jadeja ball to long off. Building on the spinners’ achievements, Jaiswal experimented with part-time spin from Donovan Ferreira, but when the fast bowlers returned, boundaries flowed freely again. Gill discovered a reliable partner in Washington Sundar, who maintained the aggressive approach with consistent boundary strikes.
Archer experienced such a disappointing performance that he didn’t complete his full allocation. Though Gill fell short of his century and Brijesh delivered an economical four-run 19th over, Sundar and Rahul Tewatia launched three maximums off Deshpande’s final over to regain control as the Titans reached 229.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
An exciting yet brief fireworks display unfolded. Predictably, he launched a six off his opening delivery from Siraj, though he subsequently jammed an inswinging yorker against his right ankle, requiring medical attention. His movement appeared restricted and some fortunate shots followed, but this didn’t hinder him as he dispatched two sixes off Rabada. His talent shone through with a delicate late cut past backward point and a powerful drive straight past Siraj, before a well-directed short ball caught him off guard as Siraj celebrated emphatically.
Dhruv Jurel targeted the fast bowlers during the powerplay, highlighted by plundering 22 runs from one Siraj over. However, Rashid’s introduction exposed Jurel’s ongoing struggles against spin bowling. A googly cleaned him up before Donovan Ferreira fell victim to the leg-break shortly after. Rashid maintained perfect line and length throughout, eventually claiming two additional victims including Ravindra Jadeja, who initially showed aggressive intent with a six and four from his opening deliveries but ultimately faced an impossible task. Jason Holder provided the finishing touches – appropriately with a series of short-pitched balls – maintaining his excellent bowling form as RR collapsed inside 17 overs.
Brief Scores:
Gujarat Titans 229/4 in 20 overs [Shubman Gill 84 (44), Sai Sudharsan 55 (36), Washington Sundar 37* (20); Brijesh Sharma 2-47] beat Rajasthan Royals 152 in 16.3 overs [Ravindra Jadeja 38 (25), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 36 (16); Rashid Khan 4-22, Jason Holder 3-12, Kagiso Rabada 2-33] by 77 runs.
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