Rajasthan Royals Edge Out Gujarat Titans in Thrilling IPL Clash

Rajasthan Royals Secure Narrow Victory

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], April 4: In a nail-biting encounter, Rajasthan Royals (RR) triumphed over Gujarat Titans (GT) by a mere six runs during the 9th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Saturday.

Despite a strong performance from GT's Sai Sudharsan and a late push from Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada, it was RR's spinner Ravi Bishnoi who made the decisive impact with his impressive four-wicket haul.

The match reached a tense climax as GT needed 11 runs in the final over. However, RR's Tushar Deshpande maintained his composure, conceding just four runs and claiming the crucial wicket of Rashid Khan, who scored 24 runs off 16 balls, while partnering with Rabada, who remained unbeaten on 23 off 16 balls.

In pursuit of 211 runs, GT opened with Kumar Kushagra and Sai Sudharsan, the latter showcasing his skills by scoring 73 runs off 44 balls, hitting 9 fours and 3 sixes. The opening duo put together a solid 78-run partnership before Kushagra was dismissed for 18.

Sudharsan's wicket fell shortly after, as Ravi Bishnoi claimed his first victim of the day.

Jos Buttler contributed 26 runs off 14 balls but was soon dismissed by Nandre Burger (1/29 in 3 overs). Other batsmen, including Glenn Phillips (3), Washington Sundar (4), Rahul Tewatia (12), and Shaheukh Khan (11), struggled, leaving GT at 161/7 in 14.5 overs.

Ravi Bishnoi was the standout performer for RR, taking three more wickets after Sudharsan's dismissal. Coming in as an Impact Player, he dismantled the GT middle order, finishing with remarkable figures of 4 for 41 in 4 overs, claiming the wickets of Phillips, Sundar, and Tewatia.

Although Rashid and Rabada fought back with a 43-run partnership, Deshpande's final over was pivotal, allowing RR to secure a thrilling six-run victory.

This win places RR at the top of the IPL 2026 points table with four points from two matches and a Net Run Rate (NRR) of +2.233. Conversely, GT faced their second consecutive defeat, marking the first time they lost their opening two matches of the season.

Earlier in the match, RR set a solid foundation, with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scoring 32 runs without loss in three overs.

The Royals continued to dominate, finishing the power play at 69/0. However, stand-in captain Rashid Khan struck, dismissing the dangerous Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who scored 31 runs off 18 balls, including five fours and one six.

By the end of the 10 overs, RR was in a commanding position at 97/1. Jaiswal reached his half-century in just 32 balls during the 12th over, but his innings ended shortly after, as Kagiso Rabada dismissed him for 55 runs off 36 balls, featuring three sixes and six fours.

In the 14th over, Prasidh Krishna took out Kumar Kushagra for just eight runs. After 15 overs, RR stood at 160/3.

Ashok Sharma then claimed the wicket of Shimron Hetmyer, who scored 18 runs off 8 balls, including two sixes and one four.

In the 17th over, Kagiso Rabada took the wicket of Donovan Ferreira (1), while Dhruv Jurel reached his half-century in 29 balls, helping RR to 177/5.

Jurel was eventually dismissed in the final over by Mohammed Siraj, having scored 75 runs off 42 balls, which included five fours and five sixes, leading RR to a formidable total of 210/6.

For GT, Kagiso Rabada took 2 wickets for 42 runs, while Mohammed Siraj, Ashok Sharma, Prasidh Krishna, and Rashid Khan each claimed one wicket.