Rajasthan Royals suffered a major setback in their IPL 2026 campaign after crashing to a heavy 77-run defeat against Gujarat Titans at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday, May 9.
Leading the side in the absence of injured skipper Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal endured a forgettable first outing as captain as Rajasthan were bundled out for 152 in 16.3 overs while chasing a daunting 230-run target.
After winning their opening four matches of the season, the Royals have now slipped badly, losing five of their last seven games. The latest defeat pushed them out of the top four and left their playoff chances under serious threat.
In contrast, Gujarat continued their impressive rise with a fourth straight win, strengthening their hold on a playoff spot and moving into the top two. A dominant batting display from Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill laid the foundation before Rashid Khan and Jason Holder dismantled Rajasthan’s batting line-up.
Gujarat made an explosive start after being put in to bat, with Gill and Sudharsan attacking right from the outset. Rajasthan’s pace spearhead Jofra Archer struggled badly, conceding 17 runs in the opening over while also bowling wides and no-balls. Riding that momentum, Gujarat stormed to 82 runs in the powerplay.
Sudharsan continued his rich vein of form by bringing up a rapid half-century off just 30 balls. Gill too looked in sublime touch and overcame a brief injury scare involving his left foot to reach his fifty in the same number of deliveries. The duo stitched together a commanding 118-run opening stand in just 65 balls before Sudharsan fell for a fluent 55 off 36 deliveries.
Gill carried on the charge and looked set for a century before falling for a superb 84 off 44 balls. Rajasthan briefly clawed their way back during the middle overs, but Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia provided the late fireworks. The pair hammered 21 runs in the final over off Tushar Deshpande, lifting Gujarat to an imposing 229/4.
Chasing a massive target, Rajasthan responded aggressively through teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who played fearless strokes from the start. The youngster struck towering sixes against Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada to give the home side early momentum.
However, Siraj eventually dismissed Sooryavanshi for 36, while Jaiswal failed to make an impact and departed cheaply. Rabada then removed Shimron Hetmyer to deepen Rajasthan’s troubles despite an attacking cameo from Dhruv Jurel.
The turning point arrived soon after the powerplay when Rashid Khan ripped through the middle order. The Afghan spinner dismissed Jurel and Donovan Ferreira in quick succession, completely shifting the momentum in Gujarat’s favour.
Ravindra Jadeja tried to keep Rajasthan alive with a brisk 38 off 25 balls, but once Rashid removed him, the innings collapsed rapidly. Rashid finished with outstanding figures of 4/33, while Holder cleaned up the tail with 3/12 as Gujarat sealed a commanding all-round victory.
Comments are closed.