Brief Scores: Rajasthan Royals (210/6 in 20 overs) beat Gujarat Titans (204/8 in 20 overs) by six runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday. highlight | Achievement:
Ryan Parag and Rajasthan Royals were rewarded for staying calm under pressure and focusing on their strategy during their trip to Ahmedabad on Saturday. The former champions successfully defended the target of 210 runs, with Tushar Deshpande making full use of his yorkers in the final over of the thrilling match at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Ravi Bishnoi had already pulled things back with four wickets when Sai Sudarshan, who played a brilliant inning of 73, threatened to take the game away. However, in the end, it was Deshpande’s composure at the death that took the Royals to the winning edge.
With a last-over win against Gujarat Titans without Shubman Gill, Rajasthan Royals moved to the top of the table with four points from their first two matches after defeating Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets in Guwahati.
When Gujarat’s score dropped from 107 for 1 to 161 for 7 due to Bishnoi’s brilliant middle overs, Rajasthan should have taken charge. However, Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada put on a 41-run partnership to ensure Gujarat remained in the contest, putting the game in danger of going away from the Royals.
Ultimately the decision came under pressure and young Riyan Parag, in his first season as full-time captain and amid all the controversy surrounding his appointment, proved his worth. With two overs remaining, they had four strong options: Jofra Archer, Nandre Berger, yorker specialist Sandeep Sharma, and Tushar Deshpande, who has built a reputation in the death overs during his time with Chennai Super Kings.
Parag initially opted for Tushar for the 19th over, but changed his mind at the last moment.
He threw the ball to Archer.
Gujarat brought the equation to 15 in the last two overs, riding on a spirited lower-order partnership between Kagiso Rabada and Rashid Khan.
Archer then bowled a brilliant over, conceding only four runs and setting it up perfectly for the end.
When Parag finally handed the ball to Tushar instead of Sandeep and Berger, the Mumbai pacer responded in style. He used his yorkers again and again, leaving no chance for Rashid and Rabada to free their arms.
In the end, only four runs were scored in the last over and Rajasthan won by six runs.
Sai’s steady knock in vain
Chasing a challenging target of 211 runs, the Titans looked favorites for most of the first 10 overs. In Gill’s absence, Sudarshan took charge of the attack with a sensational display of timing and placement. He treated the Ahmedabad crowd to a clinic and took the bowling forward with effortless drives into the off-side. Sudarshan’s 73 off 44 balls helped Titans reach 107/1 and looked to be in complete control of the required run rate.
However, the innings lost direction as soon as Ravi Bishnoi dismissed Sudarshan in the 11th over. After this, the out-of-form middle order was clearly exposed which was lacking in confidence. Glenn Phillips, one of the senior batsmen of the team, failed in the 13th over, a ball from Bishnoi went straight into the hands of the long-on fielder and was out after scoring just 3 runs.
Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia were expected to provide consistency and late-innings fireworks respectively but failed to stop the collapse. Sundar could only score 4 runs, while Tewatia’s 12-run cameo was too brief to bridge the growing gap.
The main architect of the plight of the Titans was Ravi Bishnoi. In a match-turning spell of high-quality leg-spin, Bishnoi systematically dismantled the Gujarat engine room. He finished with impressive figures of 4/41, and claimed important wickets while partnerships were on the verge of being built.
“When I miss my length, I get hit. I was trying to work on my length and if someone hits it, there is no problem,” Bishnoi said after displaying excellent control, relying on a simple but highly effective skill set.
The Titans’ momentum ended between the 12th and 17th overs. The lack of a steady hand in the middle, a role usually fulfilled by Gill, meant the scoreboard pressure came as the Royals became the 12th man.
A tale of two halves
Earlier in the evening, Rajasthan Royals performed well and posted a challenging score of 210. The young and exciting opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi added 70 runs for the first wicket, after which the middle order struggled to maintain the pace. At No. 3, Dhruv Jurel did more than just steady the innings, hitting an attractive 75 off 45 balls as Rajasthan’s effort became a tale of two halves.
Vaibhav was once again at his attacking best, showing his intent from the start. He hit two fours on India’s senior fast bowler and T20 World Cup winner Mohammad Siraj in the opening over. He continued from where he left off in Guwahati earlier in the week, where he scored 52 off 17 balls against Chennai Super Kings.
Unlike that outing, where he played a supporting role in the low-scoring chase, in Ahmedabad Jaiswal was aggressive from the start. He ensured Rajasthan attacked from both ends during the powerplay and hit two fours and a six on Siraj in the third over.
There was very little room for error for the bowlers against both the left-handed opening batsmen. Kagiso Rabada knew this immediately when in the fourth over, Vaibhav cleverly opened the face of the bat and guided the short ball through point for four runs. The 15-year-old showed that his game is not just based on power but also touch and timing, qualities that have made him one of the most talked-about young cricketers since his debut last year.
Gujarat’s express paceman Ashok Sharma was also taken to task, hitting a four and a six, while Vaibhav continued to play with fearless intent against the high pace. By the end of the powerplay, Rajasthan had scored 69 runs without loss, setting a strong platform for the rest of the batting order.
Vaibhav looked headed for another big score, but stand-in captain Rashid Khan changed the direction of the innings. The Afghan leg spinner bowled a blast at short and left the left-handed batsman tight for room. Vaibhav could only hit it straight to Glenn Phillips at deep midwicket.
There was a sense of relief among Gujarat Titans supporters as the Suryavanshi attack, which had threatened to take away the game early, was stopped before it could fully unfold.
However, the story in the final end shifted from the batsmen to the raw, intimidating pace of Gujarat’s Ashok Sharma. The 23-year-old fast bowler showed tremendous aggression by crossing the speed of 150 kmph thrice in a single over.
On the last ball of the 16th over, Ashok bowled a fast yorker to Jurel, whose ball was surprising. 154.2 kilometers per hour – officially the fastest delivery of the 2026 season.
Despite Ashoka’s record-breaking heat, Dhruv Jurel remained unfazed. Jurel played two halves of an innings, initially applying pressure in the middle of the innings before launching a calculated attack in the death overs. He completed his half-century in 29 balls and eventually scored a brilliant inning of 75 runs in 42 balls with the help of five fours and five sixes. Sharma’s extreme pace and his ability to find the gaps against Kagiso Rabada ensured Royals pushed past the 200-mark.
Although Ashok eventually removed the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer with 1/37, and Rabada (2/42) picked up late wickets, Jurel’s masterclass ensured Rajasthan set a target that proved beyond Gujarat’s reach in a thrilling six-run win.
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published by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
April 4, 2026 23:46 IST
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