Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill was full of energy when he arrived at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur for Saturday’s IPL 2026 clash against Rajasthan Royals.Dressed in training shorts and a T-shirt, Gill entered the stadium premises and shared a heartwarming moment with his father, Lakhwinder Singh, who was standing near the entrance gate. The Gujarat Titans skipper first saluted his father before giving him a high-five, and the wholesome video quickly won hearts on social media.
Gill later backed up the cheerful pre-match mood with a sensational knock after Gujarat Titans were put in to bat. The stylish opener smashed a brilliant 84 off just 44 balls to power GT to a massive 229/4 in 20 overs. His explosive innings was studded with nine fours and four sixes.Gill also stitched together a commanding 118-run opening partnership with Sai Sudharsan, giving Gujarat Titans the perfect platform. Sudharsan contributed 55 off 36 deliveries, smashing six boundaries and two sixes during his fluent knock.Apart from Gill and Sudharsan, Washington Sundar played a crucial cameo, remaining unbeaten on 37 off just 20 balls to further boost GT’s total.Earlier, Rajasthan Royals stand-in skipper Yashasvi Jaiswal won the toss and opted to bowl first against Gujarat Titans. Jaiswal led the side in the absence of regular captain Riyan Parag, who missed the game after suffering a hamstring injury in the previous match.GT made one change to their playing XI, bringing in Prasidh Krishna in place of Manav Suthar, while Rajasthan Royals included Shimron Hetmyer and Yash Raj Punja.Teams:Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja.Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj.
