Kamal Ghorui
Rashid Khan produced a vintage spell while Shubman Gill led the way with a brilliant 84 as Gujarat Titans thrashed Rajasthan Royals by 77 runs in a dominant IPL 2026 clash in Jaipur on Saturday. The comprehensive victory marked GT’s fourth consecutive win of the season and lifted them level on 14 points with table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad, significantly strengthening their playoff hopes.
After being asked to bat first on a flat Sawai Mansingh Stadium surface, Gujarat Titans piled up their highest total of the season, finishing on 229/4. Gill once again anchored the innings with a sublime 44-ball 84, an innings packed with nine boundaries and three sixes. Despite briefly struggling with discomfort in his left foot during the innings, the GT skipper never allowed Rajasthan’s bowlers to settle. Gill found the perfect partner in Sai Sudharsan, who continued his outstanding form with a fluent 55. The pair stitched together a massive 118-run opening stand and completely dominated the Powerplay as GT raced past 100 inside nine overs. Rajasthan’s bowling struggled badly once again, with Jofra Archer enduring a difficult outing. Archer leaked 18 runs in the opening over, including five wides, and eventually finished with 46 runs conceded from just three overs. Sudharsan repeatedly punished width while Gill showcased elegant strokeplay all around the ground. Though Yash Raj Punia eventually broke the opening partnership by dismissing Sudharsan, Gujarat never lost momentum. Washington Sundar smashed an unbeaten 37 off 20 balls late in the innings, while Rahul Tewatia added two sixes in the final over to propel GT to 229/4. Chasing 230, Rajasthan Royals came out aggressively thanks to teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The 15-year-old smashed the very first ball of the innings for six and continued his fearless assault with a blistering 36 off just 16 balls, including three fours and three sixes. At 62/2 after five overs, RR appeared firmly in the contest. Dhruv Jurel also counterattacked brilliantly, hammering 24 off just 10 deliveries with three sixes and a four. However, the match completely changed once Rashid Khan entered the attack. The Afghan leg-spinner bowled with exceptional control and variation between the eighth and 14th overs, exploiting whatever little turn was available on the surface. Rashid first knocked over Jurel with a teasing delivery before dismissing Donovan Ferreira just three balls later with a sharp leg-break. He later trapped Ravindra Jadeja lbw to complete a brilliant four-wicket haul as Rajasthan collapsed dramatically from a strong position. Rashid finished with match-winning figures of 4/33, including three bowled dismissals. Earlier in the chase, Mohammed Siraj had ended Sooryavanshi’s explosive innings with a sharp short ball, while Kagiso Rabada removed stand-in captain Yashasvi Jaiswal with a fiery 152kph bouncer. Jason Holder then wrapped up the innings with superb figures of 3/12 as Rajasthan Royals were bundled out for 152 in just 16.3 overs, handing Gujarat Titans one of their biggest wins of the season.
