&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "IPL 2026: Shubman Gill’s brilliant 84 and Rashid Khan’s four-for power GT to dominant win over RR")
Leg-spinner Rashid Khan returned to his form with a brilliant four-wicket haul after skipper Shubman Gill scored a classy 84, guiding Gujarat Titans to a dominant 77-run victory over Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Saturday (May 9) and taking them closer to an IPL playoff berth. Gill, alongside Sai Sudharsan (55), laid the foundation with a superb 118-run opening partnership as Gujarat posted a season-high 229/4 after Rajasthan chose to field on a batting-friendly pitch.
Chasing the daunting target, Rajasthan got off to a blistering start thanks to teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who hammered 36 from only 16 deliveries, including three boundaries and as many sixes.
Dhruv Jurel also counterattacked with a quickfire 24 off 10 balls. At 62/2 after five overs, the Royals appeared well placed before Gujarat’s bowlers staged a dramatic turnaround, dismissing the hosts for 152 in 16.3 overs.
The win marked Gujarat’s fourth successive triumph, lifting them to 14 points alongside Sunrisers Hyderabad at the top of the standings and strengthening their playoff hopes.
Fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada (2/33) and Mohammed Siraj provided crucial breakthroughs during the powerplay before Rashid took over in the middle overs with a brilliant spell of 4/33.
Trending Stories
Rashid removed Jurel and Donovan Ferreira within three deliveries. Jurel’s off stump was uprooted by a teasing delivery, while Ferreira was beaten by a sharp leg-break that drifted in before turning away.
He later trapped Ravindra Jadeja lbw to complete a memorable spell featuring three bowled dismissals. Rajasthan continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, resulting in Gujarat’s biggest victory margin.
Jason Holder cleaned up the tail effectively, claiming 3/12 in 2.3 overs.
Earlier, Sooryavanshi announced his intent immediately by launching the opening delivery for six and then taking on Rabada with consecutive maximums as Rajasthan surged to 26 without loss in two overs.
Siraj too was attacked, conceding three boundaries in four deliveries, while Rabada delivered another key blow soon after, dismissing stand-in captain Yashasvi Jaiswal with a 152 kph bouncer that was miscued to extra cover. Jaiswal had stepped in as captain after regular skipper Riyan Parag suffered a hamstring injury in the previous game.
Jurel briefly reignited hopes by smashing Siraj for three sixes and a four in a 22-run over, but Gujarat regained control once Rashid entered the attack.
Earlier in the evening, Gill’s fluent 44-ball 84, featuring nine fours and three sixes, helped GT to post a good total. Despite some discomfort in his left foot, the Gujarat captain registered his fourth half-century of the season.
Brijesh Sharma (2/47) removed Gill and Holder late in the innings, but Washington Sundar played an important finishing role with an unbeaten 37 from 20 balls, while Rahul Tewatia struck two sixes in the final over during his quick 14 off four deliveries, helping Gujarat reach their highest total of the season.
Rajasthan’s troubles were worsened by an expensive outing for Jofra Archer, who conceded 18 runs in the first over, including five extras and finished with figures of 0/46 from three overs.
Sudharsan consistently found gaps on the off side while Gill steadily accelerated after settling in. Gujarat raced to 108 without loss in nine overs before Rajasthan’s spinners slowed the scoring rate in the middle phase.
Yash Raj Punia finally provided the breakthrough in the 11th over, dismissing Sudharsan and ending the impressive opening stand.
With inputs from agencies
