Ravindra Jadeja’s Rajasthan Royals campaign in IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans took an unexpected turn when the veteran all-rounder walked off the field midway through the contest. At the time, Jadeja was at 34 runs from 19 deliveries, but after the eighth over he was taken off the park, with an elbow problem cited as the reason. During the innings breaks, he was spotted with a heavily taped arm, hinting at the extent of the discomfort. Jadeja later returned to the crease in the 13th over as RR were still in the chase of a solid total, having lost five wickets.
Rajasthan won the toss and chose to bat first in the Qualifier 2 match at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Friday. There was also a moment of re-adjustment around the toss itself: the match referee, Prakash Bhatt, asked for a re-spin because the initial call from Rajasthan captain Riyan Parag was not considered loud enough. The decision set the tone for a game where fine margins quickly became the theme.
The stakes are high for both sides, with the winner of this encounter set to face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Rajasthan arrived at Qualifier 2 after recording a 47-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator, while Gujarat Titans booked their place by falling short by 92 runs against RCB in Qualifier 1 in Dharamshala.
After taking first strike, Parag reflected on the conditions and what his team needed to do over the full 40 overs. He said the pitch was “pretty much the same” but believed it would slow down towards the back end, and that RR had bowlers capable of exploiting it. Parag added that the side simply needed to deliver better cricket for the entire duration, insisting that “the best team will win,” while also praising the support staff for their work around recoveries and injuries.
Gujarat skipper Shubman Gill, meanwhile, indicated that his side would have been happy to bat first as well. He pointed out that with already plenty of overs played on the surface, the wicket was unlikely to drastically change its character, and urged his team to focus on execution rather than overthinking the toss. Gill stressed that there was still everything to play for and described the situation as a “now or never” moment for GT.
Gill also confirmed a tactical change in the Gujarat XI, with left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore returning to the playing group in place of Kulwant Khejroliya. The move added another spin option to the lineup as GT set out to challenge Rajasthan’s batting, even with the late wobble involving Jadeja.
