With Gujarat Titans chasing 211, the game was still in balance when the 11th over arrived. B Sai Sudarsan was set at the crease and the Titans had plenty of firepower lined up, but Ravi Bishnoi stepped in and changed the complexion of the match in a hurry. Over the next six balls spanning two overs, he struck three times, including Sudarsan’s wicket, and pushed Rajasthan Royals (RR) firmly back on top.
Quick facts
- Ravi Bishnoi delivered a decisive spell: 4 for 41 and Player-of-the-Match.
- His turnaround came via three wickets in six balls across two overs in the middle phase.
- He dismissed Sai Sudharsan in the 11th over, then removed Glenn Phillips and Washington Sundar in the 13th.
- Bishnoi also took Rahul Tewatia’s wicket in the 15th over.
- All of his victims were left-hand batters except Glenn Phillips.
- RR ultimately won by six runs, with Tushar Deshpande defending in the final over.
After the match, Bishnoi explained that his improvement was built on addressing every part of his game rather than chasing quick fixes. He pointed to the “physical, technical and mental aspects” he focused on following a tough IPL 2025 campaign, saying he tried to stay disciplined with his routine even when the previous season didn’t go his way.
“Last season was difficult. But I tried to stick to my processes,” Bishnoi said during the broadcast after receiving his award. “I had one weakness: if my length was wrong then I was getting hit for fours and sixes. That’s what I was trying [to rectify]. I played a full season of domestic cricket and worked on perfecting my lengths.”
He added that precision in execution made the difference against batters. “Hitting my lengths made it difficult for batters—when I was too full, I got hit for that today too,” he said, underscoring that even in a good day, he still tracked what needed correction.
Work on all three fronts
Bishnoi also detailed how he approached his preparation beyond just match days. “Mental, technical and physical… [I worked on] all three [aspects]. I’ve been putting the physical work too, in off-season, between games and in domestic,” he said, outlining a structured rebuild.
His career path has shown both highs and setbacks. He had been a standout for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), finishing IPL 2023 as their leading wicket-taker with 16 wickets. However, IPL 2025 turned out to be his roughest season, when he managed nine wickets across 11 matches, averaging 44.55 while his economy read 10.83.
That dip in returns led to LSG releasing him ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. He was then picked up by Rajasthan Royals for INR 7.20 crore, setting up an immediate opportunity to make an impact—and he did just that with a match-winning spell in this contest.
On the day, Bishnoi’s wickets came at crucial moments. In the 11th over he removed Sai Sudharsan, then in the 13th he got Glenn Phillips and Washington Sundar. He rounded off his spell in the 15th over by dismissing Rahul Tewatia, leaving RR with multiple breakthroughs in the middle stages.
When asked about the thinking behind the bowling, Bishnoi pointed to field dimensions and opponent matchups. “One side of the field had a longer boundary, and they had a lot of left-hand batters, so I was trying to bowl googlies to them from middle and leg,” he said at the press conference. “That would make it difficult for them to go over the leg side [the longer side]. A couple of their batters fell into that trap too.”
He expanded on the plan for left-handers, explaining that it was not just about turning the ball, but also about forcing the right contact in the wrong direction. “So the plan for the left-hand batters was to take the ball away and try to make them hit to the longer side,” Bishnoi said. “Both Sai and Washy were dismissed like that. That was my tactic, which I had discussed with the team and with Dhruv [Jurel, the wicketkeeper].”
The strategy worked, but Bishnoi said the wicket of Tewatia stood out most. At a key stage, he bowled a back-of-a-length googly that led to a top edge, with Jurel completing the catch, turning pressure into momentum for RR.
“My favourite wickets were all four, but Rahul bhai’s wicket towards the end was important since it came at that particular time,” Bishnoi said. “He is known to be a finisher. If he hadn’t gone out, the game could’ve gone any direction.”
RR did finish the job, and the final over belonged to Tushar Deshpande. He delivered a run-tight sequence of yorkers and near-yorkers, allowing just four runs and sealing a six-run win for Rajasthan Royals.
