Rajasthan Royals (RR) were dealt a crushing blow as they lost to Gujarat Titans (GT) by 77 runs in their IPL 2026 match on Saturday, marking a fourth defeat in six outings for the franchise. The loss also carried a sharp edge: RR suffered a season-defining collapse that matched their own unwanted franchise record. GT posted 229/4 from their 20 overs, and the Royals became the seventh side in IPL 2026 to concede 200 runs or more in a single match. That tally is also level with the highest number of 200-plus totals conceded by a team in one IPL season. RR have already let opponents reach the 200-mark seven times in IPL 2025 as well.
RR vs GT: how the game unfolded
- Gujarat Titans won the toss and batted first, reaching 229/4 in 20 overs.
- Shubman Gill led the way with 84, while Sai Sudharsan contributed 55 as GT built a dominant total.
- Rajasthan began their chase through Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who struck three fours and three sixes to start quickly.
- After Sooryavanshi’s dismissal, RR struggled to keep momentum against Rashid Khan’s control and variations.
- Rashid Khan finished with figures of 4/33, while Kagiso Rabada took 2 wickets and Jason Holder wrapped up the tail with 3 wickets.
- RR were bowled out for 152, giving GT a 77-run victory.
- In the chase, Sooryavanshi struck 36 from 16 balls, but the innings could not gather enough depth to chase down the target.
GT’s innings was powered by an impressive start. In the powerplay, they moved to 82 without loss, with Gill and Sudharsan combining for five sixes. Gill’s fourth half-century of the season arrived off 30 balls, and he and Sudharsan added a massive opening partnership of 118 runs, laying the groundwork for a competitive, even intimidating, total.
Sudharsan also produced his fourth fifty-plus score of the season, after previously reaching a century against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The breakthrough for RR came in the 11th over when Yash Raj Punja, a 19-year-old wrist spinner, trapped Sudharsan with a catch.
After that, Gill continued to press. He struck 32 more alongside Jos Buttler, who made 13, and later added a further 35 off 18 deliveries with Washington Sundar. Gill ultimately fell in the 17th over, but Gujarat did not lose the momentum.
Sundar provided the late acceleration, smashing a cameo of 37 not out from 20 balls. His knock included three sixes and helped GT push beyond the 200-run mark. Rahul Tewatia then finished the job with two sixes off four balls as Gujarat closed on 229/4.
RR’s chase began with promise. Sooryavanshi gave them 38 runs off just 17 balls, but the innings turned sharply in the third over when the 15-year-old was caught off Mohammed Siraj. Rabada then struck twice in successive overs—first removing Yashasvi Jaiswal for three, before sending back Shimron Hetmyer for six—to destabilise the Royals further.
Dhurv Jurel steadied the innings briefly, striking 24 off 10 balls with three sixes, including one in Siraj’s third over. However, Rashid Khan ended that resistance in the eighth over and then struck again two balls later, dismissing Donovan Ferreira for four.
Rashid’s spell left RR in trouble, and by 13.5 overs the team slumped to 136/7. He also broke a 24-run partnership between Ravindra Jadeja (38) and Shubham Dubey (15) by dismissing both batters in consecutive overs, accelerating the collapse.
After the match, Rashid Khan reflected on his approach. “I tried to hit the right lengths in this game. Modern day cricket requires many variations,” he said. He also highlighted the change in his rhythm from earlier seasons: “The last couple seasons were unusual for me. I had only two months to get back to the field after my injury. I have been more consistent this season.”
Rashid’s season numbers were equally striking. He has 15 wickets so far in IPL 2026, compared to nine wickets in 15 matches last season and 10 wickets the year before.
Jason Holder then completed the demolition with three quick wickets, conceding only 12 runs in his 15 deliveries. The result became Gujarat’s biggest win by runs in IPL history.
RR captain Yashasvi Jaiswal summed up the challenge of the day: “They batted really well. There are days when you cannot bowl how you want to.”
