Gujarat Titans built their commanding first-innings total against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026 on Saturday thanks to an aggressive approach from the outset, headlined by Sai Sudharsan’s fluent batting and his close read of captain Shubman Gill’s gameplan. Sudharsan set the tone with 55 off 36 balls as the pair added a dominant 118-run opening stand, before Gujarat posted 229/4 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
Quick facts
- Match: Rajasthan Royals vs Gujarat Titans (IPL 2026), played on Saturday.
- Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.
- Gujarat Titans’ first-innings total: 229/4.
- Sai Sudharsan: 55 off 36 balls.
- Opening partnership: 118 runs between Sudharsan and Shubman Gill.
- Shubman Gill: 84 off 44 balls.
- Late contributions: Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia provided cameos.
- Powerplay: Gujarat reached 82/0 in six overs, their joint-highest IPL powerplay score.
- Milestone: Gill and Sudharsan became the first all-Indian pairing to exceed 2500 IPL runs together.
Sudharsan pointed to the early overs as the foundation for Gujarat’s total, saying the team’s mindset in the powerplay helped them seize control. He also highlighted how strongly he connects with Gill’s captaincy and how that understanding supports their batting rhythm.
The left-handed opener also marked a major batting milestone with Gill. They became the first-ever all-Indian duo in IPL history to register more than 2500 runs together, with their tally now placing them as the third-highest partnership of its kind. The top two figures remain Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli with AB de Villiers on 3123 runs, and Kohli with Chris Gayle on 2787 runs.
Turning to the pitch, Sudharsan explained that the surface looked ideal for timing at the beginning, but it slowed down as the innings wore on. In his view, once the ball began to rough up, it started to grip and the pace of the wicket changed, making strokeplay progressively tougher.
He summed up the conditions with: “At the start, the wicket was really good, but once the ball got rough, I think it started to turn a bit and it was a bit slow actually.”
Sudharsan further revealed that Gujarat Titans had a specific plan for the new ball against Rajasthan’s pace attack. He stressed that they wanted to punish early overs, including the challenge posed by Jofra Archer, rather than waiting for the ball to settle.
On facing Archer and executing that strategy, he said: “It’s always a great challenge playing against Jofra, but we had it in our mind that if an over started really well for us, we went for the over and it happened very well in the powerplay.”
Archer, in contrast, endured a difficult start as Gujarat capitalised quickly. The Titans raced to 82/0 in six overs, a number that matches their joint-highest powerplay total in IPL history, underlining how well the openers carried the initiative.
Sudharsan was particularly punishing when the ball was loose, striking six fours and two sixes during his innings. Even though the early momentum was strong, he acknowledged that the later stages demanded different skills as Rajasthan’s bowling shifted towards slower deliveries and spin.
Speaking about what that change meant for the chase and Gujarat’s broader approach, he explained: “No, I think the team will be planning for that, but there’ll be a lot of slower ones, a lot of cutters. If we look to spin the ball well, I think it’s not so easy to hit on this wicket.”
Throughout their stand, Sudharsan and Gill kept a proactive tempo rather than hanging back and allowing Rajasthan to set defensive fields. The duo regularly attacked gaps and refused to let the bowlers settle into repeatable lines.
Sudharsan described their mindset directly: “We were very free, to be honest. Me and Shubman, we were going after the bowlers. There was no hesitation or resistance when we went on to bat.”
He also reflected on the timing of his dismissal, saying he believed his wicket fell at a moment that suited Rajasthan. “We had a very good powerplay. We should have had very good middle overs. I think I lost my wicket at the right time for the RR team. We could have had maybe a bigger partnership,” he added.
Beyond the numbers, Sudharsan credited the chemistry between himself and Gill as a key reason their partnership has remained so effective. He said they share a strong relationship and that talking through moments after boundaries or overs helps them stay aligned with the same plan.
He added: “I think we share a very good partnership with each other, a very good relationship. And I feel I look up to a lot of things from Shubman.”
Sudharsan continued with: “And it’s always a validation when I, you know, after a boundary or after an over, we talk about something. It actually becomes a validation and it’s helpful for me to go in the same direction.”
Gill then carried the momentum forward with a blistering 84 off 44 balls. In the closing phase, Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia provided late bursts of scoring, helping Gujarat Titans reach the imposing target of 229/4.
