Tushar Deshpande produced a statement final over, striking from either blockhole or yorker length and delivering six straight balls in a row that left Gujarat Titans with no margin. Rajasthan Royals held on to win by six runs in a tense IPL contest on Saturday, sealing their second consecutive triumph. For the Ashish Nehra-coached Titans, it was a second straight defeat.
Quick facts
- Match result: Rajasthan Royals won by six runs against Gujarat Titans.
- Venue: “here on Saturday” (match report location not specified).
- RR total: 210/6 in 20 overs.
- GT chase: 161/7 with 10 needed off the last over.
- Key RR scores: Dhruv Jurel 75 (42), Yashasvi Jaiswal 55 (36).
- Key GT scores: Sai Sudharsan 73 (44), Kagiso Rabada 23* and Rashid Khan 24.
- Final-over impact: Deshpande conceded only four runs in the last over.
- Run-rate swing: GT dropped from 107/1 to 133/5 and then to 161/7.
RR’s platform was built on brisk half-centuries from Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Jurel struck 75 off 42 balls, while Jaiswal made 55 from 36 as Rajasthan posted 210 for 6 in their full allocation.
Gujarat Titans, though, had a different kind of momentum through Sai Sudharsan’s 73 that carried plenty of class. Still, the chase had GT in trouble at 161 for 7 after they appeared to be staring down the barrel at 161 for 7 with work still to do late on. Kagiso Rabada remained unbeaten on 23 and stand-in captain Rashid Khan contributed 24 as they tried to squeeze the game into reach with 10 needed from the final over.
Deshpande’s finish changed everything. He began the last set with a wide, but then tightened his radar, hitting three consecutive singles and following it with a fuller delivery that Rashid Khan could not convert—dot ball. When the over ended, only four runs had been added, and Gujarat would feel they let a strong start and a near-miss slip away.
Gujarat’s chase: the Sudharsan spell, then the collapse
With Shubman Gill ruled out due to spasms, Sudharsan came in with a new partner, debutant Kumar Kushagra, who made 18 off 14. Even so, the early responsibility in an 78-run opening stand fell heavily on Sudharsan, whose T20 batting looked elegant and composed throughout.
The sixes he launched—three more than his nine boundaries—came across as if he were caressing the ball rather than merely striking it. Kushagra’s role was largely to support, but the contest shifted when Bishnoi took Sudharsan with a half-tracker. From that point, GT lost their rhythm as the leg-spinner started altering lengths and bringing in variations that unsettled the batters.
The damage was rapid. GT moved from 107 for 1 to 133 for 5, and then, with recognized batters back in the pavilion, the innings eventually settled at 161 for 7. Rabada and Rashid then attempted a brutal, quick counter-attack, but the late surge ultimately fell short.
Rajasthan’s innings: Jurel’s 75 and Jaiswal’s 55
Earlier, Dhruv Jurel’s 42-ball 75 set the tone for Rajasthan Royals after they chose to bat. His innings blended aggression with control, guiding RR to a competitive total of 210 for 6.
Yashasvi Jaiswal looked set to return to his best rhythm, striking 55 off 36 balls. He was supported by an opening stand of 70 in just 6.2 overs, with “Boy Wonder” Sooryavanshi smashing 18-ball 31 early on.
Jurel, operating in the No. 3 role, appeared comfortable and showed that there was room for traditional strokes alongside attacking intent—he struck at more than 150. One particularly pleasing moment was his pick-up pull off Ashok Sharma after he reached his fifty, a shot that reflected both balance and soft hands. He finished with five sixes and an equal number of boundaries.
For Gujarat Titans, Ashok Sharma stood out with figures of 1/37 from four overs. In his second IPL match, he was framed as a potential “next big pace hope,” having clocked 154.2 kmph and repeatedly generating deliveries that travelled north of 145 kmph.
There were also cautions wrapped into that praise: the report noted that BCCI coaches would do well to watch what happened with Mayank Yadav and Umran Malik, hinting at the importance of managing fast-bowling workloads and careers.
Jurel’s knock was described as a throwback to earlier IPL days, when one batter would often anchor the innings before unleashing the full attacking plan. A standout highlight came when he hit a six off Rashid Khan over deep mid-wicket after dancing down the track.
With Shubman Gill absent from the playing XI due to muscle spasms, Royals captain Riyan Parag opted to bat, and the opening pair delivered. The report also pointed to a Cricviz stat on how quickly the Sooryavanshi-Jaiswal partnership has looked dominant, noting that among 113 pairs in IPL history with 500-plus runs together, Jaiswal and Suryavanshi stand out with a scoring rate of 12.04 runs per over and rank third—behind Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma (12.57) and Sunil Narine and Phil Salt (12.46).
During the powerplay, the RR batters enjoyed relatively free shot-making. The reason was the surface and the pace: Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Prasish Krishna, and Ashok were all extracting extra bounce and speed, yet RR still found timing early, letting them use the pace to their advantage.
Sooryavanshi started with a burst of boundaries, including a six off Rabada lofted over mid-off. The most memorable stroke came from a last-minute readjustment off a short ball from Ashok—he cut it uppishly for another maximum.
Rashid dismissed Sooryavanshi after the opener played one shot too many. Even so, the momentum carried on, with Jurel and Jaiswal adding another 56 for the second wicket to keep Rajasthan moving towards a strong finish.
