Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill was again forced to deal with an injury scare during the IPL 2026 clash against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Saturday. The game was played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, and while there was visible discomfort from Gill during Gujarat’s innings, his own assessment after the match suggested there was little cause for concern.
Gill, who came in as a right-handed batter, was seen struggling with his foot and looked to be managing pain as the innings progressed. After Gujarat secured a convincing 77-run victory, the 26-year-old explained that he had rolled his ankle and described the moment as “quite painful.” He also said the discomfort eased relatively quickly, adding that he began to feel better after about half an hour and that there was no major reason for worry.
Gill’s latest scare comes after a difficult stretch in which he has been affected by neck sprains. Those issues had already forced him to miss the second Test and the entire ODI series against South Africa. In addition, he also sat out one IPL 2026 fixture, with Rashid Khan leading the Titans during that absence.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Gill said, “I think I just, while taking the run, I think twisted my ankle a little bit. It was quite painful. But I think after half an hour or so, it settled down a bit.”
With the bat, Gill delivered the kind of innings Gujarat needed, smashing 84 off just 44 deliveries. His knock featured nine fours and three sixes and played a key role in pushing the Titans to a strong total of 229/6. From there, Rajasthan’s chase never gained traction, and the hosts were dismissed for 152 in 16.3 overs, handing Gujarat a thorough win.
Gill also reflected on how the innings was shaped, saying, “We got above maybe 10-15 runs extra on the board. We thought there was a little bit in for the spinners in the middle. It wasn’t easy to hit sixes or get the boundaries. The ball was gripping a little bit. We got 230 runs on the board. We always knew, if we get a couple of wickets in the powerplay, we’re going to have a good game.”
‘Perfect match’
Gill further expressed satisfaction with the overall nature of the performance against the Royals, highlighting it as a “complete performance” from his side. The victory propelled Gujarat Titans into second place in the points table, taking them to 14 points from 11 matches.
He said, “Definitely, even before this match, we had a conversation that, till now, I don’t think we had a perfect match. So very happy. I think this was a clean win for us.” When asked whether this could be considered a “perfect match,” Gill responded, “Definitely (would you say this was a perfect match?),” before adding to the positive tone around the win.
Rashid Khan’s impact
Rashid Khan was named Player of the Match for his spell of 4/33 against Rajasthan. He struck at crucial moments and removed Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey, helping Gujarat control the contest after setting up a challenging target.
