Rajasthan Royals have now won both their IPL 2026 matches, but Saturday’s six-run victory over Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad was as hard-earned as a win can get — decided by a single missed boundary in the final over.

The Game’s Turning Point: Overs 12 and 13

Gujarat Titans were set a target of 211 after Rajasthan posted 210/6, built on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 55 and a composed 75 from Dhruv Jurel at the back end. Kagiso Rabada took 2/42 to keep the total from going higher.

GT’s chase began brightly. Sai Sudharsan — back from his rib injury and hungry for runs — anchored the top of the innings, and GT reached 107 for 1 looking well on course. Then Ravi Bishnoi changed everything.

In the 12th and 13th overs, wickets fell in a cluster. Bishnoi finished with 4/41 as GT crashed from 107/1 to 133/5 in the space of a few overs, handing back all the momentum they had built. Rashid was clear-eyed about it afterwards.

“I felt we have given a great start with the openers. And then I felt in the 12th and 13th overs, we lost back-to-back wickets. That’s something that really put us on the back foot. But I think if they were there, it wasn’t that hard to score, but in that period of time, we just lost the momentum of the game.”

Rabada and Rashid Mount a Fightback

When the innings looked all but over at 161/7, Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada dug in. The pair added 41 together, bringing GT back into contention and making Rajasthan sweat. As the final over arrived, GT needed 11 runs.

Royals skipper Riyan Parag threw the ball to Tushar Deshpande — a pressure call on a bowler trusted to execute at the death. Deshpande responded with one of the finest single overs of the IPL season so far. He nailed yorker after yorker, conceded just four runs from the first five balls, and finished off the match when Rashid sliced a wide delivery to deep cover, where Jofra Archer swooped to take a diving catch.

The discussion in the GT dugout before that over was brutally simple, as Rashid described.

“The discussion was clear — we just need to hit one boundary. And I feel like if we get there, we don’t need much more. Tushar bowled some exceptional yorkers. He didn’t allow us to go on, but I feel the one ball which he missed his line length, I should have picked that for six.”

Match Scorecard

Player

Score

—

—

RR (Batting)

Yashasvi Jaiswal

Dhruv Jurel

75

GT (Bowling)

Kagiso Rabada

GT (Batting)

Sai Sudharsan

RR (Bowling)

Ravi Bishnoi

Tushar Deshpande

Final over — 4 runs

Result: Rajasthan Royals beat Gujarat Titans by 6 runs.

Gill Out, GT Yet to Win

The match was also played without GT’s regular captain Shubman Gill, who was ruled out at the toss with a muscle spasm. Rashid confirmed he is expected to return soon. GT have now lost both their opening matches and face mounting pressure to find their first win before the tournament’s early weeks decide the shape of the points table.

Despite the loss, Rashid remained measured in his assessment.

“It’s too early. It’s still in the competition. We learn from our mistakes and keep getting better and come back stronger in the next game.”