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In match number 52, Rajasthan Royals (RR) face Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. It was an upset match as GT took revenge from Rajasthan Royals by 75 runs and sealed a top four finish in the points table.
The Royals, who were playing their second home game in Jaipur, were without their regular captain Riyan Parag, who was out with a hamstring strain. Yashasvi Jaiswal led the team and won the toss and decided to field. He made some changes and brought back Shimron Hetmyer and Yashraj Punja into the team. GT also made one change, bringing in Prasidh Krishna.
Sai and Subhman gave good start to GT
After being invited to bat first, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudarshan got off to a great start and once again had a 118-run partnership for the first wicket. Both the batsmen scored half-centuries in 30 balls respectively. Sai scored 55 runs and the first wicket fell, Gill scored 84 runs and Washington Sundar scored 37 runs in 20 balls.
GT scored 229/4 in their 20 overs, and as RR set out to chase, they got off to a fast start with Vaibhav Suryavanshi making 36 off 15 before being dismissed by Mohammed Siraj. After this, wickets kept falling continuously and Yashasvi Jaiswal also returned to the pavilion on just three runs.
Rashid Khan set a trap against RR batsman
Kagiso Rabada was once again taking wickets inside the power play and he picked Jaiswal and in his third over he got the wicket of the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer. After this, Rashid Khan added a pinch of salt by taking the wicket of Dhruv Jurel for 24 runs and in the same over, the Afghan spinner took the wicket of Donovan Ferreira.
RR were reduced to 91/5 and looked to be in trouble, and then Ravindra Jadeja and Shubham Dubey tried to build a partnership, but the latter was out for 15, with Rashid Khan taking the wicket. Royals looked to be in deep trouble with 121/6 on the board.
It was unusual for me- Rashid Khan
Ravindra Jadeja was the top run-scorer with 38 runs, and Dasun Shanaka made 16 at the end of the innings, and RR were all out for 152. Rashid Khan was the player of the match for his excellent spell of 4/33.
Rashid Khan said, “Very happy. The last two seasons were unusual for me. This year I have been more consistent. Very happy with that. It took me only two months to get back on the field after the injury. I had to come back for Afghanistan and play those games. I was losing my rhythm. I had a good hundred competition.”
“Just tried to bowl in the right areas in this match. That was the most important thing, bowling the ball on the right length. I feel if I bowl it in the right areas, I will get wickets. It’s great, it’s important to have players around you.”
Rashid Khan concluded, “He has played a lot in India, so he has good information. Also, I share my experience of playing international cricket. Modern cricket demands more variations. Sai Kishore is working on different skills, he is working on the wrong ‘un’, I am excited to see that.”
Also Read: RR Qualification Scenario IPL 2026: Can RR reach the playoffs even after the loss against GT?