The second match in the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Saturday was between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Rajasthan Royals (RR). This is match number 9 of the IPL at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. A shocking picture of Rashid Khan came out because he was present as GT captain in place of Shubman Gill.
Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag won the toss and decided to bat first. “We are going to bat first. We have to assess different conditions and adapt to them. Hopefully we will make a good score around 210 and defend it later. I want this to be a team that plays in all conditions,” Parag said.
Know the reason why Shubman Gill is not playing against RR
As Rashid Khan gives update on Shubman Gill’s back spasms. According to stand-in captain Rashid Khan, Shubman Gill is suffering from ‘muscle cramps’. “He just has a little muscle cramp, hopefully he’ll be back soon,” Rashid said.
In IPL, both the teams started the campaign in very different ways. RR had won their first game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and GT came into this game after a defeat against Punjab Kings (PBKS). For GT, this is the first game in their home stadium. However, the absence of Shubman Gill will be a big loss for GT’s batting line-up.
Shubman Gill was crucial to GT’s success last season
As Gill and Sai Sudarshan gave the Titans the starts they needed last season, and most of the matches were won by GT after these two batsmen debuted for the franchise. Shubman Gill had a good two seasons as a captain. Last season, the team qualified for the playoffs but were eliminated after losing to Mumbai Indians (MI) in the eliminator.
Last season, he scored 650 runs for Gujarat Titans in the 2025 IPL season. After his record-setting 2023 season (890 runs), he has been exceptionally consistent. However, as a captain he has not been able to win the IPL trophy. He would like to win the trophy this season.
GT will hope that their regular captain will be back in the next game against Delhi Capitals as it will be an important game considering the kind of form the Capitals are in.
RR openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi are off to a great start as both the southpaws are hitting the GT bowlers all around the park. He completed the half-century partnership in 4.3 overs.
gt vs rr playing eleven
GT Playing 11: Kumar Kushagra, Sai Sudarshan, Jos Buttler(w), Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan(c), Kagiso Rabada, Ashok Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
RR playing 11: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Joffra Archer, Nandre Berger, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma.
Also Read: GT vs RR Dream11 Prediction Today Match, Dream11 Team Today, Fantasy Cricket Tips, Playing XI, Pitch Report, Injury Update – IPL 2026, Match 9