Rajasthan Royals Edge Gujarat Titans by 6 Runs in IPL 2026 Thriller
Rajasthan Royals continued their winning run in IPL 2026. They beat Gujarat Titans by 6 runs to get another win. Tushar Deshpande was the hero. He defended 11 runs in the last over and celebrated with great joy. Jofra Archer also played a big role. He bowled a tight 19th over and took a great catch in the final over to seal the win.
A few eyebrows were raised earlier in the evening, when Rajasthan Royals opted to bat first post winning the toss. But Riyan Parag was clear with his explanation. He mentioned that 70% of the matches in recent times at this venue had been won by team batting first and that they would have a good chance if they put around 210 on the board.
RR hold nerve as Deshpande and Archer seal thrilling 6-run win
Then, his mates walked the talk. It began with the two swashbuckling left-handers going hell for leather. Yashasvi Jaiswal was scintillating with his ball-striking and his teenaged opening partner matched him toe-to-toe. A 38-ball-70-run opening stand set the foundation and a dazzling half-century from their no. 3 took RR to exactly 210/6.
Dhruv Jurel took his time to get his eye in. After his first 10 balls, he was striking at 111. But once he got the feel of the wicket, he began to unleash one mesmerising shot after the other, at with ostensible, jaw-dropping ease. His 42-ball-75 must have quietened plenty of nay-sayers. But Gujarat Titans' start was not bad either. Sai Sudharsan scored a flamboyant 44-ball-73 and pretty much put them in pole position.
They were 107/1 in 10.3 overs when he eventually mistimed a shot and got out caught off the bowling of Ravi Bishnoi. Thus, began the slide. The wrist spinner followed it up with the wickets of Glenn Phillips and Washington Sundar in the next over before Nandre Burger got rid of Jos Buttler. With the score reading 161/7 in 15 overs, RR seemed to be in the driver's seat. But then, the pendulum swung again. Two effervescent cameos and a pugnacious partnership of 43 (30) between stand-in skipper Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada took the home team close. However, a display of grit and character from Archer and Deshpande prevented them from crossing the line.
