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Rajasthan Royals pacer Tushar Deshpande closed out a thrilling IPL 2026 clash against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Saturday as RR secured back-to-back wins. With 11 needed off the final over and Kagiso Rabada and Rashid Khan at the crease, GT looked favourites. However, the right-arm pacer held his nerve brilliantly to seal a six-run win for Rajasthan Royals.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal provided an electric start
Rajasthan Royals openers Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal were at it once again, carrying from where they left off in the game against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Baraspara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. The opening duo stitched a 70-run stand in 6.2 overs. Jaiswal struck a 36-ball 55 with six fours and three sixes before Kagiso Rabada cleaned him up. Dhruv Jurel, who was promoted to No.3 following a electrifying opening partnership, anchored the innings through his 75 off 42 deliveries, laced with five fours and as many maximums. The likes of Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer chipped in with some boundaries in their short stay to lift the inaugural IPL champions to 210/6 in 20 overs.
With Shubman Gill sitting out of the match due to a muscle spasm, Kumar Kushagra and B Sai Sudharsan stitched an opening stand of 78 in eight overs to set the tone for the run-chase. While B Sai Sudharsan spearheaded the run-chase with a 44-ball 73, the Titans lost too many wickets in the middle overs. Although Rashid and Rabada drew the 2022 champions closer, Deshpande bowled a stunning last over to close out the contest. It’s also worth noting that Ravi Bishnoi was equally instrumental with figures of 4-0-41-4.
Rajasthan Royals dethrone Delhi Capitals
With that win, the Rajasthan Royals now go on top of the points table and are the only side apart from the Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals to win both their games thus far. Earlier in the evening, the Capitals beat the Mumbai Indians, thanks to another masterclass from Sameer Rizvi to make it two wins out of two. The Titans, meanwhile, are now languishing at seventh.
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