Ahmedabad, April 4 (NationPress) In a thrilling finish, Rajasthan Royals secured a nail-biting six-run victory over Gujarat Titans, thanks to a brilliant final over by pacer Tushar Deshpande during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday.

Choosing to bat first, Rajasthan set a challenging target of 210/6 in their allotted 20 overs, driven by impressive half-centuries from Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Despite a strong effort from Sai Sudharsan in Gujarat’s chase, bolstered by late contributions from Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada, the Titans ultimately fell just short.

Winning the toss, Rajasthan started aggressively, with Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi putting the Gujarat bowlers under pressure during the Power-play. They raced to 69/0 in just six overs, with Jaiswal playing fluently through the off side. Rashid eventually broke the partnership by dismissing Sooryavanshi for a quick 31 off 18 balls.

Jaiswal kept the momentum going, reaching a well-paced half-century before falling to Rabada for 55 off 36 deliveries. Although Rajasthan lost a couple of wickets, Jurel ensured that the innings maintained its rhythm, scoring a stunning 75 off 42 balls with five fours and as many sixes. Contributions from Shimron Hetmyer and other middle-order batsmen propelled Rajasthan past the 200-run milestone.

Gujarat was without their regular captain, Shubman Gill, who missed the match due to a muscle spasm. Kumar Kushagra made his debut, opening the innings alongside Sudharsan.

In pursuit of 211, the opening pair gave Gujarat a solid start, reaching 56 without loss during the powerplay. Sudharsan displayed sublime form, effectively targeting both pace and spin. Kushagra contributed a useful 18 off 14 balls before being dismissed by Riyan Parag.

Sudharsan continued to excel, reaching a fluent half-century and keeping Gujarat in the chase. However, Rajasthan responded through leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who turned the tide with an impressive four-wicket haul, marking his best figures of the tournament. He dismissed the dangerous Sudharsan, who scored 73 off 44 balls, along with Glenn Phillips and Washington Sundar in quick succession.

As wickets fell, Gujarat slid from a strong position to 133/5, with pressure mounting further when Jos Buttler fell to Nandre Burger.

Just when Rajasthan seemed to have the match under control, Rashid and Rabada launched a fierce counterattack. The pair added 43 runs in quick succession, featuring a towering six from Rabada and several clever boundaries from Rashid, significantly reducing the target.

With 11 runs required in the final over, RR captain Parag entrusted Deshpande with the critical task. Under immense pressure, Deshpande executed precise yorkers, stifling the batters. The turning point came when Rashid attempted a big shot but was caught by Jofra Archer in the deep, leaving Gujarat with too much to accomplish.

Deshpande allowed only four runs in the final over, clinching a thrilling victory for Rajasthan in what became the first nail-biter of the season.

Brief scores:

Rajasthan Royals 210/6 in 20 overs (Dhruv Jurel 75, Yashasvi Jaiswal 55; Kagiso Rabada 2-42) defeated Gujarat Titans 204/8 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 73, Jos Buttler 26; Ravi Bishnoi 4-41, Tushar Deshpande 1-24) by 6 runs.