Ahmedabad stadium dey hot today as Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals clash for IPL 2026 match. The match wey start around 7:30 PM local time, na RR win toss and dem choose to bat first. Captain Riyan Parag talk say dem wan put good score around 210 and defend am later.
But before the match even start, big blow don hit GT. Rashid Khan wey dey stand-in as captain announce say Shubman Gill no fit play because of muscle spasm. Kumar Kushagra come replace am for playing XI. This one na serious matter because Gill na key player for GT top order.
As the innings begin, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi open for RR. These two young players don already make name for demselves. Jaiswal and Sooryavanshi dey eye record as fastest Indian pair to reach 500 partnership runs for IPL. Dem dey at 497 runs from 246 balls before this match.
The opening stand start well-well. Sooryavanshi wey be 15-year-old prodigy show why people dey talk about am. He make 31 runs from just 18 balls before Rashid Khan remove am. The boy get explosive style wey dey give RR quick start.
But na Jaiswal show say he be the main man. He play mature innings of 55 runs from 36 balls. The left-hander hit six fours and three sixes. He no just dey watch Sooryavanshi play – he dey contribute wella. By the time Sooryavanshi get out, Jaiswal don already score 38 from 22 balls.
Kagiso Rabada finally remove Jaiswal in the 12th over. The South African pacer bowl good length delivery wey flatten off stump. Jaiswal try connect but miss completely. That wicket slow RR momentum small.
After Jaiswal wicket, Prasidh Krishna remove Riyan Parag for just 8 runs. The RR captain wey just take over from Sanju Samson this season no stay long for crease. Parag wey trade Sanju Samson to Chennai Super Kings for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran now dey lead new era RR.
But Dhruv Jurel come steady the ship. The wicketkeeper-batsman play important innings and reach half-century. He dey eye strong finish for RR as Shimron Hetmyer join am. Hetmyer self contribute 18 runs from 8 balls before Ashok Sharma remove am.
Speaking of Ashok Sharma, the young pacer make history today. He bowl the fastest ball of IPL 2026 season – 154.2 kmph yorker to Dhruv Jurel. The 23-year-old Rajasthan pacer wey GT buy after impressive Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy performance surpass Anrich Nortje previous record of 150.9 kmph.
Sharma bowl consistently above 145 kmph and breach 150-mark twice in his third over. First na 150.4 kmph delivery, then the record-breaking 154.2 kmph yorker. GT show faith in the young bowler by including am for playing XI ahead of experienced Prasidh Krishna for first game.
For GT bowlers, Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada lead the attack but dem concede runs. Rabada wey dey in poor form against PBKS need find footing quick-quick. Some people dey wonder if Jason Holder go replace am for next match to add batting depth.
The venue factor self dey important. During recently concluded T20 World Cup, seven games play for Ahmedabad. Average innings total na 198 runs – highest among all venues for the competition. This explain why RR choose to bat first after winning toss.
GT assistant coach Aashish Kapoor talk about Jos Buttler form before match. He say Buttler na top player wey just dey pass through bad patch. “He is on the right path,” Kapoor insist. But Buttler performance for GT opener against PBKS no too impressive – 38 runs from 33 balls.
RR bowler Nandre Burger dey also make mark. He dismiss Sanju Samson and Ayush Mhatre in his first two overs against CSK. For this match, he dey target right-handed batters like Gill and Buttler.
As the innings dey progress, RR reach 160/3 after 15 overs. Jurel dey on 41* and nearing his fifty while Hetmyer dey on 14* before Ashok Sharma remove am. The partnership between these two dey build strong finish for RR.
GT top order dey face pressure. For their opener, dem no score at 200 strike rate. Gill get 39 from 27 balls, Sudharsan 13 from 11, and Buttler 38 from 33. If dem no find momentum soon, middle order wey no inspire confidence go face trouble.
The head-to-head record favor GT with 6-2 lead over RR. For Ahmedabad specifically, GT get 2-1 advantage. But today match dey show different story as RR dey control proceedings.
Ashok Sharma record-breaking ball na major highlight. The young pacer wey finish as leading wicket-taker for Rajasthan in Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy now dey make name for himself in IPL. He pick 1/31 for debut game in New Chandigarh and 1/37 for Ahmedabad today.
While Vaibhav Sooryavanshi get all the attention as teenage prodigy, Yashasvi Jaiswal innings today show maturity and class. He dey control the innings without making am look frantic – skill wey many batters no get. Jaiswal knock have tempo, range and proper construction.
RR dey enter new era with Parag as full-time captain. Dem part with Sanju Samson after last season, trade am to Chennai Super Kings for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. Jadeja return to team where he make IPL debut while Curran rule out of season due to injury.
Parag captaincy work well against CSK as his bowling changes dey brilliant and dem outbat Ruturaj Gaikwad side. For this match, he make two changes – Tushar Deshpande and Shubham Dubey come in.
As RR dey approach final overs, all eyes dey on Dhruv Jurel to provide strong finish. GT bowlers dey try contain runs but Ashok Sharma pace and Rabada experience dey test RR batters. The match dey set for interesting second innings as GT need chase whatever target RR set.
Do you have a news tip for NNN? Please email us at editor @ nnn.ng
