29 May,2026 12:05 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Riyan Parag (Pic: File Pic)
In the IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 match against Rajasthan Royals (RR), Gujarat Titans (GT) emerged victorious by seven wickets at the Maharaja Singh PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh.
After suffering a loss, RR's skipper Riyan Parag said, "It was a par score. I think 215 was defendable but I felt the wicket got a little better in the second innings after the heavy roller. In the first innings, I felt the spinners had a little bit more grip and the shorter, slower balls were sticking up a bit more. So I feel it was a passable score, but it could have been better. At one stage it looked as if 230 was on the cards, which in these big games can make a difference - those extra 15-20 runs. I think 230-240 would have made that chase really challenging. But with 215, given their batting lineup, we knew we had to get the openers early, which we didn't. And it was always going to be a tough road after that".
"(Thoughts on the season) It's been a good one with many positives. A whole lot of positives, actually. But if I had to sum it up in a sentence or a few lines, I feel we were not supposed to qualify. I feel we had lot of young faces, less experienced, less cricket played in the IPL and a lot of new transitions and combinations we tried and tested. But I feel the character that the boys have shown and where we've reached today, being thrown in the IPL, I feel it's a great start for a long journey ahead. (On the improvements and on Sooryavanshi) I can't really put it in words. There's one way where you just go and slog and then you get a lot of runs. But the way he's batted, it's not just slogging. It's not blind slogging. You can't do what you just did today if you were just going from ball one. He calculates, he assesses conditions. He does literally everything well. I still can't figure out how. But hopefully he keeps doing that. Hopefully he represents our country and brings more laurels to the country. And hopefully he keeps on playing for Rajasthan Royals and gets us to that second championship," he added.
With an aim of chasing the target of 215 runs, GT scored 219 runs for the loss of three wickets in 18.4 overs.
Opening batsman Sai Sudharsan scored 58 runs in 32 balls, including eight boundaries and a maximum. Captain Shubman Gill delivered a knock of 104 runs off 53 deliveries, laced with 15 boundaries and three maximums.
Washington Sundar scored 16 runs in nine balls, including two boundaries and a maximum. Wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler scored an unbeaten nine runs in nine balls. Shouldering him was Impact Player Rahul Tewatia, who scored 17 runs in nine balls, with the help of two boundaries and a maximum.
Rajasthan's Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, and Brijesh Sharma bagged one wicket each. Impact Player Tushar Deshpande, Yash Punja, and Ravindra Jadeja went wicketless in the IPL 2026 match against Gujarat.
Having opted to bat first, RR's opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal departed on one run in two balls. Fellow opening batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi delivered a knock of 96 runs off 47 deliveries, laced with eight boundaries and seven maximums.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel scored seven runs in six balls, including a boundary. Skipper Riyan Parag scored 11 runs in six balls, which included a boundary and a maximum. Facing nine balls, Dasun Shanaka was dismissed on three runs. Jofra Archer managed to score seven runs in four balls, with the help of a maximum.
Later, Ravindra Jadeja garnered an unbeaten 45 runs in 35 balls, with the help of five boundaries and a maximum. Shouldering him was Donovan Ferreira, who scored an unbeaten 38 runs in just 11 balls, including two boundaries and four maximums. With this, the Royals posted a total of 214 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs.
Gujarat's Jason Holder returned with the figures of two wickets for 27 in four overs. Kagiso Rabada also claimed two wickets by conceding 35 runs in four overs. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna also bagged one wicket each. Washington Sundar and Rashid Khan went wicketless in the IPL 2026 match against the Royals.
