IPL 2026: RR win toss, choose to bat first against GT; Shubman Gill misses out

AHMEDABAD: Rajasthan Royals (RR) won the toss and opted to bat first against Gujarat Titans (GT) in both teams’ second match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season on Saturday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

in what comes as a blow for GT, designated captain Shubman Gill misses the match against RR, owing to a muscle spasm. Stand-in skipper Rashid Khan announced Gill’s unavailability at the toss, saying the Indian cricketer is missing out due to a muscle spasm.

After winning the toss, Riyan Parag said that the team will aim for a score around 210 and adapt to conditions. He announced two changes: Tushar Deshpande replaces Brijesh Sharma, and Shubham Dubey replaces Ravi Bishnoi.

Toss @rajasthanroyals won the toss and elected to bat first against @gujarat_titans in Ahmedabad.

Updates https://t.co/6D02Fh0IHv#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #GTvRR pic.twitter.com/88zYDnDHOz

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 4, 2026

“We are going to be batting first. We got to assess and adapt to different conditions. Hopefully we will put up a good score around 210 and defend it later on. I want it to be a team that plays in all conditions. Two changes. Tushar Deshpande comes in for Brijesh and Shubham Dubey comes in for Bishnoi,” Parag said at the toss presentation.

GT skipper Rashid Khan, on the other hand, expressed that he wanted to bowl first anyway. He hoped for Gill’s quick recovery and confirmed that Kumar Kushagra is the replacement. He emphasised the team’s need to give their 100%.

“We wanted to bowl first. Gill has a muscle spasm, hopefully he will be back soon. KK (Kumar Kushagra) is playing his first game and look forward to see him play. We played good cricket in the last game as well. Was a good game. We need to bring out 100% here,” Rashid said at the toss.

Rajasthan Royals, led by Riyan Parag, are coming off an incredible eight-wicket victory against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), which saw Vaibhav Suryavanshi hit the second-fastest fifty by an RR batter in IPL history, helping RR to a one-sided win over CSK Guwahati. Suryavanshi slammed 52 runs off 17 balls and helped RR chase the 128-run target in just 12.1 overs. They will look to continue the winning momentum and get their second win of the season.

Gujarat Titans, on the other hand, are coming off a three-wicket defeat at the hands of Punjab Kings in their first match of the IPL 2026 season. GT scored 162 runs batting first and also caused some jitters in the opposition’s chase, but Punjab Kings’ Cooper Connolly scored a composed 72* to take his team over the line.

Gujarat Titans: Kumar Kushagra, Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler(w), Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan(c), Kagiso Rabada, Ashok Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

Gujarat Titans Impact subs: Shahrukh Khan, Jason Holder, Manav Suthar, Anuj Rawat, Jayant Yadav.

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma.

Rajasthan Royals Impact subs: Ravi Bishnoi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Sushant Mishra, Brijesh Sharma, Ravi Singh. (ANI)