Ravindra Jadeja produced a decisive all-round performance to power Rajasthan Royals to a 40-run win over Lucknow Super Giants in their IPL 2026 at the Ekana Stadium before his post-match gesture grabbed attention.
Jadeja played a key role in RR’s 40-run victoryescalating as the shift threatened to drift. Stepping in under pressure, he produced an unbeaten 43 off 29 balls, which saw Rajasthan post a competitive 159/6. He then made his presence felt with the ball as well, picking up an important wicket to help LSG post 119.
“It feels good to win the Man of the Match. I want to dedicate the award to the education minister of Gujarat. She said yesterday that I will do well and I did,” Jadeja said in the post-match presentation.
The Gujarat Education Minister he was referring to is his wife Rivaba Jadeja, who currently serves as the Minister of State for Primary, Secondary and Adult Education in the Government of Gujarat. She was appointed to the role following a cabinet reshuffle led by Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel.
LSG vs RR: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
Jadeja also remained closely involved in Rivaba’s political journey. He actively campaigned for her during the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections, where she secured victory in the Jamnagar North Assembly constituency, marking a major step in her rise in the state’s political scene.
On the field, Rajasthan Royals would credit their veteran all-rounder for pulling them out of a precarious situation. With wickets falling at regular intervals, Jadeja combined with Shubham Dubey to put together a vital partnership that added much-needed stability to the innings. His ability to rotate his strike and find timely boundaries ensured RR a fairly defendable score on a surface that did not allow for easy stroke play.
He later came back to intervene tactically with the ball, using his awareness of the tackles to remove Nicholas Pooran at the crucial moment, effectively halting LSG’s chase. His data may not have been attractive at first glance, but the timing of his intervention proved decisive.
Lucknow Super Giants, despite encouraging efforts from their bowling unit led by Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan and Prince Yadav, faltered badly in the chase. The trio laid a solid platform by restricting Rajasthan but the batsmen failed to capitalize.
Chasing 160, LSG struggled to gain momentum and eventually collapsed for 119 in 18 overs. The slide began when skipper Rishabh Pant attempted an ill-advised sweep-cum-hoick, a dismissal that summed up the hosts’ lack of composure under pressure. From then on, the innings unraveled quickly and Rajasthan’s bowlers tightened their grip.
The win moved Rajasthan Royals to second in the points table with 10 points from seven matches and kept them firmly in contention despite a batting that largely lacked fluidity.
IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Player Stats | Purple Cap | Orange Cap | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
23 Apr 2026 0:32 IST
