The sound of Rashid Khan’s thunderous leg before the wicket appeal will continue to ring in the ears of the Rajasthan Royals batsmen as they try to snap out of holiday mode before their play-off hopes are all but gone. The Afghanistan spinner produced a historic spell and picked up four crucial wickets while RR’s middle order without Riyan Parag looked completely lost in pursuit of a daunting target of 230.
That sense of rust and hesitation summed up Rajasthan Royals’ night as they returned to action after an eight-day break to host Gujarat Titans at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday, May 9. Their previous outing took place on May 1 at the same venuewhere they suffered a defeat against Delhi Capitals. But instead of using the break to reset their campaign, RR seemed to have slipped deeper into the sleepy stupor that Shubman Gill et al. he rudely woke them up.
The signs started to show right from the throw. In went Yashasvi Jaiswal in place of regular captain Riyan Paragwho missed the game with a hamstring injury. What followed was a series of decisions that lacked tactical conviction, almost as if Rajasthan were still trying to shake off the cobwebs after a long break. Jofra Arche has a terrible performance against GT (screenshot from X)
One of the biggest talking points was the decision to leave out key pacer Nandre Burger and add some extra batter. Burger had endured a tough run in the previous three matches, but his absence had severely disrupted the bowling record. More importantly, it revealed Jofra Archer looking alarmingly out of step.
Archer, perhaps still mentally lingering on Jaipur’s relaxed evenings, produced one of his most memorable spells of the season. The English quickly conceded 46 runs in just three overs, including an over that stretched to 11 balls. His inability to control the new ball allowed Gujarat Titans to settle into cruise control immediately.
NO PLANNING OR JUST BOWLING BAD YET?
The uncertainty in RR’s plans was even clearer in Jaiswal’s post-match comments.
“I think we were looking to bounce in good areas and they batted well. We tried to cut boundaries and big shots. I think it was pretty good from them,” admitted the stand-in skipper.
When Jaiswal was asked about the elimination of Burger, Jaiswal’s answer reflected the simplicity, or rather the over-simplicity, behind RR’s planning.
“No, I didn’t really think much about it. I had a simple plan of who my bowler was and who could give me some good overs in the power bowl. Not much from my side.”
This ambiguity was directly reflected on the field. With Archer struggling and Tushar Deshpande unable to make any real impact, Rajasthan looked completely at a loss against a fluid opener between Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill. The duo put together an impressive partnership of 118 runs that soon sapped the energy out of the contest.
Ironically, it was the slower bowlers of RR who briefly roused the hosts from their slumber. The spinners managed to pull things back slightly during the middle overs, forcing the Gujarat Titans to pause the attack momentarily. But just when Rajasthan seemed to be regaining some control, the final overs again exposed their lack of discipline and execution.
Despite GT posting a huge total, there was a lingering feeling that Rajasthan might be chasing him. After all, that was the batting line-up that was there before he pulled off a similar chase against the then undefeated Punjab Kings. And even after teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Jaiswal’s first five-ball wickets, RR still had enough firepower to threaten Gujarat.
THE AFGHAN MAESTRO OF MAGIC
But then came the storm of Nangarhar, Rashid Khanthe rhythm-seeker that once made him the world’s most feared T20 spinner has finally found his groove again under the lights of Jaipur. His first breakthrough came against Dhruv Jurel, who threatened to shift the momentum with a blistering 24 off just 10 deliveries. Rashid baited him into completely misreading google and clearing him.
As part of the same, he dealt another devastating blow by dismissing Donovan Ferreira, the hero of Rajasthan’s previous successful chase. What once looked like a steep but manageable chase quickly turned into an all-out collapse.
Rashid continued to tighten the screws, dismissing Shubham Dubey and Ravindra Jadeja to complete a masterclass in middle-order destruction. By the time Rashid completed his spell, Rajasthan had slumped from 40 for 2 in the powerplay to 136 for 7.
The Royals met not with resistance but with resignation, and perhaps that was the most worrying sign for Rajasthan, not the defeat itself, but the sense that they had never really woken up. Eight days away from the field seemed to have sapped their sharpness rather than refreshed it. Their bowling lacked intensity, their plans lacked clarity and their chasing lacked belief.
For Gujarat Titans, the win meant a lot as they climbed into the top four with 14 points and stepped up their push for the playoffs. However, the holiday may now be over for Rajasthan Royals as another sleepy performance could end their season.
IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Player Stats | Purple Cap | Orange Cap | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
– The end
Published on:
10 May 2026 07:54 IST
