Rashid Khan Tushar Deshpande Riyan Parag GT vs RR. Image Credits: JioStar
Tushar Deshpande and Riyan Parag were at the center of attention as the Rajasthan Royals defeated Gujarat Titans by six runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium during IPL 2026 on Saturday, April 4. Although Gujarat looked like the stronger side for most of the game, the final moments completely changed the outcome.
Notably, during the last two overs, bowlers Jofra Archer and Tushar Deshpande turned the match around. As a result, Rajasthan Royals secured a dramatic and memorable victory.
Tushar Deshpande’s brilliant final over against Gujarat Titans
When Gujarat needed just 11 runs in the final over, the pressure was intense. However, Deshpande kept his calm and bowled accurate yorkers one after another. Because of this, big hitters like Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada could not hit any boundaries. Therefore, Rajasthan managed to defend their total and win the match in a nail-biting finish.
Earlier in the game, Rajasthan Royals batted first and scored a strong total of 210 runs for the loss of six wickets. Key contributions came from Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Thanks to their efforts, Rajasthan set a challenging target of 211 runs for Gujarat to chase.
Gujarat Titans’ chase falls short
While chasing, Gujarat Titans got off to a good start with Kumar Kushagra and Sai Sudharsan opening the innings. Notably, Sudharsan played an impressive knock of 73 runs off 44 balls. Moreover, their opening partnership of 78 runs gave Gujarat a solid foundation.
However, things soon changed when Ravi Bishnoi stepped in and took crucial wickets. He dismissed players like Glenn Phillips (3), Washington Sundar (4), and Rahul Tewatia (12). Consequently, the middle order struggled to keep up with the required run rate.
Although Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada tried to fight back with a 43-run partnership, it was not enough in the end. After the win, Tushar Deshpande and Riyan Parag celebrated energetically. Interestingly, their celebration had a deeper meaning.
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Rashid Khan’s iconic celebration against Rajasthan Royals
Back in IPL 2024, Rashid Khan had celebrated in a similar style after leading Gujarat to a dramatic win against Rajasthan at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. During that match, Rashid Khan played a brilliant innings and finished the game in style.
In that match, Gujarat Titans needed 86 runs in the last 6 overs, which seemed very difficult. However, after Gujarat lost their captain, Shubman Gill, the match changed when Rashid Khan came to bat.
Notably, he joined Rahul Tewatia and together they started hitting boundaries and big shots. When Gujarat needed 35 runs from 12 balls, Rashid Khan played an unbelievable innings and turned the match around.
In the final over, Gujarat needed 15 runs from 6 balls, and Rashid hit three boundaries. On the last ball, when 2 runs were needed, Rashid hit a four off Avesh Khan and won the match for Titans.
At that time, he even made a gesture pointing to his eyes and the ground, showing confidence and dominance. Therefore, this time, Tushar Deshpande's celebration seemed like a perfect reply, almost like “poetic justice.”
Watch the video below:
Rajasthan Royals on top of IPL 2026 points table
Finally, this important victory pushed Rajasthan Royals to the top of the IPL 2026 points table. They now have four points from two matches along with a strong net run rate of +2.233.
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