Rajasthan Royals vs Gujarat Titans IPL T20 Recap 2026

Indian Premier LeagueResult

Gujarat Titans

204/8

Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad · Saturday, 4 April 2026

Rajasthan Royals won by 6 runsPlayer of the match: Ravi Bishnoi

Match preview

Royals edge a high-scoring thriller in Ahmedabad as Bishnoi claims Player of the Match

Match overview

Rajasthan Royals beat Gujarat Titans by 6 runs at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 4 April 2026, in a match that went to the wire despite Rajasthan posting a competitive 210/6. Gujarat Titans chased hard, reaching 204/8, but a collapse of 7 wickets in the middle overs proved too costly to recover from. Ravi Bishnoi took the Player of the Match award, his leg-spin turning the game in Rajasthan's favour during the phase when GT looked most dangerous. Rajasthan won the toss and elected to bat, a contrarian call at a ground where most toss winners choose to field.

The match followed a familiar Ahmedabad script in the first innings: a flying start, steady accumulation through the middle, and a modest death-overs flourish. Rajasthan's 69 without loss in the powerplay was comfortably above the venue average of 43 runs, and that foundation allowed the side to finish at 210. In the chase, Gujarat were competitive enough through the powerplay at 56 without loss, but the middle overs proved their undoing. Losing 7 wickets for 105 runs between overs 7 and 16 left them too much to do at the death.

Venue and conditions

Narendra Modi Stadium is one of the highest-scoring T20 venues in the IPL calendar. Across 95 matches, the average first-innings score sits at 206 and the average second-innings score at 196. Both teams exceeded those averages in this fixture. The powerplay is typically the most productive phase in absolute terms, with an average of 43 runs scored in the first six overs, though Rajasthan's 69 in that phase was well above the norm.

The ground has a chase success rate of 53 per cent, meaning batting first carries a very slight historical disadvantage. Rajasthan's decision to bat first was therefore a calculated risk that paid off. Death-overs bowling is where games are often won and lost here: the average death-overs score is 38 runs, and Gujarat's 43 in that phase, while slightly above average, was not enough to close a 6-run gap. The pitch tends to play true early and offer more for spin as the surface wears, which may explain why Bishnoi's leg-spin was so influential in the second half of the chase.

How to watch

IPL 2026 coverage in the UK is available on Sky Sports Cricket. Subscribers can stream via Sky Go, and non-subscribers can access coverage through a NOW TV day or monthly pass. Given that IPL matches are played in Indian evening time, UK viewers are typically watching in the afternoon or early evening, depending on the time of year and daylight saving adjustments. Check the Sky Sports schedule for confirmed UK broadcast times for each fixture.

Recent form

Rajasthan Royals came into this match in reasonable shape, having beaten Chennai Super Kings in their previous 2026 outing and also beaten CSK in their final match of 2025. However, their 2025 season included three consecutive defeats against Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Mumbai Indians, so consistency has been a work in progress.

Gujarat Titans are in a more difficult patch. They lost to Punjab Kings in their most recent 2026 fixture, and their last four matches across 2025 and 2026 include three defeats before that. A win over Delhi Capitals in 2025 is their only recent bright spot before this match. The contrast in form made Rajasthan marginal favourites going in, and the result bore that out, though Gujarat will be encouraged by how close they came to turning a 6-run deficit into a famous chase at their home ground. The two sides are likely to meet again before the IPL 2026 season concludes, and on this evidence, any fixture between them deserves close attention.

Talking points

What to look out for

5 angles

Headline angle

Royals' powerplay set the platform

Rajasthan Royals reached 69 without loss in the powerplay, well above the venue's average of 43 powerplay runs across 95 matches at Narendra Modi Stadium. That boundary-heavy start gave the middle order the freedom to push the total past 200.

Angle 02

GT's middle overs cost them the match

Gujarat Titans lost 7 wickets in the middle phase of their chase, scoring 105 runs but sacrificing too many partnerships in the process. Needing to finish the death overs with batting in hand, they found themselves 8 down and could only muster 43 in the final stretch.

Angle 03

210/6 exceeded venue norms. Just

The average first-innings score at this ground is 206 runs across 95 T20 matches. Rajasthan's 210/6 cleared that benchmark, but only marginally, which meant the chase was always theoretically alive. The 6-run margin underlines how fine those calculations were.

Angle 04

Bishnoi the difference-maker

Ravi Bishnoi took the Player of the Match award, a recognition that leg-spin proved the decisive weapon in a game where both teams scored heavily. His contribution in the middle overs, when GT were threatening to run away with the chase, appears to have been the turning point.

Angle 05

Toss winners batted first. And it worked

Rajasthan Royals won the toss and chose to bat, going against the ground's historical trend: 60 per cent of toss winners at this venue have elected to field. The chase success rate here is 53 per cent, so batting first was a contrarian but vindicated call.

Context

Key insights

Historical · Not official

Venue par

206

Avg 1st innings score at Motera

95 matches · 2004–2026

Chase success

53%

Chases completed successfully at Motera

95 matches · 2004–2026

Head to head

3 — 6

Rajasthan Royals vs Gujarat Titans — 9 meetings

2022–2026

Rajasthan Royals at venue

61%

Win rate across 18 matches at Motera

Gujarat Titans at venue

54%

Win rate across 24 matches at Motera

Powerplay

45/1.3

Average runs/wickets in overs 1–6 at Motera

Historical aggregates derived from Cricsheet (cricsheet.org) under ODC-BY licence. 2001/02–2026 IPL seasons. For editorial context only — not official live match data, not a forecast, and not betting advice. Projections and comparisons above are frozen from the live state and may not match final statistics.

The rivalry

Who could decide it

Gujarat Titans hold a clear edge in this fixture, winning 6 of the 9 meetings between the two sides. Rajasthan Royals have won only 3. The teams have split their last four encounters fairly evenly, but GT's head-to-head dominance at Narendra Modi Stadium makes this result a minor upset for Rajasthan.

Recent meetings

Last 5

2025: Rajasthan Royals won by 8 wickets at Sawai Mansingh Stadium
2025: Gujarat Titans won by 58 runs at Narendra Modi Stadium
2024: Gujarat Titans won by 3 wickets at Sawai Mansingh Stadium
2023: Gujarat Titans won by 9 wickets at Sawai Mansingh Stadium
2023: Rajasthan Royals won by 3 wickets at Narendra Modi Stadium

Key player · Rajasthan Royals

Ravi Bishnoi

Bishnoi was named Player of the Match after Rajasthan's 6-run win, his leg-spin proving decisive in the middle overs when Gujarat Titans were building dangerous partnerships during their chase of 211.

Gujarat Titans

AR Patel

Axar Patel's left-arm spin has historically been a threat at Narendra Modi Stadium. In this match GT needed their bowlers to restrict Rajasthan's middle overs, and Patel's ability to take wickets in clusters was crucial to GT's 91-run middle-overs concession becoming 3 wickets.

Career stats →

Rajasthan Royals

R Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin's off-spin is always a factor at this ground, which has historically rewarded spin bowling. His role in containing Gujarat Titans' strokemakers during the chase contributed to Rajasthan holding their nerve.

Career stats →

Angles to watch

Analytical angles worth tracking

Observations from the venue data, recent form and historical trends. Editorial context, not betting advice.

Top batter markets may offer more interest than outright result lines in high-scoring Ahmedabad fixtures, where individual innings can shape the match independently of team form.
The venue's 53 per cent chase success rate makes first-innings total markets worth considering, as setting a score above the 206 average has historically carried genuine value.
Leg-spin and off-spin bowlers have tended to feature heavily in Player of the Match awards at this ground, which may make individual bowling performance markets worth monitoring.
Rajasthan's current form (two wins from their last two matches in 2026) contrasts with Gujarat's run of four defeats in five. Form-based markets for tournament progression could reflect that gap.

For editorial context only. Not a forecast and not betting advice. 18+ only, please gamble responsibly.

Questions

Frequently asked

Rajasthan Royals won by 6 runs. They posted 210/6 batting first and dismissed Gujarat Titans for 204/8. Ravi Bishnoi was named Player of the Match.

Gujarat Titans had the better of the head-to-head, winning 6 of the 9 meetings between the sides. Rajasthan Royals had won 3. This result reduced GT's advantage to 6-4 across all meetings.

The match was played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India. It is a high-scoring venue with an average first-innings T20 score of 206 across 95 matches.

IPL 2026 matches are available in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket, with streaming via Sky Go and NOW TV for those without a satellite subscription. Most matches are played in Indian evening time, which typically means afternoon or early evening kick-off times in the UK.

Ravi Bishnoi of Rajasthan Royals was awarded Player of the Match. His leg-spin proved the decisive factor in a tight finish where Rajasthan held on by just 6 runs.

Rajasthan Royals won the toss and chose to bat, going against the venue's usual trend where 60 per cent of toss winners have opted to field. Batting first worked: Rajasthan posted 210/6 and defended it, suggesting the pitch offered more to bowlers as the match progressed.

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