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Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Riyan Parag lauded his teammates Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpabde and Dhruv Jurel after the team secured a narrow six-run win over Gujarat Titans (GT) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) IPL 2026 clash on Saturday.
The 2008 champions held their nerve to secure a thrilling victory over the Gujarat Titans. Despite a valiant effort from GT's Sai Sudharsan and a late surge from the Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada with the bat, RR spinner Ravi Bishnoi's four-wicket haul proved to be the difference. The match went down to the wire as GT required 11 runs in the final over, but RR's Tushar Deshpande kept his cool and only conceded four runs and also took the wicket of Rashid Khan (24 runs off 16 balls), who combined for a 43-run partnership with Rabada (unbeaten 23 off 16 balls). Reflecting on the team's bowling strategy in the death overs, Parag, during the post-match presentation, said, "It was just incredible. I took a challenge, thinking that let's go full and fast. It's insane that they (Jofra Archer and Tushar Deshpande) executed as we wanted. He (Dhruv Jurel) asked me to go to Jofra Archer on the 19th, so credit to him for that. If it comes out it's good, if it doesn't, we go again." Parag also highlighted Jurel's batting potential, backing him for a bigger role in the lineup. "We have not done a lot of justice to the talent he has. He has to bat No. 3, and hopefully this is the start for him," he added. Looking ahead, Parag said the team would quickly shift focus to their upcoming clash against the five-time champions Mumbai Indians. "We will focus on what we need to do against Mumbai," he noted. With the win, RR now sit atop the IPL 2026 points table with four points in their two matches so far and a Net Run Rate (NRR) of +2.233. For GT, on the other hand, it marked their second consecutive loss and also the first time they faced defeats in the first two matches of the IPL season. (ANI)
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