With 15 needed off the last two overs, it was Gujarat Titans (GT) game to lose. Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada were well set and looked primed to take their side home in the crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash. However, that’s when Rajasthan Royals (RR) unleashed their trump card. Jofra Archer came in to bowl the penultimate over.
He bowled into Rabada, not giving him room to get the ball away and induced much-needed dots. RR smartly took a review for leg-before off the fourth ball and sucked away some momentum. In the end, Rabada conceded just four. FOUR SINGLES! That’s goldust given the circumstances.
Enter Tushar Deshpande
That allowed Tushar Deshpande 11 to defend in the final over. He started off with a wide. Pressure on the bowler. But given that Deshpande has played numerous seasons with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and with Dwayne Bravo, he was accustomed to such pressure. But could he hold on to his nerves on the night?
He followed that up with 1,1,1,0,W,0 and closed out the match for RR. He nailed the Yorkers and full & wide deliveries and did so in a crunch situation.
RR conceded just eight off the last two overs – a phenomenal achievement indeed. Archer and Deshpande executed their plans extremely well and bore the fruits. Their effort produced the first nail-biting finish of the season. One would hope that it is the first of many.
With this win, RR have won both their matches in IPL 2026, while GT have a lot to think about, as they have lost both matches so far.
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