Shubman Gill missed out on the Gujarat Titans’ clash against the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026 on Saturday, April 4, due to a muscle spasm. Afghanistan star Rashid Khan led the Titans for their second clash of the season at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad after they lost their opener to the Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh.ย
Speaking at the toss after being sent in to bowl first against RR, Rashid revealed, “Gill has got a bit of a muscle spasm, hopefully he will be back soon.” Young Jharkhand batter Kumar Kushagra was named Gill’s replacement for the clash as GT look to bounce back from their three-wicket defeat to PBKS.ย
Parthiv Patel opens up on Gill’s comeback
Meanwhile, GT assistant coach Parthiv Patel spoke to the broadcasters during the second innings of the clash. He revealed that Gill’s injury does not seem to be serious and that he should be back in the team for the next game. “Obviously, he had a neck sprain before, and he had a spasm a couple of days back. Hoping he’s fit for the coming game. It doesn’t look like that serious,” Patel told broadcasters.
“The injury management is not my forte. But I can definitely tell you that he should be fine,” he added.ย RR are set to face the Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday, April 8, which gives Gill four days to recover and be fit for the clash.ย
RR make 210/6 in Ahmedabad
Meanwhile, RR put up a strong total of 210/6 in their clash against the Titans. Dhruv Jurel was the star with the bat as he made 75 from 42 balls with five sixes and as many fours. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took the team off to a flying start with their 70-run stand from 38 balls before the 15-year-old sensation was dismissed on 31 by Rashid Khan. Jaiswal carried on a bit and ended up making 55 from 36 deliveries to lay a strong foundation, which was cashed in by Jurel at the end.
Coming back to the toss, RR captain Riyan Parag opted to bat first and made two changes to his team. “We are going to be batting first. We have to assess and adapt to different conditions. Hopefully, we will put up a good score around 210 and defend it later on. We want to be a team that can play in all conditions. I want it to be a team that is flexible. We don’t want to play one brand of cricket. We don’t want to be a team that only scores or bowls for 200 runs or 250 runs. I think, as I said, I want us to assess the pitch, play through all conditions that the IPL offers to us, and be good at it. So I think that’s the message. Two changes. Tushar Deshpande comes in for Brijesh, and Shubham Dubey comes in for Bishnoi,” Parag said at the toss.
“Well, we wanted to bowl first as well. Fresh wicket and I feel like there will be some help for the bowlers initially, but we are quite happy with the toss so far. Gill has got a bit of a muscle spasm, hopefully he will be back soon. KK (Kumar Kushagra) is playing his first game and looks forward to seeing him play,” Rashid said at the toss.