IPL 2026: RR win toss, choose to bowl first against GT; Riyan Parag misses out

Rajasthan Royals (RR) have won the toss and opted to bowl first in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Saturday. RR are missing the services of designated captain Riyan Parag, who is sitting the fixture out after having pulled his hamstring in the team's last game. Yashasvi Jaiswal is standing in as the skipper for RR.

Rajasthan Royals (RR) have won the toss and opted to bowl first in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Saturday. RR are missing the services of designated captain Riyan Parag, who is sitting the fixture out after having pulled his hamstring in the team's last game. Yashasvi Jaiswal is standing in as the skipper for RR. Jaiswal, after winning the toss, said that Rajasthan Royals chose to bowl first as they expect the pitch to be good for chasing. He also mentioned that regular captain Riyan Parag is recovering from a hamstring injury but is expected to return soon. Jaiswal confirmed that Shimron Hetmyer and Yash Raj Punja have been included in the playing 11, and expressed excitement ahead of the match.

"We are going to bowl first. I think the wicket is pretty good and we want to chase it. Riyan pulled his hamstring last game, so I feel he'll be coming back soon. Shimron Hetmyer comes in and Yash Raj Punja comes in. That's the two guys who have been coming in. I'm really excited, looking forward to the game," Jaiswal said at the toss presentations. RR made a strong start to their IPL 2026 campaign but have recently lost momentum, winning only two of their last five matches. They currently sit fourth on the points table and remain in the playoff race, though they will need improved consistency to avoid slipping further. Meanwhile, GT arrive on a strong run of three consecutive wins. They are fifth on the IPL 2026 standings and will look to overtake RR with a win in this contest.

With both teams fighting for crucial points, the match is expected to be a closely contested encounter, as a win for either side is set to significantly impact their position in the standings. RR vs GT playing 11s

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja RR Impact Sub options: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Adam Milne, Ravi Singh, Sushant Mishra, Ravi Bishnoi

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler(w), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj GT Impact Sub options: Prasidh Krishna, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Kumar Kushagra. (ANI)