Yashasvi Jaiswal will officially lead Rajasthan Royals for the first time in IPL 2026 after regular skipper Riyan Parag was ruled out of the crucial encounter against Gujarat Titans due to a hamstring injury. Jaiswal was out for the toss in Jaipur, with RR winning the toss and opting to bowl first on what is expected to be another high-scoring surface at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Parag had sustained the injury during Rajasthan Royals’ previous match against Delhi Capitals. The RR captain tore his hamstring during the match and was unable to play in the second half, with Jaiswal stepping in to lead the team on the field for the remainder of the match.
However, Saturday’s match marks the first time that Jaiswal will officially captain Rajasthan Royals since the start of the match. In the draw, Jaiswal confirmed that Parag is expected to return soon. “We will bowl first. I think the wicket is very good and we want to chase it. Ryan injured his hamstring in the last match, so I feel he will be back soon,” Jaiswal said. RR also made two changes to their playing XI, bringing back Shimron Hetmyer and Yash Raj Punja for the important match.
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill admitted that Gujarat Titans would also have preferred to bowl first after losing the toss. GT made one change, with Prasidh Krishna returning to the side in place of Manav Suthar. Gilles also stressed the importance of sticking to the team’s strengths as the qualifying race heats up, highlighting the confidence GT has gained from winning several close matches this season.the difference:Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Shubman Gill (C), Sai Sudarsan, Jos Buttler (W), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj.Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal (C), Dhruv Gurel (W), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Tusshar Deshpande, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Poonja.