The defending champions of the ongoing IPL 2026 season come to an end. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) suffered their first defeat of the ongoing campaign, after winning the first two matches, they were outplayed by the Rajasthan Royals tonight at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) claimed their fourth win on the trot with ease. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel made the run chase easy for the team, even after losing multiple wickets in crucial moments. Chasing a target of 202, RR won the match by 6 wickets and 12 balls to spare.
Sooryavanshi and Jurel took the moment away from RCB
The target of 202 was not easy to claim. Rajasthan’s run chase looked smooth because of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel. Sooryavanshi started the innings in his own style, smashing the bowlers for big shots. The bidding opener got 78 runs with an electrifying strike rate of 300.00, off 26 balls. His impactful knock was decorated with eight 4s and seven 6s.
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The early momentum Sooryavanshi offered the team was carried properly by Jurel, who remained on crease after scoring an unbeaten 81 with a strike rate of 43. The match-winning batting of Jurel set the tone for Rajasthan.
In the mid phase of the second innings, when RR lost multiple wickets, including Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the keeper-batter remained calm and waited for the right moment to accelerate the run rate.
Jash Hazlewood started IPL 2926 with a defeat
Josh Hazlewood played his first match of IPL 2026, but it was simply not one of his best with the RCB. The pacer picked up a couple of wickets but at an expense of 11.00 economy rate in 4 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar remained wicketless after delivering 4 overs and conceding 37 runs.
Krunal Pandya did an efficient job, taking two wickets for an economy rate of only 7.50. The rest of the RCB bowling unit proved too expensive to defend the 201-run total. This is RCB’s first defeat in a designated away game in a group fixture since losing to KKR at the Eden Gardens in 2024.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made a huge difference: Rajat Patidar
“I think the way we started in the powerplay, those initial wickets, and from there, 202, I think that’s a positive sign for us. And at the same time, the way their batters, especially Vaibhav, batted in the power play, I think that made a huge difference. I think the way we are, I think in our last matches that was brilliant,” RCB captain, Rajat Patidar, said after the match.
“But I think there are a lot of learnings from this game. I don’t think that much because Venky, Shepi (Shepherd), and KP were there. So I think we had to manage those overs with all three bowlers. I don’t think that made a huge difference.”
“I think if you are playing this kind of competitive cricket, especially in the IPL, there will be errors. But the important thing is how you look at it, you have to learn from your mistakes,” he added.
Read More: IPL Points Table 2026: Updated Standings, Orange Cap, Purple Cap After RR vs RCB Match 16
