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Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) dream of reaching the IPL 2026 final ended with a crushing seven-wicket defeat against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 2 on May 29 in New Chandigarh. However, RR’s surprising Ravindra Jadeja call has now been questioned by Sanjay Manjrekar after the loss.
Manjrekar was not happy with how Rajasthan Royals handled Jadeja’s injury situation during the IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 clash against the Gujarat Titans. The outspoken commentator openly questioned RR’s decision and felt they could have managed things differently.
Actually, Ravindra Jadeja was promoted to number four as the Rajasthan Royals team looked for an experienced batter to stabilize the innings. The all-rounder looked set for a big score before the all-rounder was hit on the arm while facing Gujarat Titans pacer Jason Holder in the eighth over.
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The blow looked serious, especially because the left-hander has already been dealing with a tennis elbow problem. After receiving treatment on the field, Jadeja was unable to continue and had to retire hurt. At that stage, the seasoned star had scored a quick 34 runs from only 19 balls and was helping Rajasthan build momentum after an early batting collapse.
Ravindra Jadeja recalled despite elbow issue
However, after Jofra Archer was dismissed later in the innings, Jadeja surprisingly returned to bat. His left elbow was heavily strapped, but he decided to continue despite the discomfort and pain. The experienced all-rounder showed great determination and stayed in the middle until the end.
Jadeja played an unbeaten knock of 45 runs from 35 balls and helped Rajasthan post a strong total of 214/8. He provided good support to the teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who played a magnificent knock of 96 runs off 47 balls against Gujarat Titans.
Despite those efforts, Gujarat Titans made the chase look comfortable and reached the target with seven wickets in hand, ending Rajasthan’s IPL 2024 campaign, thanks to centurion Shubman Gill.
Sanjay Manjrekar slams RR’s batting order gamble
After the match, Sanjay Manjrekar slammed RR’s tactical decisions in the knockout match against GT. The former Indian batter questioned why the team chose to send Jadeja back to bat after he had already retired hurt with an elbow problem.
Manjrekar was also surprised by Rajasthan’s batting order later in the innings. RR sent Jofra Archer to bat ahead of Donovan Ferreira. Archer had previously delivered one of the most important cameos of Rajasthan Royals’ season when he smashed 32 runs from 15 balls against Mumbai Indians to help the team qualify for the playoffs.
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But this time, he managed only 7 runs from 4 balls. However, Ferreira, who was sent to bat at No. 8, made an instant impact. The South African batter played a fearless knock of 38 not out from just 11 deliveries, smashing four sixes in the final over to give RR a strong finish against GT in the IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 on Friday.
Manjrekar questions RR’s Ravindra Jadeja decision
His explosive innings left many wondering whether RR could have scored even more if he had been sent in earlier, and Manjrekar feels they may have made a costly mistake against GT. He posted, X: “Still can’t get over the poor call by RR to put Jadeja back in after he had retired hurt & then have Jofra Archer come before Donovan Ferreira.”
Still can’t get over the poor call by RR to put Jadeja back in after he had retired hurt & then have Joffra Archer come before Donovan Ferreira.
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) May 30, 2026
