Why Rashid Khan is leading Gujarat Titans instead of Shubman Gill in IPL 2026 clash against Rajasthan Royals

Gujarat Titans faced an unexpected leadership change during their IPL 2026 clash against Rajasthan Royals when regular skipper Shubman Gill was ruled out due to a muscle spasm. Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan stepped up as stand-in captain, taking charge at the toss and guiding team strategy on the field.

Why Shubman Gill missed the match?

Shubman Gill’s absence stems from a muscle spasm that flared up before the game. The GT management decided against risking further injury to their star opener and captain, opting for caution in the early stages of the season.

Rashid Khan addressed the situation directly during the toss interview

“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 bit of a muscle spasm, hopefully he will be back soon. KK (Kumar Kushagra) is playing his first game and look forward to see him play. I think we played good cricket (in the last game),” Rashid Khan said during the toss.

"I feel in the last game as well, it was a very close game, but some of the areas we need to improve our bowling and also with the batting. And we spoke a lot about that in the meetings and we just need to bring our A-game here and give our 100%. So I feel like we did really well in the last game as well, but we take the positive things from that and we keep improving our skills in our game," added GT stand-in skipper at the toss.

Shubman Gill’s recent record

Shubman Gill has been a pillar for Gujarat Titans since taking over captaincy. His numbers underline why his absence is felt deeply.

Shubman Gill in IPL since 2025: Innings – 16, Runs – 689, Average – 49.2, SR – 155, 50s - 6

Shubman Gill vs RR in IPL: Innings – 15, Runs – 530, Average – 40.8, SR – 131, 50s – 3

Shubman Gill at Ahmedabad in IPL: Innings – 25, Runs – 1157, Average – 52.6, SR – 162, 50s/100s – 5/3

These stats show Shubman Gill’s consistency, particularly at home in Ahmedabad where he thrives with a high strike rate and multiple big scores. His record against Rajasthan Royals also reflects strong performances in past encounters, making his unavailability a notable blow for contest against RR.

GT vs RR: Teams

Gujarat Titans Playing XI: Kumar Kushagra, Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler(w), Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan(c), Kagiso Rabada, Ashok Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Gujarat Titans impact subs: Shahrukh Khan, Jason Holder, Manav Suthar, Anuj Rawat, Jayant Yadav

Rajasthan Royals Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma

Rajasthan Royals impact subs: Ravi Bishnoi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Shubham Dubey, Brijesh Sharma, Ravi Singh