Why is Shubman Gill not playing in GT vs RR clash of IPL 2026?
(Courtesy : BCCI)
Rashid Khan is leading GT in Shubman Gill’s absence.
Gujarat Titans (GT) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) are locking horns in match 9 of the Indian Premier League 2026. The encounter got underway on Saturday, April 4, at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Gujarat lost their first game against Punjab Kings by three wickets. While batting first, they failed to perform well, posting just 162/6. Later, they could not defend their total.
On the other hand, RR defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their first game. In the low-scoring clash, Rajasthan chased a 128-run target like a walk in the park by eight wickets.
RR captain Riyan Parag won the toss against GT and opted to bat first. Notably, Shubman Gill is not leading GT in the encounter. Rashid Khan is captaining the side in his absence.
Why is Shubman Gill absent from the GT vs RR match?
Notably, Gill is not playing the clash against the Rajasthan Royals due to a back spasm. Stand-in captain Rashid Khan revealed this at the toss.
“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,” Rashid said at the toss.
In Gill’s absence, Kumar Kushagra replaced him as an opener in the playing XI. The GT skipper scored 39 runs in the opening game against PBKS.
RR playing XI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag (C), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma.
GT playing XI: Sai Sudharsan, Kumar Kushagra, Jos Buttler, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Ashok Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna.
Why is Shubman Gill not part of the GT vs RR match?
Gill is not part of the match due to a muscle spasm.
Who is captaining GT in the clash against RR?
Rashid Khan is captaining GT in the match.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.