Rajasthan Royals’ Ravi Bishnoi, second left, celebrates with teammates (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra heaped praise on Ravi Bishnoi for his decisive spell in Rajasthan Royals’ narrow six-run win over Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026. He also remarked that the leg-spinner was undervalued at the auction and deserved a significantly higher price.Chasing 211 in Ahmedabad on April 4, Gujarat were undone largely by Bishnoi’s impact with the ball. The wrist-spinner returned figures of 4/41 from his four overs, striking at key moments to tilt the game in Rajasthan’s favour.Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra reflected on Bishnoi’s value and performance.“Ravi Bishnoi, we were talking at the time of the auction that he was sold very cheaply – seven crores is cheap. He should have got 10-11 crores. He was a brilliant acquisition at seven crores. He picked up four wickets and made the difference in the end because all the important wickets were in his name.”Chopra also reserved special praise for Tushar Deshpande, who delivered under pressure in the final over to seal the game.“Tushar Deshpande came into the team and Brijesh Sharma wasn’t there, and what a change in the end because Tushar Deshpande was standing between a win and a loss. Tushar Deshpande executed those yorkers beautifully. Thumbs up with both hands for executing under pressure,” he observed.Deshpande finished with figures of 1/24 in three overs and held his nerve in the final over, conceding just four runs while dismissing Rashid Khan when Gujarat needed 11 off six balls.Earlier in the innings, Dhruv Jurel played a standout knock, scoring 75 off 42 deliveries to anchor Rajasthan’s innings. Chopra praised his maturity, especially after being promoted up the order this season.“Before that, Dhruv Jurel. They have taken a big call this season to make him bat at No. 3, and he was absolutely stellar. He batted almost till the end. He scored his first Test century at this ground only. Very good guy. I love him to bits. I feel very happy when he does well. Then their two openers. In my opinion, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the most explosive openers of this league,” he said.Alongside Jurel, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (31 off 18) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (55 off 36) provided Rajasthan with a strong start at the top.On the other hand, Chopra pointed out shortcomings in Gujarat’s chase, suggesting that better planning could have changed the result.“GT, this match was yours. There are problems in batting. Shubman Gill’s injury, of course, didn’t help, but wickets fell at regular intervals. I thought it was a slightly haphazard chase. You could have won this game had you constructed it slightly better,” Chopra observed.

Despite a solid 73 off 44 from Sai Sudharsan, Gujarat lost momentum after his dismissal. From a strong position of 107/1 in 10.3 overs, the innings unraveled, allowing Rajasthan to complete a dramatic turnaround.

KL Rahul produced a commanding century to guide Karnataka to a memorable four-wicket win over 42-time champions Mumbai, sealing a place in the Ranji Trophy semifinals on Monday. Chasing a challenging target of 325 in their quarterfinal at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Bandra Kurla Complex, Karnataka leaned on Rahul’s class and composure. The India batter struck his 24th first-class hundred, scoring 130 from 182 deliveries, laced with 14 fours and a six, to anchor the chase.

Rahul found strong support in Ravichandran Smaran, and the pair put together a crucial 147-run partnership for the fourth wicket on the penultimate day of the match. Their stand took Karnataka into a position of control, with the visitors reaching 265 for three by the lunch interval. Rahul’s innings ended shortly after the break when he was dismissed by Tushar Deshpande, briefly reviving Mumbai’s hopes. Deshpande and Tanush Kotian then picked up two more wickets to reduce Karnataka to 285 for six, still 40 runs short of victory. However, Smaran held his nerve under pressure. The 22-year-old remained unbeaten on a composed 83 from 123 balls, hitting 11 boundaries, and saw Karnataka through to the finish. Vidyadhar Patil eventually struck the winning run, completing a significant victory for the eight-time champions. Rahul, 33, celebrated his century with little fuss, raising his bat briefly before resuming his focus. He reached the landmark by guiding Kotian through the off side for four. Since joining Karnataka late in the group stage, Rahul’s presence has proved vital, following a first-innings fifty against Punjab earlier in the tournament. Karnataka will now face Uttarakhand in the semifinal in Bengaluru next week.