Ravi BishnoiOne of the most talented spinners in Indian cricket at the moment, has had a dream start to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. He is the current holder of the Purple Cap, having taken five wickets at an average of 11.40 in two matches.
On Saturday, April 4, he bowled brilliantly to help the inaugural champions defeat Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Defending the target of 211 runs, Rajasthan needed wickets at the back end of Gujarat's innings. The host team is in a strong position after scoring 103 runs for the loss of one wicket at the end of 10 overs. However, Bishnoi wreaked havoc as he quickly took four wickets to give his team the lead.
Ultimately, the Royals won the high-scoring thriller by six runs. After the match, Bishnoi recalled the previous season of IPL, when he played for Lucknow Super Giants and his performance with the ball was tough. In 11 matches, he took only nine wickets at an average of 44.56. After being released by Lucknow after last season, Bishnoi was roped in by Royals for Rs 7.20 crore and since then he has not looked back.
The 25-year-old revealed that he worked on his height after the IPL 2025 debacle and focused on the mental, technical and physical aspects of the game.
“It was a tough season last year. When I miss my length, I get hit. I was trying to work on my length, and if someone hits on it, there is no problem. Mental, technical and physical (effort) all together. Had to bowl a lot of balls (to continue improving),” Bishnoi said during the post-match presentation.
When asked which was his favorite wicket out of the four wickets he took on Saturday, Bishnoi named Rahul Tewatia and highlighted its importance as the southpaw is known for finishing matches.
“The wicket of Rahul (Tewatia). He is a player who is famous for such situations. Had he not been out then, the match could have gone either way,” he said.
Bishnoi refused to take full credit for Royals' crucial win. He lauded the efforts of Tushar Deshpande and Jofra Archer and said that the young Royals team will entertain in the coming games.
“The way Tushar Deshpande bowled, the way Jofra Archer bowled the 19th ball, it was a collective effort. This is a young team and we hope we continue to entertain,” he said.
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