Qualifier 2 between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals began with an unusual moment even before the first ball was bowled. In a knockout match where both captains had strong reasons to prefer the same option, the toss suddenly became a major talking point.

The used surface in New Chandigarh was expected to slow down as the game progressed, making the decision at the start far more important than usual. What should have been a routine pre-match formality instead turned into a brief spell of confusion involving Shubman Gill, Riyan Parag and match referee Prakash Bhatt.

GT vs RR Qualifier 2: What caused the re-spin

Ravi Shastri was conducting the toss when Shubman Gill spun the coin and Riyan Parag made his call. However, match referee Prakash Bhatt said he had not heard the call clearly enough.

Because the call was not audible to the match referee, the toss was not accepted as official. After a brief discussion with both captains, Bhatt asked for the coin to be spun again.

The situation created confusion because the first toss appeared to have already produced an outcome. But since the referee said the call had not been heard, the only clean option was to repeat the process.

GT vs RR Qualifier 2: Why Shubman Gill looked unhappy

Gujarat Titans captain Gill did not look pleased after the re-spin. Both teams wanted to bat first, and Gill later said he would also have chosen to bat.

His reaction made the moment more noticeable. Gill said it was 'unfortunate' that the match referee had not heard the call clearly. That comment suggested Gujarat felt they had missed a key toss advantage in a high-pressure game.

On a used pitch, batting first was seen as valuable because the surface was expected to slow down later. Gujarat had also made a condition-based change, bringing in left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore for left-arm quick Kulwant Khejroliya.

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GT vs RR Qualifier 2: What Riyan Parag chose after winning

After the re-spin, Parag won the toss and chose to bat first. RR had already won the Eliminator on the same surface after batting first against Sunrisers Hyderabad, so there was no hesitation in repeating that plan. Riyan Parag backed his bowling attack to exploit the pitch later in the evening if it became slower. RR also stayed unchanged for the game. The match began with RR getting the call they wanted, Gujarat feeling hard done by, and the toss itself becoming the first controversy of Qualifier 2.

IPL 2026: GT vs RR Qualifier 2 Playing XIs

Rajasthan Royals XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Donovan Ferreira, Dasun Shanaka, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja.

Gujarat Titans XI: Shubman Gill (c), B Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Jason Holder, Washington Sundar, Nishant Sindhu, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj.

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