GT vs RR: It was not the start everybody was hoping for as far as the IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 was concerned as confusion reigned supreme at the toss .Rajasthan Royals (RR) won the toss in Mullanpur but only following a rare and highly controversial re-toss. The bizarre episode has sparked a heated social media debate with the footage of the double-flip instantly going viral and prompting wild fan theories about possible “toss rigging” in the crucial knockout match.
What Triggered the Re-Toss Drama?
The drama began at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium when Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Shubman Gill tossed the coin. RR captain Riyan Parag muttered his call while standing opposite him but was not loud enough for match referee Prakash Bhatt to take note.
Toss fiasco already at the start. #GTvsRR pic.twitter.com/OaKgRmd6oP
— Glorified Dakait (@BalakHasta) May 29, 2026
Suddenly veteran commentator Ravi Shastri, who was overlooking the broadcasting duties at the pitch, announced that the toss will be happening again. Players and fans were taken aback by the sudden intervention. During the first unrecorded attempt, Parag had whispered “Heads” but the coin had landed squarely on “Tails” which was contextually the first advantage for Gill and the Gujarat Titans.
But the match officials ruled the call as inaudible and gave a clean slate. On the second flip, Parag yelled out much louder. “Heads.” The Royals young skipper was lucky second time around as the coin fell exactly as he called. RR chose to bat first right away. A similar double-toss controversy had occurred 15 years ago, in the iconic 2011 ODI World Cup Final at the Wankhede Stadium. That day, the roar of the Mumbai crowd was so deafening that match referee Jeff Crowe couldn’t hear Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara’s call, which led to MS Dhoni flipping the coin a second time.
Gill Left Frustrated by Official Blunder
Shubman Gill was obviously annoyed with what transpired at the presentation area and was later seen in a heated discussion with GT head coach Ashish Nehra. Gill’s disappointment at losing the eventual official toss to Shastri was palpable.
”We would have batted first. There has already been 40 overs of play on this pitch. I don’t think it would change much. Unfortunately I don’t think the referee heard Riyan’s call,” Gill said at the toss.
GT vs RR Confirmed Playing XIs
The Rajasthan Royals decided to go in with the same team combination and hoped to carry their winning momentum from the Eliminator. In the meantime, Gujarat Titans brought in a big tactical change by bringing back premier left-arm spinner Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore in the playing XI.
Rajasthan Royals XI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Donovan Ferreira, Dasun Shanaka, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Punja.
Impact Subs: Shubham Dubey, Sushant Mishra, Aman Rao, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande.
Gujarat Titans XI: Shubman Gill (c), B Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj.
Impact Subs: Rahul Tewatia, Anuj Rawat, Glenn Phillips, Kumar Kushagra, Mohammad Arshad Khan.
Debayan Bhattacharyya is a seasoned sports journalist and digital media professional, currently serving as the Chief Sub Editor at ITV Digital (NewsX). A true Football-Fanatic Bong, his professional journey began at Zee Media, where he kicked off his career as a Sub-Editor for the sports team at India.com and CricketCountry. His ability to blend insightful analysis with rapid-fire news delivery soon led him to Times Network, where he served as a Senior Copy Editor for Times Now. Before his current role at NewsX, Debayan spent a significant tenure at OneIndia’s MyKhel as a Senior Sub Editor.
