Watch: Toss retaken in GT vs RR Qualifier 2 — Why the match referee's blunder has everyone talking

A shocking incident took place during the toss of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash of the second qualifier between the Gujarat Titans (GT) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Stadium, Mullanpur, in New Chandigarh, when the toss happened twice.

When the coin was tossed up in the air for the very first time, the match referee, Prakash Bhatt, failed to hear the visiting captain, Riya Parag’s call. That was why it was done for the second time as the fans drew the comparison from the ICC ODI World Cup 2011 final at the Wankhede Stadium.

How the match referee's missing Riyan Parag’s ‘heads’ call sparked Qualifier 2 controversy

There was a bit of controversy over the toss. Heads was the call from Parag as it came down as tails. But the match referee said that he couldn’t hear the all, for which they had to redo the toss, which was won by the Royals, as they decided to bat first on a used surface.

Watch the GT vs RR IPL 2026 Q2 toss blunder here- 

“We would have batted first as well. 40 overs of play have already been played on the wicket, and we didn't think it's gonna change much, but unfortunately, I don't think the referee heard the call from Riyan.” The GT captain, Shubman Gill, said with a disappointed look on his face.

See Also: IPL betting racket busted in Maharashtra — ₹87 lakh seized ahead of GT vs RR Qualifier 2 | Watch

Six of the last seven games in the IPL 2026 were won by the batting first side as the pitches started to wear out a little.

How the toss blunder could decide who goes to the IPL 2026 Final

On the fourth delivery of the batting innings, the inaugural champions lost their opener, Yashasvi Jaiswal, for just one run while their inform wicket-keeper batter, Dhruv Jurel, also went back to the hut for just seven runs off six runs as the GT bowling created massive pressure on the RR side.

See Also: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gets blank cheque bat deal offer ahead of IPL 2026 Qualifier 2

However, India's new sensational Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ravindra Jadeja put up a vital 73-run partnership for the third wicket to recover the ship before the latter went off the ground with some injury. Jason Holder’s two quick wickets pushed back the Royals further.

Fans fume as match referee's blunder overshadows GT vs RR Qualifier 2

The fans from the Titans were not happy and smelled something fishy behind it as they reacted heavily to the toss blunder of the GT vs RR Qualifier 2 on the social media platforms-

Follow the live scorecard of GT vs RR from IPL 2026 Qualifier 2-

RR- 148/5 (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 77*, Jason Holder 2/15) vs GT in IPL 2026 Qualifier 2.