Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) squared off in the 18th Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh.
PBKS decided to bowl after winning the toss, limiting RR to 205 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal‘s outstanding performance enabled the Rajasthan Royals to surpass the 200-mark.
Given that they had won two of their last three games, it was up to the Royals’ bowlers to ensure that they dealt PBKS their first tournament defeat, which they accomplished by a margin of 50 runs. Jofra Archer’s outstanding bowling performance against the Punjab Kings took centre stage.
Talking Points
1. The top order of the Rajasthan Royals picks up speed
The top order eventually finding its rhythm was a major factor in the Rajasthan Royals’ victory over the Punjab Kings. Yashasvi Jaiswal finally recovered his form and gave his team a strong start with a well-crafted 67 off 45 balls, which included three fours and five sixes, after he struggled in the IPL 2025 with low scores of 1 against SRH, 29 and 4. With a steady 38 off 26 balls, captain Sanju Samson fortified the base.
Another significant contribution came from Riyan Parag, who scored 43 runs off of just 25 balls at a strike rate of 172. With Nitish Rana settling in at number four and the top three performing well, Rajasthan’s batting lineup currently looks dangerous. The Royals are expected to dominate their next games with their strong base.
2. The return of Jofra Archer
Jofra Archer’s spectacular bowling display during the PBKS vs. RR game stole the spotlight and provided all Rajasthan Royals fans with exactly what they had been hoping for. Taking two crucial wickets in his opening over, the English pacer made a spectacular comeback to form. At the conclusion of his four-over spell, he claimed two wickets for a mere twenty runs.
Archer’s first ball clean bowled Priyansh Arya for a duck. During the same over, Archer delivered another deadly blow to Shreyas Iyer with a beautiful delivery that shook his stumps. By guaranteeing that PBKS’s top order never had a chance to settle, Archer’s two early breakthroughs eliminated any prospect of a comeback.
3. The struggle of PBKS middle and lower order
The middle and lower order of PBKS were a major cause for concern after their defeat by the Rajasthan Royals. Despite Nihal Wadhera’s spectacular 62-run effort, none of the other hitters could come up and close the game with authority. Glenn Maxwell showed moments of brilliance with a quick thirty runs, but any hopes of a PBKS comeback were dashed when he was dismissed by Maheesh Theekshana at a critical juncture, just as they seemed poised to take the lead.
Marcus Stoinis failed, like he had in the previous games, scoring just 21 runs in his first four games. The lower middle order, consisting of Shashank Singh and Suryansh Shegde, also found it difficult to sustain the momentum that Wadhera had created.
Who Said What?
Sanju Samson, Rajasthan Royals skipper
The way we started in the powerplay, we thought we were running a bit short but the quality of the batters we have got, 205 was a very good score on the board. Very young batting lineup, very young in age but they have played a lot of games for the country. They are managing and playing the game very well. (on Archer and Sandeep) That’s a very deadly combo,. one guy bowling at 150 and one guy at 115. (on being told Sandeep hit 130kph) Oh did he? we should cut a cake on that.
I can trust them a bit more with the pressure overs. (on Archer) We all love it when he bowls fast. Doing it for me in the last 4 years, he is one of the best guys in India right now bowling fast. We did have a small meeting in the timeout and I suggested they are a quality side and we can’t take it easy. Till the last ball is bowled, we can’t guarantee a win. We focused on the process and the result took care of itself. We took our time to find out what the best combination and lineups and orders are, injuries we have to take care as this is a long tournament.
Shreyas Iyer, Punjab Kings skipper
(On the performance) To be honest, I was considering around 180-185. That would be good to chase over here, we weren’t able to execute our plans. I’m glad this blip happened early in the tournament. It was a decent pitch, the ball was holding a bit and we were not giving them much pace. (On what went wrong) I felt we could taken it slower and tried to build partnerships, but lots of learning from this game.
Today there was no dew as we anticipated, but I feel we need to go back to the drawing board and see the videos where we weren’t able to execute with our bowling and batting. We lost back to back wickets as well, which wasn’t ideal as it isn’t easy for new batters. Nehal was phenomenal under pressure. He took some time and then was able to charge the bowlers, make the most of the situation. Need a slight hiccup to wake you up at the start of the tournament. I personally feel this loss will be good and we will need to go back to the drawing board.
Jofra Archer, Player of the Match
Beginning of the tournament that happened but happy to contribute to the win. When days like this, you make sure you got to cash in, you enjoy the good ones and take the bad ones in your stride. You will be lucky in some circumstances, everyone is training just as hard as you, every day is not going to be a great day. (on if he is West Indian or England) No comment.
India
