At Mullanpur, a game that promised high drama delivered exactly that—Punjab Kings' spirited chase was dismantled, and Rajasthan Royals walked away with a statement win.
Chasing 206, PBKS looked down and out early as Jofra Archer, worth every bit of his ₹4.4 crore price tag, struck gold in the first over. Shreyas Iyer and Priyansh Arya were sent packing before the crowd could even settle. The Royals' gamble on Archer? Fully justified.
#PunjabKings vs #RajasthanRoyals, 18th Match
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Rajasthan Royals won by 50 runs
RR 205/4 (20)
PBKS 155/9 (20) CRR: 7.75
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But then came Nehal Wadhera.
The left-hander tried to resurrect the innings with a brave 50 off 33 balls, keeping PBKS in the hunt with some clean hitting and level-headedness. Just when it seemed Punjab might claw their way back, Maheesh Theekshana stepped in with a tight spell to choke the scoring rate.
Back-to-back wickets in the 18th over sealed Punjab’s fate as they stumbled to 150/8 after 19 overs, their dream of chasing down the highest-ever IPL total at Mullanpur fading away.
Earlier in the evening, Yashasvi Jaiswal led the Royals’ charge with yet another classy knock, while Riyan Parag’s unbeaten 43 off 25 gave the innings a perfect finish. Their total of 205/4 wasn’t just match-winning—it was record-breaking.
This marks the first-ever 200+ score at the Mullanpur venue in IPL history.
PBKS may have fought back, but it was the Royals’ night—from Archer’s explosive start to Parag’s cool finish. Rajasthan look like serious contenders. Punjab, on the other hand, have some tough questions to answer.
