Punjab Kings pulled off a crucial 10-run win over Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, thanks to quickfire fifties from Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh, followed by a brilliant spell from Harpreet Brar. With this victory, Punjab moved to 17 points on the table — almost locking in their spot in the playoffs.
Punjab Kings put up a massive total of 219/5 on the board, powered by Nehal Wadhera’s brilliant 70 and Shashank Singh’s aggressive 59. Rajasthan Royals started their chase well but lost their way in the back end, eventually falling short and suffering their 10th loss of the season.
Nehal Wadhera Brings Up a Classy Fifty
Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh lit up the innings with explosive fifties, powering Punjab Kings to a strong 219/5 in their 20 overs against Rajasthan Royals. Opting to bat first, PBKS got off to a fiery start with Priyansh Arya hitting a boundary off the first ball. Prabhsimran Singh joined in, helping take 11 runs off Fazalhaq Farooqi’s first over. But Rajasthan struck back quickly — Tushar Deshpande removed Arya for 9 in the second over, caught by Shimron Hetmyer after an earlier dropped chance. Prabhsimran kept the momentum going with two fours and a six off Kwena Maphaka, but the debutant hit back by removing Mitchell Owen for a duck.
Punjab faced another blow when Tushar Deshpande struck again, removing the dangerous Prabhsimran Singh, who had smashed 21 off just 10 balls with three fours and a six. That left PBKS three down inside the powerplay. Despite the early jitters, captain Shreyas Iyer playing through injury and Nehal Wadhera steadied the innings. They kept the scoreboard moving and made sure no more wickets fell during the powerplay taking the team to 58/3 after six overs. Wadhera then shifted gears in the middle overs, going after Wanindu Hasaranga with intent, hitting him for two boundaries and a six across two overs to keep Punjab’s momentum going.
Iyer kept the scoreboard ticking with two crisp boundaries off Akash Madhwal in the ninth over, bringing up a vital 50-run stand with Nehal Wadhera. Punjab looked well-set at 97/3 at the halfway mark. Iyer then lofted Riyan Parag over long-on for a four to take PBKS past the 100-run mark in the 11th over, but his knock ended on the very next ball he mistimed one and was caught by Yashasvi Jaiswal for a handy 30 off 25 balls.
Omarzai-Shashank Punish Royals at the Death Overs
Shashank Singh then joined Wadhera, and the duo kept the pressure on the Royals. Shashank smashed Wanindu Hasaranga for a six and was lucky to survive when the bowler dropped a return catch. Wadhera, in fine touch, brought up his second fifty of the season in just 25 balls with a boundary off Madhwal and launched the next delivery for a six over deep square leg. The pair raced to a quick 50-run partnership. Shashank cracked a four in the 16th over before Wadhera’s entertaining knock came to an end on 70 (5 fours, 5 sixes), falling on the last ball of Madhwal’s over. PBKS were cruising at 159/5 after 16 overs.
Azmatullah Omarzai and Shashank Singh finished strong for Punjab Kings, making the most of the death overs. The pair stitched together a blazing 60-run stand off just 24 balls, giving the innings a late boost. Shashank brought up his well-deserved fifty in the final over, reaching the milestone in 27 balls. He stayed unbeaten on a fiery 59 off 30 deliveries, hitting five fours and three sixes, while Omarzai chipped in with a rapid 21 off just 9 balls, including a six and three boundaries. Among the Rajasthan Royals bowlers, Tushar Deshpande stood out with figures of 2/37, while Riyan Parag, Kwena Maphaka and Akash Madhwal picked up one wicket each.
Explosive Opening Stand from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi
In reply, Rajasthan Royals got off to a cracking start with Yashasvi Jaiswal and teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi putting on a 76-run opening stand. However, the momentum dipped after that. Sanju Samson, making a comeback from injury, looked rusty and was dismissed for 20 off 16. Riyan Parag couldn’t make much impact either, falling for 13.
Dhruv Jurel kept the Royals in the chase with a fighting half-century and took the game deep. But once he was dismissed in the final over, the chase lost steam. Kwena Maphaka hit a couple of boundaries in the last two balls, but the Royals still fell 10 runs short.
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