Rajasthan Royals, captained by Sanju Samson secured a dominant 50-run victory over Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings in the 18th match of IPL 2025. The clash took place on April 5 (Saturday) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. With this result, RR brought an end to PBKS’s unbeaten streak. After choosing to bat, Rajasthan piled up a strong total of 205/4, a fine fifty from Yashasvi Jaiswal. In response, Punjab Kings were bundled out for 155 suffering their first loss of the tournament.
In a much-needed return to form, young Indian talent Yashasvi Jaiswal let his performance speak volumes. The left-hander smashed a fluent 67, powering Rajasthan Royals to an imposing 205/4 against Punjab Kings. After a quiet start to the season scoring just 1, 29, and 4 in the first three matches the 23-year-old bounced back in style with a classy 44-ball fifty that included three fours and five sixes. His recent shift to Goa had stirred speculation and criticism with whispers of a possible rift with Mumbai cricket. But once Shreyas Iyer opted to bowl first, Jaiswal alongside skipper Sanju Samson (38 off 26), quieted the noise with a commanding 89-run opening stand, RR’s strongest start this season.
Rajasthan Royals stumbled slightly in the middle overs, losing three wickets between the 11th and 15th overs. Lockie Ferguson broke the momentum by removing both Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal, striking against the run of play. Nitish Rana contributed just 12 before falling cheaply, and although Shimron Hetmyer looked dangerous early on, his quickfire 20 off 12 didn’t translate into a big score.
It was Riyan Parag who provided the finishing touch, smashing an unbeaten 43 off 25 balls, including three sixes and three boundaries, to lift RR past the 200-run mark for the first time at this venue. After their best opening partnership of the season, the Royals piled on 55 runs in the next three overs. Parag along with Dhruv Jurel (13 off 5), added 20 runs in the last seven balls to give RR a powerful finish.
Archer Leads Ruthless RR Attack in PBKS Batting Meltdown
Punjab Kings got off to a disastrous start in their chase, losing Priyansh Arya on the very first delivery. Things worsened when skipper Shreyas Iyer had been in fine form and was bowled by Jofra Archer on the final ball of the opening over. By the end of the 7th over, PBKS had already lost their top four batters. A glimmer of hope emerged as Nehal Wadhera (62) and Glenn Maxwell (30) stitched together an 88-run partnership, but their dismissals on back-to-back deliveries derailed the recovery.
PBK’s innings unraveled completely. Archer led Rajasthan’s bowling charge with a brilliant spell of 3/25 in his four overs. Sandeep Sharma was equally impressive, returning figures of 2/21. Maheesh Theekshana (2/26), Kumar Kartikeya (1/21) and Wanindu Hasaranga (1/36) also contributed with key breakthroughs to seal the deal for RR.
IPL 2025 Points Table: After RR vs PBKS Match
READ ALSO: IPL 2025 Schedule: Full List of Matches, Fixtures, Dates, Venues, and Timings
