Rajasthan Royals (RR) secured a 50-run victory over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Match 18 of the IPL 2025 season at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur. The Royals delivered an all-round performance, led by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s half-century and Jofra Archer’s fiery spell, to snap Punjab’s unbeaten streak and climb up the points table.
Rajasthan Royals Performance
The match began with Punjab Kings winning the toss and electing to bowl first. Rajasthan Royals, led by Sanju Samson, capitalised on the opportunity with a stellar batting display. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Samson laid the foundation with an 89-run opening partnership, the highest for RR this season. Samson contributed a fluent 38 off 26 balls before being dismissed by Lockie Ferguson. Jaiswal anchored the innings with a composed 67 off 45 balls, accelerating after his half-century to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Though RR lost wickets in the middle overs, Riyan Parag stepped up with an unbeaten 43 off 25 balls, supported by Dhruv Jurel’s quick cameo of 13* off five balls. The Royals ended their innings at an imposing total of 205/4, marking the first instance of any team breaching the 200-run mark at this venue in IPL history.
Punjab Kings struggled to contain RR’s batters despite efforts from Lockie Ferguson and Arshdeep Singh. Ferguson claimed two crucial wickets, but Punjab’s bowling lacked consistency against Rajasthan’s aggressive approach.
PBKS Chase
Chasing a daunting target of 206 runs, Punjab Kings faltered early as Jofra Archer delivered a sensational opening over. Archer dismissed Priyansh Arya on the very first ball and followed it up by removing skipper Shreyas Iyer later in the over. Sandeep Sharma added to PBKS’ woes by dismissing Marcus Stoinis cheaply, leaving Punjab reeling at 26/3 within four overs.
Nehal Wadhera and Glenn Maxwell attempted to revive the innings with an impressive 88-run partnership. Wadhera played a valiant knock of 62 off 41 balls, while Maxwell contributed a steady 47. However, their resistance was short-lived as Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga struck in consecutive overs to dismantle Punjab’s middle order.
The final overs saw PBKS collapse under pressure, with Archer returning to claim his third wicket by dismissing Arshdeep Singh. Punjab Kings finished their innings at 155/9, falling short by a significant margin of 50 runs.
Jofra Archer was named Player of the Match for his brilliant spell of 3/25, which set the tone for Rajasthan’s victory. With this win, RR moved up to seventh place in the standings, while PBKS dropped to fourth.
