Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
Punjab Kings defeated Rajasthan Royals by 10 runs in a high-scoring thriller at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur to register their eighth win of IPL 2025. With this win, PBKS have now climbed to the second spot in the points table in the ongoing season and are on the verge of qualifying for the playoffs for the first time after 11 years. Batting first, PBKS posted 219 for the loss of five wickets in their 20 overs. In reply, RR were restricted to 209 runs losing seven wickets in their 20 overs.
Coming to bat first after winning the toss, PBKS were reduced to 34/3 in 3.1 overs. After that, Nehal Wadhera and skipper Shreyas Iyer added 67 runs for the fourth wicket. Iyer got out after scoring 30(25) runs, hitting five boundaries. After Iyer’s dismissal, Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh put up a partnership of 58 runs for the fifth wicket. Wadhera top scored with 70 runs off 37 balls, hitting five fours and as many sixes, while Shashank contributed with 59*(30), hitting five fours and three sixes. After that, Azmatullaah Omarzai also gave finishing touches with 21*(9) runs. For RR, Tushar Deshpande took two wickets while Riyan Parag, Akash Madhwal and Kwena Maphaka scalped a wicket each.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s efforts go in vain as RR fell short despite getting good start
Chasing the winning target, RR got a flying start as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi put up an opening partnership of 76 runs in just 4.5 overs. Suryavanshi got out after smashing 40(15) runs, hitting four fours and four sixes. On the other hand, Jaiswal went on to smash his sixth fifty of the season and got out after scoring 50(25) runs with nine fours and a six. After that, RR kept losing wickets at regular intervals and failed to take advantage of a good start.
Dhruv Jurel contributed with 53(31) runs, hitting three fours and four sixes in the middle overs but couldn’t take him down the line as RR fell short of just 10 runs from PBKS’ total. For RR, Harpreet Brar took three wickets, Azmatullah Omarzai and Marco Jansen took two wickets each.
