PBKS vs RR

The points table has been thrown wide apart with that result, PBKS are still firmly on top with 13 points from 8 games but that is a huge result for RR who move to 12 points from 9 games, the same as RCB in one more game. The action simply does not stop at the IPL, tomorrow SRH would want to join RR at 12 points from 9 games but MI would do all they can to prevent that at the Wankhede as their season would be on the line. Huge encounter tomorrow, make sure you join us for that but for now this is Sourabh Agrawal signing off on behalf of Pradeep, Bidipto and the entire team. Cheers!

Donovan Ferreira is the Player of the Match tonight for his unbeaten 52* off 26 including the winning six, here is what he had to say: It was a good innnings, just keeping the mind nice and clear just like when I was a child playing with a toy truck. Told the guys we needed to keep showing intent and not be predictable. Was important to be calculated and play our shots. It is important to take it ball-by-ball, not think too far ahead. Kept reminding myself that it was just 10-12 an over, one good over. Luckily for me Shubham came in and played a lovely cameo, took the pressure off me and then luckily for me it happened in the second last over of Lockie. It is important to get the wins and stay around the top of the table

Riyan Parag (RR captain): As a team what we discussed at the start of tournament, we treat this as a game. I know everything around it has a lot of value but in the last game as well when we lost, it was looking at the errors we made, same tonight as well, go back and review it. I feel we could have bowled well in a few overs here and there but you are never going to get 40 overs, we were good for 35 overs but the aspiration is to get good 40 overs.

(was the middle order a concern?) The concerns were from everywhere else, not from us, everyone watching and commentating. We trust our players. When the openers or the top-3 fail to fire or go at a slow rate, we need to pick it up. All the worries were outside, not from us

(what was the plan in the chase?) The plan was to keep wickets in hand and not fall behind the rate. The way Jaiswal and Sooryavanshi started made the jobs easier for us once again. After the powerplay, we got a couple of overs for 5-7 runs each but then we picked it up again

(on Shubham Dubey) Him and Don, the way they played they took it away from Punjab. I honestly thought it was going to be neck-to-neck, expected them to bowl a lot more slower balls having watched us but the way they batted was commendable

11:07 PM local time and IST: PBKS players doing a lap of honor around the stadium, this is their last league game at this venue for the season as they will now move to Dharamsala for their next three home games

Yashasvi Jaiswal [Rajasthan Royals]: "(On batting with his partner) It’s been amazing batting alongside him. He’s playing brilliantly, and it’s always a great feeling watching him strike the ball from the other end.(On his role and seniority in the side) I wouldn’t say I’m the senior one—I still feel very young myself. But it’s great to be part of a group where everyone contributes, and we’re all learning from each other.(On approach and intent in the innings) We knew it was a high-scoring ground, so the intent had to be clear from the start. The plan was simple—if the ball was in our range, we were going to go for it. Chasing or setting 200-plus totals demands a strong start, so we backed ourselves to play positively.(On team environment and middle-order discussions) The environment in the group is very positive. There’s a lot of trust among the players, and we understand that not everyone will perform every day. The focus remains on processes, and we believe results will follow at the right time.(On the aggressive nature of the game this season) It’s about enjoying your time in the middle and playing with freedom. The mindset is to stay positive, maintain intent, and capitalize when opportunities come. That approach has been working well, and we’re having a lot of fun playing this way."

Shreyas Iyer [Punjab Kings captain]: "(On the total and where the game slipped) I thought 224 was an excellent score on this surface. Credit to the batters for the way they approached it, especially on a slightly tacky wicket. But with the ball, we fell short in execution. The plan was clear—use variations, slower balls, and yorkers—but we couldn’t deliver consistently. They also built a strong partnership in the middle and finished well at the death, which made the difference.(On the bowling challenges in modern T20 cricket) This format has evolved, and batters are coming hard from ball one. It’s not easy for bowlers, but it still comes down to execution. If you stick to your plans and execute well, you’ll succeed. Today, we just didn’t get that right.(On bouncing back and maintaining momentum) It’s important to stick to the routines and processes that have worked for us so far. We’ve had a tight schedule, but that’s no excuse. We’ll take a couple of days to reset, go back to the drawing board, and come back stronger.(On learning from the first loss of the season) It’s our first loss, and there are always lessons to take from games like this. We’ve done well defending and chasing big totals before, so this is just one of those days that didn’t go our way. The focus is to stay positive and keep moving forward.(On the spinners’ impact) The spinners did a great job. The pitch offered a bit of grip, making it hard to score freely. Harpreet Brar, especially in his first game, showed great control and composure. His spell was outstanding and a big positive for us."

10:55 PM local time and IST: MATCH SUMMARY

Rajasthan Royals (228/4 in 19.2 overs) beat Punjab Kings (222/4 in 20 overs) by 6 wickets

Donovan Ferreira 52*(26) | Yash Raj Punja 2/41(4)
Marcus Stoinis 62*(22) | Yuzvendra Chahal 3/36(4)

Every team has lost at least once this season then, PBKS' winning spree has been halted by Rajasthan Royals who get back to winning ways with a special run chase and make it an unfortunate end at Mullanpur for Shreyas Iyer's PBKS (at least in the league stage)

Doesn't a team love it when their decisions fire, pushing Ferreira to number 5 over Hetmyer and trusting Shubham Dubey as the impact sub has worked wonders for them as the two combined for a match winning unbeaten 32-ball 77 run partnership that made it a relatively comfortable win in the end, all smiles in the RR camp

Massive props to the two left-handers at the top again then, RR's season with the bat has revolved around Sooryavanshi and Jaiswal and it was once again the two who gave them the headstart in this hunt of 223. Specifically Sooryavanshi, 3 fours and 5 sixes for the 15-year old who smashed the bowlers all around the park yet again for his 16-ball 43 allowed Jaiswal to play second fiddle and when the teenager got out, the senior partner picked it up and made sure the momentum did not fluctuate

Third fifty of the season for Jaiswal, he would be disappointed to have got out straightaway after that but the rest of the job was finished by the middle order, a much needed kick from what was seen as a perceived weakness for them in the season so far but they turned up big time tonight, even the skipper Riyan Parag made a handy 16-ball 29 contribution

Having said all of that, PBKS would know that they have areas of concern with the ball. Arshdeep was slaughtered for 68 runs in 4 overs. Two contrasting debuts for the season for them, on one hand was Ferguson who looked short of a gallop and went for over 14 an over and then the left-arm spin of Harpreet Brar who bowled 4 frugal overs giving away just 25 runs. Chahal was the pick of the bowlers though, the wily old fox snapped up 3/36 and kept PBKS in the game

19.2 Marco Jansen to Donovan Ferreira, FOUR! RR DISMANTLE PBKS EFFORTLESSLY! Rajasthan Royals tear apart 223 with ruthless ease—Punjab Kings handed a brutal reality check with their first defeat of the season! Low full toss on the stumps, Ferreira clears his front foot and thumped it over mid-on and seals the deal as he reaches the FIFTY in style too. What a win this for RR!

19.1 Marco Jansen to Shubham Dubey, OH DEAR! Short and wide, Dubey slashes it in the air over backward point. Arshdeep charges in, and then stops for some reason as it falls short.

We will go into the final over, RR might haeve not wanted it to and perhaps wished to finish it inside the penultimate but not to be. Just 2 needed, RR on the verge of handing PBKS their first loss of the season