Royals crush Kings: Jaiswal, Archer break Punjab’s unbeaten spell

Rajasthan Royals handed Punjab Kings their first defeat of the season with a dominant all-round display, powered by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s blistering 67 and Jofra Archer’s devastating opening spell that shattered Punjab’s chase before it could even begin.

Rajasthan posted an imposing 205/4 on a tricky surface, then choked the life out of the response to seal a comprehensive 50-run win.

Archer’s opening blitz breaks Punjab early

On a pitch slowing under the lights, Archer’s spell was pure disruption. His very first ball — a length delivery veering off the deck — castled young Priyansh Arya, and just a few balls later, he sent Shreyas Iyer packing with a masterful change-up in pace and length.

Iyer, who had cracked two elegant boundaries over the covers, was lured into a trap —anticipating another short delivery, only to be undone by a fuller one that crashed into his stumps. The Royals’ power play dominance only intensified when Sandeep Sharma picked up Marcus Stoinis via a sharp return catch, reducing Punjab to 26/3.

Punjab never truly recovered. Kumar Kartikeya, introduced as an impact sub, struck next —tricking Prabhsimran Singh into a miscued shot to deep square-leg. At 53/4 in the seventh over, the Kings were left gasping.

Jaiswal explodes, Parag finishes

Earlier, Rajasthan had been launched into overdrive by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s furious start. After a close call early on — just clearing mid-on — he recalibrated and began swinging freely, clattering sixes over square leg and long-off with raw power and clean arcs.

Unfazed by Punjab’s slower-ball plan, Jaiswal timed his bursts with precision. A knuckleball from Lockie Ferguson finally deceived him, but his 67 off 36 had already set the tone.

After the early blitz, Riyan Parag brought finesse and fire in equal measure. Initially cautious against the cutters, Parag opened up with a pair of edged boundaries before launching into a six-hitting spree. He hammered Arshdeep and Jansen straight down the ground, then added one more off Stoinis in the final over to polish off a valuable 45 off just 23 balls. A few lusty blows from Dhruv Jurel in the last over carried the Royals to 205 on a pitch that had turned sluggish and unpredictable.

Wadhera and Maxwell flicker, then fade

Punjab found a flicker of hope in the middle overs, thanks to an 88-run stand between Glenn Maxwell and Nehal Wadhera, who looked fluent despite the mounting scoreboard pressure. Wadhera, long dubbed Ludhiana ka Yuvraj in his younger days, played with authority while Maxwell peppered boundaries.

With 96 required off 42, the chase seemed alive. But Theekshana and Hasaranga extinguished it in back-to-back deliveries—Maxwell toe-ended a catch to long-off, and Wadhera fell immediately after, dragging a googly to midwicket.

From there, the collapse was inevitable.