Rajasthan Royals continued their winning run in IPL 2025 with a dominant 50-run win over the Punjab Kings, marking their second consecutive victory. After losses in their first two games, Rajasthan have now bounced back impressively. Punjab Kings, unbeaten until now, suffered their first defeat of the season, leaving Delhi Capitals as the only team yet to lose.
Opting to bowl first, PBKS struggled as Yashasvi Jaiswal returned to form with a fluent 67 off 45 balls. He added a solid opening stand with Sanju Samson, who contributed 38. Lockie Ferguson dismissed both set batters, but Rajasthan maintained momentum. Riyan Parag’s quickfire 43* and cameos from Nitish Rana (12), Shimron Hetmyer (20) and Dhruv Jurel (13*) powered them to 205/4.
Defending 206, RR reduced PBKS to 155/9 in 20 overs. Jofra Archer struck twice in the opening over, removing Priyansh Arya for 0 and Shreyas Iyer for 10.
Nehal Wadhera tried to anchor the chase with a gritty 62, while Glenn Maxwell chipped in with 30. However, both fell in back-to-back overs during a crucial stage. Maxwell was dismissed in the 15th, and Wadhera followed on the first ball of the 16th. Archer finished with 3 wickets. Sandeep Sharma and Maheesh Theekshana took 2 each. Rajasthan’s bowlers maintained tight control to close out the win. The Royals now boast a better net run rate, adding weight to their playoff ambitions.
Saw alot of Jofra Archer disrespect after a couple performances to start the IPL.
Been stellar since, but the commendations haven’t been as loud as the disrespect.
— Carlos Brathwaite (@CRBrathwaite26) April 5, 2025
Sooner or later Yashasvi Jaiswal had to be in form. Too good a player to miss out for long. Timing was the key at the start of his inning. #PBKSvRR
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) April 5, 2025
Big score this by RR on this pitch. Punjab’s batting will be tested!
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) April 5, 2025
