Jaipur
Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 10 runs in a high-scoring IPL 2025 match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday. This win takes PBKS closer to qualifying for the playoffs.
Batting first, Punjab Kings posted a total of 219/5. Nehal Wadhera led the charge with a career-best 70 runs. Shashank Singh remained unbeaten on 59 and shared a key 67-run partnership with captain Iyer, who made 30. RR’s bowlers tried to contain the flow, with Tushar Deshpande taking two wickets and Kwena Maphaka dismissing debutant Mitchell Owen.
In reply, Rajasthan Royals began strongly. Openers Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed 76 runs in the powerplay. Jaiswal scored a quick half-century, crossing 500 runs in the season, while Suryavanshi added 40.
However, Harpreet Brar changed the game by taking three crucial wickets, finishing with figures of 3/22. Marco Jansen and Azmatullah Omarzai took two wickets each as RR struggled to keep up. Despite half-centuries from Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel, RR could only manage 209/7, falling short by 10 runs.
After the match, RR captain Sanju Samson admitted the team lost momentum after a strong start. He emphasized the importance of finishing games well and promised to come back stronger.
With this result, PBKS keeps their playoff hopes alive, while RR must now regroup quickly as the tournament nears its final phase.