Wadhera and Shashank shine as PBKS narrowly defeat RR in a high-scoring match
Wadhera and Shashank shine as PBKS narrowly defeat RR in a high-scoring match
IPL 2025: Nehal Wadhera and Harpreet Brar help Punjab Kings enter the playoffs in style. PBKS have all but made their first playoffs in 11 years.
Punjab Kings' outstanding performance helps them defeat the Rajasthan Royals a clinical performance witnessed in Jaipur, and gets closer towards the playoffs spot. PBKS was able to give a total of 219 runs, which includes a half-century by Nehal Wdhera and Shashank Singh.
Although RR's openers had a great start, Harpreet Brar's performance (3 wickets for 22 runs) brought them to a halt, and the home team took too long to bounce back.
PBKS Innings
Punjab Kings had a mixed innings, starting with quick wickets but ending with a strong score.
In the first six overs, Rajasthan Royals took three wickets, including Priyansh Arya, Mitchell Owen, and Prabhsimran Singh. Things looked tough, but Wadhera and Shreyas kept scoring quickly to keep PBKS in the game.
During the middle overs, Wadhera led the charge, hitting boundaries and scoring a fast fifty. Though Shreyas got out, Wadhera stayed aggressive, supported by Shashank Singh.
The death overs saw PBKS shift into top gear. Although Wadhera departed for 70 off 36, his work was done. Shashank Singh took over, hammering Fazalhaq Farooqi for 18 runs in a single over. Azmatullah Omarzai then joined the party, sending Maphaka to the boundary multiple times before unleashing a towering six. Madhwal briefly brought some control with well-executed wide yorkers, but Shashank ensured Punjab Kings had the final say. His late fireworks saw him complete a vital fifty, pushing his team to a daunting total of 219/5.
Rajasthan Royals’ Innings
Rajasthan Royals started with a bang, smashing their highest Powerplay score as Jaiswal tore into Arshdeep and Suryavanshi punished Jansen. RR raced past 50 in under three overs, but spin halted the momentum, with Harpreet Brar removing Suryavanshi.
PBKS tightened their grip in the middle overs. Jaiswal fell after a fluent fifty, and Samson miscued a shot off Omarzai. Dhruv Jurel and Parag tried to revive RR, but another strike from Brar kept Punjab ahead.
With 66 needed off the last five overs, Shimron Hetmyer and Jurel gave RR a glimmer of hope with timely boundaries. A wide that went for four further lifted their chances, but PBKS tightened their grip, restricting RR to just 19 runs in the next two overs while also dismissing Hetmyer. That left the Royals needing 22 off the final over with Jurel as their last major hope. Jansen, entrusted with the crucial task, bowled a stellar over, conceding just two runs off the first three deliveries before picking up Jurel’s wicket to all but seal the game. He added another scalp when Hasaranga edged one behind, though Maphaka managed back-to-back boundaries to reduce the margin of defeat.
Punjab Kings executed their plans brilliantly, overcoming RR's early dominance to pull off a fantastic win. Rajasthan Royals fought hard but lost momentum at the crucial stages, falling just short in their chase.