Punjab’s “Superfast Express” on the schedule may still be running from platform one, but the timetable has tightened: the distance to the next two teams has shrunk. Almost a month after their first meeting, Punjab Kings finally tasted defeat, finishing second best to Rajasthan Royals in a run-fest that swung high and fast.
At a glance
- PBKS remain on platform No. 1, but the gap between the next two teams has narrowed.
- Nearly a month after the sides’ first game, PBKS suffered their first defeat of that stretch, losing to RR in a high-scoring match.
- Archer looked sharp in the Powerplay but conceded the most runs he has this season (40).
- Rajasthan won all three games against PBKS in Mullanpur.
- Sooryavanshi hit five sixes and three fours off 16 balls and reclaimed the Orange Cap, becoming the first player this season to cross 400 runs.
- Pulse Awards: RR (topple-the-topper), Harpreet Brar (smooth-entrant), Arshdeep Singh (win-big-lose-big), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (heritage-keeper), IPL (Thanos).
- Talking point: whether PBKS should be concerned about their bowling, especially early overs.
- Stat snack: nine 200-plus totals have been chased this IPL.
- Tonight’s watchlist: SRH (4th) vs MI (9th).
The game also played out like one of those six-hitting chapters you can miss while blinking. In the opening phase, Archer delivered pace and penetration, yet he also gave away his season-high tally—40 runs—marking a rare rough patch.
Punjab’s top order did contribute consistently, with Prabhsimran leading the charge. But the match’s momentum turned late as Stoinis launched a decisive burst, helping Rajasthan post a Powerplay that was their second-highest versus PBKS. That early surge was fuelled by a 16-ball blitz from the “Boy Wonder,” and the innings was held together by Jaiswal, with Ferreira-Dubey finishing the job in the closing overs.
Rajasthan’s dominance didn’t stop there. They have now won all three encounters against PBKS in Mullanpur, underlining how comfortable they’ve been when the venue and conditions line up in their favour.
Oh, that happened
Sooryavanshi was back to doing what he does best—sending the ball sailing. He clattered five sixes and three fours in just 16 deliveries, and the innings looked almost routine for the youngster, which is exactly why it stood out.
He also wrestled the Orange Cap back from his opening partner. With that knock, he became the first player this season to cross the 400-run mark, turning a strong run into a landmark in the season’s chase for batting honours.
Pulse Awards
Rajasthan Royals picked up the “topple-the-topper” honour for preventing Punjab Kings from getting too comfortable and trying to walk into the campaign unbeaten. The “smooth-entrant” award went to Harpreet Brar, rewarded for stepping into a season of 200-plus scores and for producing a tight, economical spell in his very first game.
Arshdeep Singh earned the “win-big-lose-big” tag for landing the day’s biggest prize—Sooryavanshi—but also for the cost of his most expensive IPL spell. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi received the “heritage-keeper” award for keeping the helicopter shot in style, a shot that has been familiar across eras with players like Azharuddin, Tendulkar and Dhoni all having used it. Then came the “Thanos” award for the IPL itself, citing how the league’s script has stayed “perfectly balanced” by producing a 75 all out followed by 222 in the same chase cycle.
Talking point
The key question after Rajasthan’s successful pursuit: should Punjab be worried about their bowling? RR’s chase offered a clear reflection of where Punjab’s attack has been inconsistent—especially when pace and lengths are supposed to be at their sharpest.
In the Powerplay, Rajasthan’s quicks attacked at a high tempo on firm lengths. Punjab’s bowlers, meanwhile, missed their spots too often. So far this season, PBKS have conceded 10.86 runs per over in overs 1 to 6, taking only nine wickets in that phase—the third-lowest wicket haul among teams for the early overs. Even though Chahal and Brar helped pull the game back later, the early damage was already too significant to fully erase.
Who’s saying what?
Shreyas Iyer admitted Punjab Kings didn’t deliver the bowling plan they had set out to execute. “We had planned to bowl a lot of slower ones, pace off, yorkers. I think we fell a bit short over there,” he said, pointing to execution as the main issue.
Bowling coach James Hopes insisted that Lockie Ferguson was “not an experiment.” He also stressed that Ferguson was “ready to go” following his return from paternity leave, framing him as a “world-class bowler” who was always meant to be a key option.
Rajasthan head coach Kumar Sangakkara praised Shubham Dubey for handling the Impact Sub role with precision, calling it one of the hardest jobs because players don’t know whether they’ll be required to bat or bowl. He described Dubey as “mentally skillful,” and added that Donovan Ferreira was “outstanding.”
Stat snack
In IPL form that rhymes with a Dua Lipa chartbuster, there’s a “Chasing Season” taking shape. Nine totals of 200-plus have been successfully hunted down this IPL—matching the number seen in 2025, with the tournament still just over halfway complete.
What’s the latest gossip?
Smokin Joe’s Pizzas has apparently made a move towards an IPL captain after viral dressing-room pictures made the rounds on social media. Whether this turns into something harmless—or sparks a bigger controversy—remains to be seen.
Tonight’s watchlist
Fourth-placed SRH face ninth-placed MI tonight. The question is whether Mumbai Indians can still pull off one of their trademark comebacks, and while the task is steep, it’s the blue-and-gold side—carrying five title trophies—that has the best chance of making the improbable look possible.
Reckless prediction
An Indian batting legend, set to turn 39 tomorrow, returns quickly from injury and smashes a 35-ball hundred—sending a message to a 15-year-old that the top order of the world doesn’t wait for age.
