Jofra Archer’s IPL 2026 opener for Rajasthan Royals turned into a tough watch as he struggled with his length and rhythm in the first over against Gujarat Titans. The pacer ended up delivering an 11-ball spell, surrendering 18 runs and landing in the record set of the longest overs ever seen in the tournament. With the match already tilting against RR early, the over became a sequence of wides, a no-ball and multiple chances for GT to pile on runs.
Quick facts
- Rajasthan Royals pacer Jofra Archer bowled an 11-ball over vs Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026.
- Archer conceded 18 runs in the first over.
- The 11-ball over matched the joint-longest over record in IPL history.
- Rajasthan Royals were led by Yashasvi Jaiswal, who won the toss and chose to bowl.
- Gujarat Titans made a switch: Prasidh Krishna came in for Manav Suthar.
- Rajasthan Royals brought in Shimron Hetmyer and Yash Raj Punja.
That 11-ball over matched the joint-longest figure in IPL history, putting Archer alongside bowlers such as Mohammed Siraj, Tushar Deshpande, Shardul Thakur, Sandeep Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh—each of whom has previously bowled an 11-ball over in the league. The list of longest overs in IPL history (measured in balls) includes Siraj (2023 vs Mumbai Indians, Bengaluru), Deshpande (2021 vs Lucknow Super Giants, Chennai), Shardul Thakur (2025 vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Kolkata), Sandeep Sharma (2021 vs Delhi Capitals, Delhi), Hardik Pandya (2021 vs Gujarat Titans, Wankhede) and Arshdeep Singh (2021 vs Gujarat Titans, Mullanpur). In IPL 2026, Archer’s 11-ball spell against Gujarat Titans came at Jaipur.
Archer’s nightmare began immediately, with Sai Sudharsan taking advantage of width and then punishing a couple of mis-hit lengths. The over’s drama unfolded ball by ball, with wides piling up before a no-ball handed GT an extra platform to attack.
Ball-by-ball: Archer’s opening over
Ball 0.1: Archer sent down a short, wide delivery outside off stump, and Sudharsan cut it past point for a boundary to start the innings.
Ball 0.2: A wide outside off followed. The ball moved away sharply and Sudharsan went for it but couldn’t make contact.
Ball 0.2 (legal delivery): Archer then bowled a short-of-length ball outside off that also moved away. Sudharsan steered it towards backward point, but no run was taken.
Ball 0.3: Things worsened as Archer overstepped by a large margin and delivered a no-ball. Sudharsan guided the back-of-length ball towards backward point, where fielding errors allowed a single. Gujarat Titans also got a free hit.
Ball 0.3 (free hit): Archer sprayed it far down the leg side. Shubman Gill missed the flick and the ball raced away for five wides.
Ball 0.3 again: Another leg-side wide came, underlining Archer’s control issues.
Ball 0.3 again: Yet another wide down the leg side followed, making it three consecutive wides and stretching the over further. The free hit rule remained in effect as Rajasthan’s dugout looked tense.
Ball 0.3 (legal delivery): Archer finally found a yorker outside off. Gill tried to squeeze it through but missed completely.
Ball 0.4: A ball on middle and leg arrived, and Gill flicked it through square leg for a single.
Ball 0.5: Sudharsan survived a leading edge while attempting the cross-line flick. The ball cleared the cover fielder and the batters ran two; the third umpire checked briefly for another no-ball, but Archer’s back foot was marginally behind the line.
Ball 0.6: Archer ended the over with another misfield behind the stumps. Sudharsan struck a length ball towards cover for a single, but an overthrow at the keeper’s end let Gujarat Titans close out the over with 18 runs.
Before the over, Rajasthan Royals had won the toss and opted to bowl. Yashasvi Jaiswal captained the side in place of Riyan Parag, who had pulled his hamstring in RR’s previous outing. For Gujarat Titans, Prasidh Krishna came into the XI for Manav Suthar. Rajasthan also reshaped their batting and bowling balance, with Shimron Hetmyer and Yash Raj Punja added to the playing group.
Rajasthan Royals XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja.
Gujarat Titans XI: Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj.
