Rajasthan Royals produced a remarkable chase in Mullanpur on Tuesday, reeling in 223 to hand Punjab Kings their first loss of IPL 2026. The turning point came late in the innings as South African batter Donovan Ferreira powered the run chase with a brilliant cameo, finishing not out on 52 off 26 balls. With four balls to spare, Ferreira’s clean hitting in the final overs—after batting higher up the order due to the absence of Shimron Hetmyer—helped RR complete the job in style and spoil PBKS’s perfect start.
Ferreira’s finishing burst sets up the chase
Ferreira took full advantage of the death-overs phase, targeting Punjab’s bowlers when the equation demanded acceleration. Batting alongside Shubham Dubey, the South African maintained a steady strike rate before stepping on the accelerator as the required rate climbed.
- Rajasthan’s target was 223, chased down in Mullanpur.
- Ferreira ended unbeaten on 52 off 26 balls.
- RR reached the finish line with 4 balls remaining.
- He batted higher up the order because Shimron Hetmyer was unavailable.
From 71 needed to win: Ferreira and Dubey swing it
Even with the chase set up, the pressure was clear—Rajasthan still required 71 runs from the last six overs when Ferreira and Dubey combined. The duo completely shifted momentum with aggressive strokeplay, dismantling PBKS’s bowling plans in the slog overs.
- At one stage, RR needed 71 runs from the final six.
- Shubham Dubey stayed unbeaten on 31 off 12 balls.
- The pair attacked pacers Arshdeep Singh and Lockie Ferguson.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s start and Chahal’s effort
Earlier, Rajasthan’s chase didn’t begin from a shaky position. Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi delivered a flying start, taking RR to a strong platform with 43 off 16 balls, including five sixes.
Punjab Kings, however, refused to roll over. Yuzvendra Chahal produced a key spell, claiming three wickets, yet PBKS couldn’t stem the late surge that ultimately sealed the match for Rajasthan.
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made 43 off 16 with five sixes.
- Yuzvendra Chahal took three wickets for Punjab.
- PBKS’s unbeaten run in the season ended with this defeat.
Light-hearted post-match moment: Ferreira and Salman Khan joke
After the win, Rajasthan Royals shared a fun clip featuring Ferreira, in which he joked about an earlier Bollywood-linked exchange involving Salman Khan. In the video, Ferreira said: “Sorry bhai, aaj nahi.”
The humour traces back to an old social media post from 2014 by Salman related to Punjab Kings, a franchise co-owned by Preity Zinta. During a previous IPL match involving PBKS, Salman had posted: “Zinta's team won kya?” That line has since turned into a recurring online gag whenever Punjab Kings play.
The chase, the late-over fireworks, and the post-match banter all combined to make Tuesday night memorable—RR finishing the job with Ferreira and Dubey doing the heavy lifting as PBKS tasted their first defeat of IPL 2026.
