Jofra Archer marked the start of the second innings with a strike on the very first delivery, pulling him level with a long-standing IPL benchmark held by Mohammed Shami during Rajasthan Royals’ clash with Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Key takeaways
- Archer struck off ball one of KKR’s chase, matching Mohammed Shami’s IPL record for wickets taken on the first ball of an innings.
- Tim Seifert was dismissed for a golden duck on Archer’s opening delivery of the second innings.
- Archer’s first-ball wicket streak also includes dismissals in RR’s prior two matches, vs RCB on April 10 (Phil Salt) and vs SRH on April 13 (Abhishek Sharma).
- Rajasthan’s total was 155 for nine, with Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine combining for five wickets.
- RR were 63 without loss early, but the innings turned after spin was brought into play, leading to a collapse to 118 for four in 15 overs.
Archer’s first-ball breakthrough sets the tone
Chasing a target, KKR received the first-ball impact they couldn’t afford. Archer opened the bowling for Rajasthan Royals and removed Tim Seifert with the very first delivery, leaving the batter stranded on a golden duck. The wicket was Archer’s fifth on the first ball of an IPL innings, tying him with the record of Mohammed Shami.
That milestone wasn’t isolated. Archer had also managed wickets on the opening ball in RR’s previous two outings—against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 10, when Phil Salt was dismissed, and against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 13, when Abhishek Sharma fell.
Wickets taken off the first ball of an IPL innings (most): 5 — Mohammed Shami; 5 — Jofra Archer.
RR’s 155 for nine and the turning point in their innings
Earlier, Rajasthan Royals won the toss and opted to bat. Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine proved decisive with the ball, combining to take five wickets and restricting RR to 155 for nine.
Rajasthan’s situation could have been tougher had KKR not eased up during the power play. RR made a confident start, moving to 63 without loss as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi struck at better than a run-a-ball pace against the pace attack.
However, the momentum shifted once spin came into the attack. Sooryavanshi launched Narine for a six off the second delivery, but Narine responded by holding his nerve with five consecutive dot balls. Chakravarthy then struck with his fourth ball, dismissing Sooryavanshi and completing his 200th T20 wicket. The batter was caught by Ramandeep Singh at deep midwicket.
From there, Rajasthan lost control of the run rate and slipped from a strong platform to 118 for four after 15 overs, with the scoring rate dropping below eight.
