IPL 2026: Archer's wizardry fires RR into playoffs with emphatic win over MI as PBKS-KKR knocked out

Rajasthan Royals rode on Jofra Archer's all-round heroics to flatten Mumbai Indians by 30 runs and make it to the IPL 2026 playoffs. RR's commanding win at the Arun Jaitley stadium made them the fourth team to qualify for IPL 2026 playoffs alongside Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad. RR will now face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator on May 27.

RR gun down MI to storm into IPL 2026 playoffs

It was Archer's 3/17 and 15-ball 32 which did the trick for RR.

Batting first RR posted a big total of 205/8. In reply, MI surrendered to Jofra Archer's fiery spell of three-fer and were eventually limited for 175/9.

The 73 runs surrendered by MI in the final five overs of the first innings ultimately proved to be the turning point of the match, as Mumbai's batting lineup could only muster 175 for 9 in their reply. This crucial victory propelled the Rajasthan Royals into the fourth and final playoff spot on the IPL points table with 16 points. The result officially knocked out the Punjab Kings, while simultaneously crushing the slim, mathematical playoff hopes of both the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Delhi Capitals.

MI run out of steam in stiff run-chase after Archer's fury

Mumbai Indians' chase began in disastrous fashion, collapsing to 38 for four early on due to a lethal opening spell from Jofra Archer. The English pacer started the damage by producing an absolute jaffa—a perfect outswinger that darted away from Rohit Sharma, who fell for a four-ball duck after edging a defensive prod to wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel. Archer struck again in his next over, extracting sharp nip off the surface to shatter Naman Dhir’s stumps.

The top-order collapse deepened when Ryan Rickelton was caught at square leg off Nandre Burger for 12. Tilak Varma's disappointing season then met a fittingly frustrating end when he was undone by a Brijesh Sharma delivery that kept low, trapping him as he attempted a flick. This string of early wickets meant Mumbai failed to find any respite during the powerplay, wrapping up the first six overs at a dismal 49 for four.

Despite the early wreckage, Mumbai found a glimmer of hope through a 63-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Suryakumar Yadav and Will Jacks. Suryakumar rode his luck en route to a gritty 60 off 42 balls, which included four sixes and three fours. He survived a major mix-up with Rickelton due to a poor throw from Brijesh Sharma, who later dropped Suryakumar on 27 off the bowling of Yash Raj Punja. Jacks offered strong support with a quickfire 33 off 18 balls, while skipper Hardik Pandya later injected late energy into the chase with a brisk 15-ball 34.

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However, the definitive blow to Mumbai’s hopes came in the 16th over with the game still hanging in the balance. Needing 59 runs off the final 30 balls, Pandya chose to attack a steaming Jofra Archer in his final over rather than playing him out safely. The gamble backfired when Pandya mis-hit a delivery to end his animated cameo, and any lingering resistance evaporated two overs later when Nandre Burger took a sharp caught-and-bowled opportunity to dismiss Suryakumar, effectively sealing the match for Rajasthan.

Jofra Archer, Ravindra Jadeja's blitz in RR's win

Earlier, an explosive, late-innings partnership between Jofra Archer and Ravindra Jadeja lifted the Rajasthan Royals to a total of 205 for eight on a batting-friendly wicket against the Mumbai Indians on Sunday. In a must-win clash to secure the final available spot in the IPL playoffs, Rajasthan's specialist batters largely faltered. However, the lower order staged a vital late-game rescue, plundering 73 runs from the final five overs to push the score past the 200-mark. Archer blasted 32 off just 15 balls, including three sixes and a four, while Jadeja, batting down at number nine, anchored the finale with three boundaries in the last two overs to finish unbeaten on 19.

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Earlier, heavy expectations rested on the explosive opening duo of teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal, but both fell in quick succession after aggressive starts. Sooryavanshi’s struggles began on the very first ball when a potential six off Deepak Chahar was spectacularly pulled back inside the ropes by Will Jacks. Unsettled by the near-miss, the young opener failed to connect with his next few deliveries before mistiming a wild slog off a Chahar outswinger, resulting in a smart, running catch by Naman Dhir. Jaiswal, who had provided a flying start with three towering sixes, quickly followed his partner back to the dugout when he fell to a leading edge off Jacks after attempting one shot too many.

Struggling at 33 for two, Rajasthan's middle order failed to mount a counter-attack or stabilize the innings. Skipper Riyan Parag dispatched a few loose balls for boundaries but mis-hit a delivery from AM Ghazanfar in the sixth over, leading to a spectacular bunny-hop catch by Tilak Varma. Parag's cheap dismissal caps off a highly disappointing IPL campaign, making his recent appointment as India A vice-captain a decision that has raised plenty of eyebrows across the Indian cricket community.

While Dasun Shanaka provided a brief spark with a rapid 15-ball 29 that included three sixes, his promising cameo was cut short by a disastrous mix-up with Dhruv Jurel in the 11th over. Jurel once again played a gritty, stabilizing knock of 38 off 26 balls, forging two crucial mid-innings partnerships. However, his performance lacked the high-octane impetus Rajasthan desperately needed on a flat pitch, and his resistance finally ended when Corbin Bosch cleaned him up with a pin-point yorker.