RR vs PBKS Today Match Results: Punjab Kings rode on lightning fifties from Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh followed by Harpreet Brar's exceptional spell to notch up an important 10-run win over Rajasthan Royals in their IPL 2025 clash at the Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh stadium. This win took Punjab's points tally to 17 which with which they have all but sealed their playoff spot.
PBKS down RR to almost seal playoff spot
PBKS posted a colossal total of 219/5, thanks to Nehal Wadhera's stellar 70 and Shashank Singh's 59. In reply, despite getting off to a solid start RR batters choked in the end to go down to suffer 10th defeat of the season.
PBKS will next face Delhi Capitals (DC) on May 24 at Sawai Man Singh stadium while RR will take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 20 at the Arun Jaitley stadium.
RR batters run out of steam in big chase
RR kicked off their chase with a bang as their opening pair, Yashasvi Jaiswal and the young Vaibhav Suryavanshi, launched a fierce assault on PBKS' bowling attack. Jaiswal set the tone by smashing 22 runs in Arshdeep Singh's opening over, while Suryavanshi continued the momentum in the second over, scoring 16 runs off Marco Jansen.
The left-handed duo raced to their team's fifty in a mere 2.5 overs, marking the fastest team fifty of the entire season across all franchises. Suryavanshi's dazzling innings came to an end in the fifth over after a rapid 40 runs off just 15 balls, which included four towering sixes and four boundaries.
Notably, the first run scored off the bat that wasn't a boundary occurred on the 26th delivery of the innings. By this point, an astonishing 66 of the Royals' runs had come from fours and sixes, with an additional run added through a wide delivery. Skipper Sanju Samson, coming in at number three, maintained the aggressive tempo as Rajasthan Royals stormed to 89 for 1 by the end of the powerplay. This remarkable feat represented their best-ever powerplay performance in the history of the IPL, with 86 of those runs coming in the form of boundaries.
Yashasvi Jaiswal reached his half-century in a quick 24 balls before being dismissed shortly thereafter. The subsequent quick dismissals of Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag briefly halted Rajasthan's momentum, placing their chase under pressure.
However, a determined half-century from Dhruv Jurel kept Rajasthan Royals' hopes alive deep into the innings. Ultimately, with 22 runs required in the final over, the target proved to be just beyond their reach.
Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh's fifties steer PBKS to 219/5
Earlier, explosive half-centuries from Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh propelled PBKS to a formidable total of 219/5 in their 20 overs against RR. After electing to bat first, PBKS openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh started aggressively, with Arya hitting a boundary off the very first ball. Prabhsimran followed suit, scoring a boundary in Fazalhaq Farooqi's opening over, resulting in 11 runs. However, Rajasthan responded quickly as Tushar Deshpande dismissed Arya for 9 in the second over, caught by Shimron Hetmyer after Farooqi had dropped him earlier in the over. Prabhsimran then attacked Kwena Maphaka's over, smashing him for two fours and a six, before the debutant pacer claimed the wicket of Mitchell Owen for a duck.
Punjab suffered another setback when Deshpande struck again, dismissing Prabhsimran in the following over. Prabhsimran's quickfire innings yielded 21 runs off 10 balls, including three fours and a six, leaving Punjab at three wickets down within the powerplay. Captain Shreyas Iyer, batting at number five despite an injury, and Nehal Wadhera ensured no further wickets fell during the powerplay while keeping the scoreboard ticking. PBKS reached 58 for 3 at the end of the first six overs. The pair maintained a steady flow of runs, with Wadhera adopting an aggressive approach in the middle overs, particularly targeting Wanindu Hasaranga, whom he struck for two fours and a six in consecutive overs. Meanwhile, Iyer built on the momentum, hitting Akash Madhwal for two boundaries in the ninth over, bringing up a crucial 50-run partnership for the fourth wicket. At the halfway stage, Punjab Kings were 97 for 3. Iyer then hit Riyan Parag for a four over long-on, taking the team past the 100-run mark in the 11th over. However, on the very next ball, Parag dismissed the Punjab captain for a 25-ball 30, caught by Yashasvi Jaiswal after mistiming his shot.
Shashank Singh joined Wadhera in the middle, and Punjab continued their attacking intent in Jaipur. Shashank sent Hasaranga over deep mid-wicket for a six. In the same over, he was dropped by the Sri Lankan off his own bowling. Wadhera reached his second half-century of the season with a boundary off Madhwal, achieving the milestone in 25 balls. He followed it up with a six over deep square-leg off the very next delivery. Shashank and Wadhera also forged a rapid 50-run partnership. Shashank hit Madhwal for a four in the 16th over, and Wadhera followed suit with a six off the same bowler before being dismissed on the final ball of the over for a well-played 70, which included five sixes and five fours. Punjab Kings were 159 for 5 after 16 overs.
Azmatullah Omarzai and Shashank Singh then took charge, aiming to propel their team to a substantial total in the final overs. Shashank completed his half-century off 27 balls in the last over of the innings.
The duo added a quickfire 60 runs off just 24 balls, maximizing the scoring opportunities in the final four overs. Shashank remained unbeaten on a blistering 59 off 30 balls, studded with three sixes and five fours, while Omarzai contributed a quick 21 off nine balls, including a six and three fours. Tushar Deshpande was the pick of the RR bowlers with 2/37, while Riyan Parag, Kwena Maphaka, and Akash Madhwal each claimed one wicket.