Jaiswal and Archer shine as Royals hand Kings first IPL loss

Yashasvi Jaiswal got them off to a stunning start with his half-century, but Jofra Archer sealed the thrashing as he continued to bounce back from a poor opening-day performance.

Jaiswal ensured the Royals started on the front foot, plundering 67 off 45 balls for his first half-century of the competition this year.

Sanju Samson (38) chipped in too, as the Royals posted the first wicketless powerplay of the season before Lockie Ferguson (2-37) stepped in.

Riyan Parag's unbeaten 43 provided another spark, with Nitish Rana (12) and Shimron Hetmyer (20) all steadily adding to their total before Dhruv Jurel (13*) helped carry them to 205-4.

Archer's (3-25) aggressive approach saw stumps flying twice in the first over, with Priyansh Arya dismissed for a first-ball duck before Shreyas Iyer followed behind just five balls later.

The Royals struck twice more in the first seven overs, though the Kings attempted to fight back as Nehal Wadhera (62) and Glenn Maxwell (30) combined for 88 runs off the fifth wicket.

Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga struck to remove the pair within two balls, effectively ending the Kings' hopes of a comeback, and with only Shashank Singh (10*) reaching double figures in the lower order, Punjab stumbled to 155-9.

Convincing outingto winsRajasthan Royals spoil #PBKS' homecoming with a strong -run victory Updates https://t.co/kjdEJyebLM#TATAIPL | #PBKSvRR | @rajasthanroyals pic.twitter.com/LqAYRNEpC3

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 5, 2025

After a torrid return to IPL which saw Archer earn the record of the most expensive IPL bowling figures in tournament history (0-76), he has certainly upped his game in the last two outings.

Across the last two games, he has now taken four wickets for just 38 runs to rediscover his rhythm.

The Royals did a lot of heavy lifting in the first innings, becoming the first team to post a 200-plus IPL total in Mullanpur in the sixth game at the venue.