Over the years, these teams have enjoyed an intense rivalry, often producing thrilling high-scoring contests. Now with Jofra Archer excelling for Punjab and RR back to full strength under Sanju Samson as captain, this contest promises to be a close affair.
Shreyas Iyer will look to secure their third win from four matches against Rajasthan; can they overcome their poor head-to-head record with them?
In this article, we will discuss the main points or high lights of Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings Match Scorecard.
Top Players – Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings (18th Match, IPL 2025)
| Player | Team | Performance Details |
|---|---|---|
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | RR | Scored 67 runs off 45 balls; provided a solid start to RR’s innings. |
| Riyan Parag | RR | Unbeaten 43 runs; accelerated the scoring in the death overs. |
| Jofra Archer | RR | Took 3 wickets for 25 runs; dismissed key PBKS batsmen early, earning Player of the Match. |
| Glenn Maxwell | PBKS | Scored 45 runs; part of an 88-run partnership attempting to stabilize PBKS’s chase. |
| Nehal Wadhera | PBKS | Contributed 43 runs; supported Maxwell in the middle overs. |
RR vs PBKS
Rajasthan defeated Punjab by 6 wickets at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. Jofra Archer’s fiery spell enabled Rajasthan to seal an important win and give an opening against Punjab’s unbeaten record – this also propelled them up into seventh spot on the points table.
RBKS batsmen found it difficult to score against Rajasthan’s disciplined bowling attack, only managing 14 runs off 10 overs in their initial innings. Still, their home team managed to post an impressive total score.
But they were unable to build on it and were eventually bowled out for 147. Jofra Archer stood out amongst his bowlers by taking three wickets including those of Priyansh Arya and captain Ravichandran Ashwin – particularly Arya who attempted slog sweep against Archer; Dhruv Jurel then completed an outstanding diving catch at deep midwicket to complete this innings’ destruction.
Maheesh Theekshana strikes for 30 to dismiss Glenn Maxwell. Maxwell attempted a crouching slog sweep that flew high, leading Yashasvi Jaiswal at long-off to take an excellent catch in the outfield.
Shashank Singh and Suryansh Shedge of PBKS’ new-ball pair haven’t made an impression thus far, with Sandeep Sharma taking an excellent catch at sweeper cover off a short delivery pitched outside off stump for Shashank to be caught by Shimron Hetmyer at sweeper cover off another short delivery outside off stump pitched outside off stump while Suryansh fails to connect well and Shimron Hetmyer makes a fine catch near short third man region for Suryansh Shedge who failed miserably with neither bowling pair making an impactful contribution so far in this innings.
Delhi Capitals will take on Chennai Super Kings on April 5. To secure tickets online for this game, visit District, the official ticketing platform of IPL 2025. Select your match of choice and complete your booking using a secure payment gateway; once confirmed, an e-ticket or booking details will be emailed directly to you for verification – ensure you bring this ticket along when visiting the venue to avoid any last-minute hassles!
IPL 2025
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the world’s biggest and richest franchise-based T20 tournaments, played over 13 venues nationwide across 66 days in 13 cities across India at 13 venues with four playoff teams qualifying from each side. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will return with Delhi Daredevils while other former greats like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli may make appearances. The 2025 edition will see record-breaker Mahendra Singh Dhoni return with Delhi Daredevils along with many former greats such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli among others who will feature prominently among others!
IPL 2025 features 10 teams competing for the championship through an IPL league stage of 74 matches and four-team play-offs stage, whereby only the top two teams from each group qualify for playoffs based on net run rate; all remaining spots will be determined through net run rate calculation. It will also introduce new batting orders, ball rules and an additional powerplay over rule.
KKR are the reigning champions, having defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final last year. Unfortunately, this season they have found it difficult to deliver in front of their home crowd and currently rank eighth on the table. To qualify for playoffs KKR must win all remaining matches as well as hope for favorable results from other teams and hope for favorable outcomes themselves.
With numerous changes to its tournament rules, IPL 2025 should see a more structured and disciplined approach to cricket. The new regulations aim to increase transparency, enhance player welfare, create more level playing fields across all teams and focus more on youth development than in past leagues.
The initial six matches will follow a round-robin format before four of the top teams advance to quarter finals, where home and away matches for each team will take place at both locations twice each. Winners from these quarter-final matches will then meet up on 20 May for a “Qualifier 1” to determine who will compete for the title.
Rajasthan Royals have much to prove this season after experiencing difficulty over recent seasons. Their top players, such as Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Rahul Dravid have left to pursue greater opportunities elsewhere; young talent remains unproven within their side despite veteran leadership from Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli at their helm; however they hope for an improvement in fortunes with experienced leaders such as Rishabh Pant and Kohli overseeing.
Match Prediction
Shreyas Iyer-led PBKS team has been performing extremely well so far and will look to start their home match against Rajasthan Royals with an emphatic win. Unbeaten so far with two victories already, they currently sit second on the points table – Jofra Archer has been outstanding, while Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag have all contributed with bat.
Punjab Kings have secured two wins this season against Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings while Rajasthan Royals have lost both matches thus far despite remaining competitive enough for top four status and being capable of beating any side in competition.
RR has maintained their dominance against PBKS with 16 out of 28 victories over the past decade, setting up an exciting contest at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Stadium in Mullanpur.
Jofra Archer struck early, bowling Priyansh Arya! The crowd cheered wildly as Archer broke the deadlock for his team. In that same over, Archer grabbed another wicket by dismissing Lockie Ferguson for a duck!
Glenn Maxwell looks for a boundary and attempts a slog sweep on a googly delivery, only for it to be taken by Wanindu Hasaranga in deep midwicket region and taken as a catch by Wanindu Hasaranga! PBKS is in serious difficulty here.
PBKS is in trouble and needs a strong partnership to remain in the game. Maxwell immediately appeals for being caught behind off Yudhvir Singh Charak but the umpire rules it was not out.
In the final over, the Royals batsmen are looking to put on some quick runs and give themselves a shot at victory; but their hopes were swiftly dashed when Hetmyer was caught at long-on by Harbhajan Singh! A massive setback for PBKS.
Betting Tips
Punjab Kings have batted first in both of their previous matches and won, so this could be an opportunity for them to keep winning against Rajasthan Royals. Cricket can be unpredictable; therefore it is vital that you do your homework by studying players’ recent performances and match stats before investing.
Rajasthan Royals, who won last season, have had an inauspicious start to this year’s campaign by losing both games they have participated in so far and sitting ninth with only two points so far. If they hope to go far this time around they need to improve both batting and bowling performance significantly and ensure a great run is made through this season.
Punjab Kings have already won their opening two matches of the season and look favored to do well again in this contest. Their win over Sunrisers Hyderabad was particularly noteworthy; dominating both Powerplay overs before producing an outstanding middle order display to chase down their target at the end. Furthermore, this win marked Shreyas Iyer’s triumphant return as captain who was instrumental to their victory against Hyderabad.
However, the 2008 champions have struggled in recent matches against PKs at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur; only managing three wins this year. Their rebranding as part of an IPL franchise in 2021 didn’t help either but coach Ricky Ponting has provided much-needed momentum.
The game will take place at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. Punjab Kings, who currently top the table after two wins in this tournament, should field an identical squad as they used against Sunrisers Hyderabad last time out; Harpreet Brar and Nehal Wadhera could potentially serve as impact players for them. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals welcome back skipper Sanju Samson after recovering from finger surgery, and Shubham Dubey and Fazalhaq Farooqi will also be up for selection this time around.