Rajasthan Royals had an outstanding start in the Powerplay, reaching 89/1 after six overs, but this wasn’t enough to overcome their opponent. Check the Rajasthan Royals Vs Punjab Kings Match Scorecard for full details.
Punjab Kings’ middle-order batters did a remarkable job of powering past 200 and into safety on an extremely high-scoring pitch.
| Date | Match (RR vs PBKS) | Result | Margin / Key Scores |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18‑May‑2025 | RR 209/7 vs PBKS 219/5 | PBKS won | PBKS by 10 runs (219/5 vs 209/7) (NDTV Sports) |
| 05‑Apr‑2025 | RR 205/4 vs PBKS 155/9 | RR won | RR by 50 runs (205/4 vs 155/9) (probo.in) |
| 15‑May‑2024 | RR 144/9 vs PBKS 145/5 | PBKS won | PBKS by 5 wickets (145/5 vs 144/9) (Sportskeeda) |
| 13‑Apr‑2024 | RR 152/7 vs PBKS 147/8 | RR won | RR by 3 wickets (152/7 vs 147/8) (Sportskeeda) |
| 19‑May‑2023 | RR 189/6 vs PBKS 187/5 | RR won | RR by 4 wickets (189/6 vs 187/5) (Sportskeeda) |
RR vs PBKS
Since their devastating defeat by RR earlier in the season, these two sides are set to meet for the first time since.
This reverse fixture holds enormous importance for both teams involved: PBKS has been playing outstanding cricket under Shreyas Iyer’s guidance with their top order batting and death bowling standing out against even strong competition like The Royals (who have struggled post a strong start), while their opposition may look to make amends by getting revenge from an earlier heavy loss against them.
Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur provides an even and balanced pitch that offers something for both batters and bowlers.
While fast bowlers may make early inroads into batsmen’s innings with fast bowlers making early inroads early, as time progresses the pitch flattens out over time and becomes more advantageous to batsmen who play shots with timing and precision.
Sanju Samson will return from injury looking strong, hoping to produce similar performances to what he put forth in the previous match against KKR. However, for him to win this crucial encounter he will need the support of all members of his side.
Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer will be central figures in Riyadh Rangers’ chances of making the playoffs; however, without Jofra Archer there will be immense pressure placed upon their batting lineup.
Priyansh Arya and Pyla Avinash will likely start for Rajasthan Royals while Mitchell Owen may make his IPL debut.
Other options could be Prithvi Shaw, Harnoor Singh Pannu, Nehal Wadhera Vishnu Vinod Josh Inglis Mohit Sharma Prabhsimran Singh Azmatullah Omarzai Shashank Singh Marco Jansen Xavier Bartlett with other options including Harnoor Singh Pannu Nehal Wadhera Vishnu Vinod Josh Inglis Mohit Sharma Mohit Sharma Prabhsimran Singh Azmatullah Omarzai Shashank Singh Shashank Singh Marco Jansen Xavier Bartlettlett being available when required and Vijaykumar Vyshak’s availability Yash Thakur and Vijaykumar Vyshak could potentially come on short notice to fill Xavier Bartlett this season; finally, Prithvi Shaw can turn tables against opponents with his superb batting skills and powerful hitting; not afraid to take risks Prithvi Shaw can become an essential player this year for Royals this season and could prove invaluable to RR in 2016-17!
Head-to-Head Record
Rajasthan Royals first made their IPL debut during its inaugural season, winning 12 matches against Punjab Kings since their introduction – making them one of the dominant teams. Unfortunately, since their initial triumphant win in 2008 they have yet to capture another trophy.
Rajasthan Royals beat Punjab Kings at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur by six wickets to start off their campaign unbeaten and were unbeaten through four matches before losing against Kochi Tuskers Kerala before Jos Buttler made an innings victory possible against Mumbai Indians at home with an innings win off just 77 balls!
Their next match against Delhi Daredevils at Feroz Shah Kotla Ground in New Delhi saw them batting first but scoring 223/2 second time around to secure an historic comeback win – which held as IPL history’s highest successful run chase until Punjab beat them again themselves in 2024. Rahul Tewatia and Tom Curran led their side to this amazing triumphant comeback win!
The Royals then went on to win their remaining three matches against KKR, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings to finish third on the points table. Although injury plagued them throughout their season – Captain Steve Smith missed most games – Yusuf Pathan led his side well and won both Purple Cap for highest wicket-taker of tournament and Golden Boot for most runs scored by an individual player during competition.
At IPL auctions, RR are well known for purchasing players not part of their national cricket teams at competitive prices – often top quality world cricketers such as Shane Warne, Rahul Dravid, Shane Watson and Jos Buttler have been purchased.
Punjab Kings have also earned themselves a reputation for their thrifty spending during IPL auctions, having won only two out of 14 matches against Rajasthan Royals so far this season; yet have a good shot at making the playoffs based on having 15 points and just two more wins to secure that position with their abandoned game in Dharamsala against DC being replayed this week.
Match Summary
Rajasthan Royals have done well despite their inconsistency, managing to earn one of the top four positions. Their record comprises four wins and three defeats with 17 total points secured.
Early in the season, Jos Buttler scored an unbeaten 76 off 49 balls to help RR beat Delhi Daredevils by seven wickets – setting an IPL record with fastest 50 off 49 balls and equalling Virender Sehwag’s record for most consecutive fifties for Royals. Buttler then scored five more fifties in succession becoming first player ever with six fifties in one season.
After this defeat, RR won two matches against Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad before losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad but reaching the playoffs anyway.
In their eliminator match at Eden Gardens they defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 25 runs before going on to beat Chennai Super Kings by 77 runs at Sawai Mansingh Stadium for victory.
In their first match against PBKS, RR got off to an explosive start thanks to openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi who scored 22 runs off two overs before Harpreet Brar was brought in by PBKS and managed to remove both openers in successive overs courtesy of Harpreet’s spin.
Batting has shown signs of improvement while bowling remains their weakest link; Jofra Archer and Sandeep Sharma’s injuries have significantly weakened their pace attack.
The batsmen have played well and improved with every match, having chased down any total; their challenge is finding consistency when doing so.
Meanwhile, their bowling has leaked too many runs and needs improvement as a whole; The Royals possess tremendous potential with both bat and bowl but need to find their rhythm quickly in both departments in order to qualify for playoffs – they may still do if they beat Gujarat Titans on Sunday.
But if that game goes against them chances may depend on winning against Sunrisers Hyderabad which would present them a stiff challenge against them before final matchup against them which may only chance will remain before playoff qualification or fall short against them in any case – either way the Royals may qualify – provided they beat Gujarat Titans will not lose by much or make them lose against Sun Risings themselves and must do better against them so as SRH will surely do not give any chance of defeating them so easily to overcome them by then playing another matchup against them soon to secure qualification but either way need victory against them either Gujarat Titans on Sunday after defeat of Gujarat Titans, or else their chances will depend heavily on getting past Sundar Rohit against Sunrise Hyderabad on Thursday; losing that last match could potentially qualify them into playoffs, although that final encounter may prove tough against Sun Rohit in India before going into their last one against Sun RH so far enough when facing them off SRH which could prove much tough competition for them when facing off to reach them on Thursday against them off before time against him and win against their last opponent with all chances being against Sun Rah and SRH before either one or losing both opponents (in case v SRH would provide another tough opponent to go out or beat them in that could make qualifying them before will only bring more chances – leaving one being decided later that could prove decisive!), then having them against SRH might proving too hard an important contest to help get over that final hurdle before going off this will become crucial
Prediction
PBKS has shown remarkable resilience this season, showing up despite an initially poor start by going on to win five of seven matches, including their maiden away victory against Mumbai Indians. Unfortunately, mid-season slump saw the side lose four of six matches and be eliminated from competition.
Rajasthan Royals present a crucial final home game of the tournament for PBKS, who need a win to secure playoff contention. Without injured star players Jofra Archer and Sanju Samson, however, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh have been key contributors to their team’s success, both averaging over 45 in powerplay. These experienced duos will need to keep up their good performance if PBKS hope to advance further than currently projected.
After their earlier elimination from the tournament, PBKS have rallied back and are making strides toward finishing in the top-two spots. A win against RR will cement their playoff chances; should they manage to win their remaining matches as well, their success may even extend all the way into March Madness!
Rajasthan Royals have lost three out of their last four matches and are out of contention for a top-four finish, so they will aim to turn things around when facing PBKS at Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday in a high-scoring matchup.
Even without star players such as Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal, the team has managed to make an impressive comeback after an initial slow start. Riyan Parag led his side for most of this year; Sanju Samson will take over captaincy for this matchup.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Riyan Parag have remained on board, as has Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Kwena Maphaka, Fazalhaq Farooqui Maheesh Theekshana & Akash Madwal among their newcomers.
