Shreyas Iyer looked to secure PBKS’s third consecutive win and chose to field first. However, Rajasthan Royals started strong, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Sanju Samson putting together a 90-run partnership for the first wicket. Riyan Parag came in at No. 3 and played a brilliant knock, scoring 43 off just 25 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes.
Middle-order batters Nitish Rana, Shimron Hetmyer, and Dhruv Jurel all got starts but couldn’t convert them into big scores. The young left-hander scored his first half-century of the season and looked confident. The Royals posted a total of 205 runs, with Lockie Ferguson being Punjab’s best bowler.
Punjab had a terrible start to the chase, as captain Iyer failed to score for the first time in three games. Young Priyansh Arya and Marcus Stoinis also got out cheaply. Jofra Archer made an impact, dismissing both Arya and Iyer. Prabhsimran Singh, who had scored a fiery half-century in the last match, tried to steady the innings but was also dismissed. Suddenly, Punjab found themselves at 43 for 4.
Ex-Mumbai Indians player Nehal Vadhera continued his amazing form and scored a quickfire half-century. Glenn Maxwell looked positive and scored some good shots. At one point, Punjab needed 80 runs in 6 overs, and it looked like Vadhera and Maxwell might take their team over the line. However, their back-to-back wickets helped RR grow back into the game and win the match by 50 runs.
For the inaugural champions, Archer delivered a Man of the Match performance, taking 3 wickets for just 21 runs in his 4 overs. Maheesh Theekshana and Sandeep Sharma also took 2 wickets each and were economical. With their second win of the season, RR moved up to 7th place, ahead of CSK and MI. Punjab’s loss turned out to be a blessing for RCB, as PBKS’s big net run rate drop allowed RCB to climb to 2nd place on the points table.
Fans react to Punjab Kings’ first loss in the IPL 2025 against Rajasthan Royals
Punjab Kings lost their first match of the IPL 2025 season, and fans didn’t miss the chance to mock them on social media. Some said PBKS became overconfident after winning their first two matches. While a few criticized their approach to chasing a 200+ target, others praised Samson’s captaincy.
One fan praised the RR captain and was hopeful that the team would start winning consecutive matches. Another fan agreed, calling him a great captain and a great human being. Many fans also commented on the experiment of making Parag the captain. Here are some of the top fan reactions:
One user boldly claimed that Samson is a better wicketkeeper than even MS Dhoni. Meanwhile, another expressed disappointment over the matches being too one-sided and boring. Overall, many fans trolled Punjab Kings for losing to the Royals.
