"Enjoy the good ones, take the bad ones." Jofra Archer's words rang true on Saturday evening in New Chandigarh, where he bounced back in style to power Rajasthan Royals to a commanding 50-run win over Punjab Kings.
"Games like that happen at the beginning of the tournament," Archer reflected after the match, referring to his nightmare 0/76 spell in the Royals' opener — the most expensive in IPL history. "You’ve got to make sure you cash in on the good days. Every day won't be great, but when it is, you better enjoy it — the bad one could be around the corner."
The 30-year-old England pacer made sure to cash in this time. Archer struck twice in the very first over, removing Priyansh Arya and Shreyas Iyer, before coming back to dismiss Arshdeep Singh. He ended with match-winning figures of 3-25, setting the tone for Rajasthan's second win of the season.
Rajasthan Royals had earlier posted a daunting 205/4 — the first 200+ total at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium — thanks to a solid top-order performance led by Yashasvi Jaiswal (67), Riyan Parag (43*), and skipper Sanju Samson (38), who returned from a finger injury.
The Royals’ bowlers complemented the batters brilliantly. Alongside Archer, Sandeep Sharma (2-21) and Maheesh Theekshana (2-26) delivered under pressure, ensuring Punjab never really threatened the target, eventually closing at 155/9.
That’s a deadly combo — one bowling at 150, the other at 115. I trust both with pressure overs. Jofra’s pace is thrilling, and Sandy’s been reliable for years. We love watching them bowl.
This victory marks Rajasthan’s second in four games and gives them momentum ahead of their clash against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on April 13. Punjab Kings, who suffered their first loss in three games, will look to regroup before facing Chennai Super Kings on April 8.
Brief Scores: Rajasthan Royals 205/4 in 20 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 67, Riyan Parag 43, Sanju Samson 38; Lockie Ferguson 2-37, Arshdeep Singh 1-35) beat Punjab Kings 155/9 in 20 overs (Nehal Wadhera 62, Glenn Maxwell 30; Jofra Archer 3-25, Sandeep Sharma 2-21, Maheesh Theekshana 2-26) by 50 runs.*
