Wadhera, Shashank Power PBKS to 10-Run Win Over Rajasthan Royals in High-Scoring Thriller

Nehal Wadhera’s career-best 70 and Shashank Singh’s unbeaten 59 helped PBKS post 219/5, before Harpreet Brar’s 3-wicket spell restricted Rajasthan Royals to 209/7 despite fifties from Jaiswal and Jurel.

Jaipur, May 18 – Punjab Kings kept their playoff hopes alive with a thrilling 10-run win over Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday. A brilliant 70-run knock by Nehal Wadhera and a fiery unbeaten 59 by Shashank Singh helped PBKS post a formidable 219/5. Despite a strong start by the RR top order, Harpreet Brar’s 3/22 halted the chase, ensuring Punjab walked away with two crucial points.

Opting to bat first, PBKS suffered early setbacks, slipping to 34/3 inside four overs. However, Wadhera anchored the innings with a composed 70 off 37 balls (5 fours, 5 sixes), supported by skipper Shreyas Iyer (30 off 25). The real fireworks came from Shashank Singh, whose 59* off 30 balls, along with a late cameo from Azmatullah Omarzai (21* off 9), pushed Punjab past the 200-run mark.

Rajasthan Royals began the chase explosively. Yashasvi Jaiswal (50 off 22) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (40 off 17) put on 76 runs in just 4.5 overs, tearing into the Punjab bowling attack. But the introduction of Harpreet Brar turned the tide—he removed both openers and added a third to break RR’s momentum.

Though Dhruv Jurel fought back with a gritty 53 off 35 balls, wickets fell regularly around him. Marco Jansen supported Brar well with 2/38, while the rest of the bowling unit kept their nerves during the death overs to seal the game.

PBKS now sit closer to a playoff berth, while RR must quickly regroup after back-to-back defeats. The win was a timely boost for Shreyas Iyer’s men as the IPL 2025 season enters its final stretch.