29 April,2026 02:10 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Kumar Sangakkara (Pic: File Pic)
In the IPL 2026 match against Punjab Kings (PBKS), Rajasthan Royals (RR) emerged victorious by six wickets at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh.
Following the victory, RR's head coach Kumar Sangakkara heaped praise on the team's overall performance.
"We were a little bit off at the start with our bowling plans, but the way we fought back into the game, especially our two spinners and Jofra again, supported by Nandre and Brijesh, was exceptional," he said during the post-match press conference.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played a knock of 43 runs off just 16 deliveries, laced with three boundaries and five maximums. The head coach labelled him as an "incredible player".
"I know the focus is a lot on Vaibhav because he's an incredible player. But when I look at our side--Vaibhav, Dhruv, Yash, Riyan, Donovan Ferreira, Dubey, Jadeja, and Shanaka--they are all top cricketers. When someone does something extraordinary, it makes you very happy," said Sangakkara.
He then spoke about Shubhman Dubey's performance, who came in as an Impact Player. Facing just 12 balls, Dubey smashed an unbeaten 31 runs, including three boundaries and two maximums.
"Coming in as an impact sub is one of the hardest things. You don't know if you're playing, but mentally he was exceptionally skilful to stay focused and contribute in a tough situation," said the former Sri Lankan cricketer.
RR skipper Riyan Parag also delivered a knock of 29 runs off just 16 balls. His knock included two boundaries and the same number of maximums. Speaking on his knock, Sangakkara said that the skipper delivered exactly what the Royals needed.
"Riyan's small innings was exactly what we needed to bring the momentum back our way," said the 48-year-old former cricketer.
Batting first in the match, the Kings posted a total of 222 runs for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs. Wicketkeeper-batsman Prabhsimran Singh scored 59 runs in 44 balls, hitting six boundaries and a maximum. Fellow opening batsman Priyansh Arya departed after scoring 29 runs in 11 balls, with the help of five boundaries and a maximum.
Cooper Connolly garnered 30 runs in 14 balls, which were laced with two boundaries and three maximums. Facing 27 deliveries, captain Shreyas Iyer also accumulated 30 runs, including a boundary and a maximum.
Marcus Stoinis and Suryansh Shedge registered unbeaten 62 and three runs, respectively. In his knock of 22 balls, Stoinis smashed four boundaries and six maximums, whereas Shedge faced two balls.
RR's Yash Punja claimed two wickets, whereas Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger chipped in with one wicket each.
Later in the second essay of the game, RR's opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 51 runs in 27 balls, including seven boundaries and a maximum. Fellow opening batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed 43 runs off 16 balls, with the help of three boundaries and five maximums.
Skipper Parag registered 29 runs off 16 deliveries, laced with two boundaries and the same number of maximums.
Donovan Ferreira and Impact Player Shubham Dubey delivered match-winning knocks of an unbeaten 52 and 31 runs, respectively.
With this, the Royals scored 228 runs for the loss of four wickets in 19.2 overs.
PBKS' Yuzvendra Chahal returned with the figures of three wickets for 36 runs in four overs. Arshdeep Singh also bagged one wicket.
This was Punjab's first loss in the tournament.
(With ANI Inputs)
