IPL 2026: Head coach Kumar Sangakkara hails collective effort after RR's dominating win over PBKS

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 ChandigarhFollowing the victory RRs head coach Kumar Sangakkara heaped praise on the teams overall performanceWe 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 postmatch press conferenceVaibhav 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 playerI know the focus is a lot on Vaibhav because hes an incredible player But when I look at our sideVaibhav Dhruv Yash Riyan Donovan Ferreira Dubey Jadeja and Shanakathey are all top cricketers When someone does something extraordinary it makes you very happy said SangakkaraHe then spoke about Shubhman Dubeys performance who came in as an Impact Player Facing just 12 balls Dubey smashed an unbeaten 31 runs including three boundaries and two maximumsComing in as an impact sub is one of the hardest things You dont know if youre playing but mentally he was exceptionally skilful to stay focused and contribute in a tough situation said the former Sri Lankan cricketerRR 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 neededRiyans small innings was exactly what we needed to bring the momentum back our way said the 48yearold former cricketerIPL 2026 Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals Match summaryBatting first in the match the Kings posted a total of 222 runs for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs Wicketkeeperbatsman 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 maximumCooper 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 maximumMarcus 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 ballsRRs Yash Punja claimed two wickets whereas Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger chipped in with one wicket eachLater in the second essay of the game RRs 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 maximumsSkipper Parag registered 29 runs off 16 deliveries laced with two boundaries and the same number of maximumsDonovan Ferreira and Impact Player Shubham Dubey delivered matchwinning knocks of an unbeaten 52 and 31 runs respectivelyWith this the Royals scored 228 runs for the loss of four wickets in 192 oversPBKS Yuzvendra Chahal returned with the figures of three wickets for 36 runs in four overs Arshdeep Singh also bagged one wicketThis was Punjabs first loss in the tournamentWith ANI Inputs