3 Reasons Punjab Kings Lost To Rajasthan Royals: The Rajasthan Royals defeated the Punjab Kings by 50 runs in Match 18 of the Indian Premier League 2025. That match was played on Saturday, April 5, at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium (aka New PCA Stadium) in New Chandigarh (Mullanpur).
This was the Kings’ first loss in IPL 2025. Before this game, they were on the top of the league table with two wins in two games. But this big loss, combined with the Delhi Capitals winning their match earlier today, resulted in Punjab tumbling down to fourth on the points table.
As for Rajasthan, this was their second win on the trot after two losses to start IPL 2025. This win has brought them seventh on the league table.
Today, we will look back at three reasons as to why the Kings, who looked like the best team this season, lost this match.
3 Reasons Punjab Kings Lost To Rajasthan Royals
3) Failing To Restrain RR’s Top Order
Rajasthan Royals star opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has looked out of form in IPL 2025. On the other hand, Snaju Samson was finally playing his first complete game this season. Logic dictated that at their home ground, which does not have a very batting-friendly track, the Kings should have made short work of the Royals’ opening.
Not only did that not happen, as the RR opening partnership was worth 89 runs, but Jaiswal also made his first half-century this season. Then came in number three batter Riyan Parag, who took his time before accelerating and taking his past the 200-run mark.
The Punjab Kings’ powerplay bowling, bowled by Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, and Lockie Ferguson, saw the team create a couple of chances that were not snapped up. Rajasthan Royals’ opening duo batted together for over 10 runs, providing a brilliant base for a successful inning for this team.
Check Out: 3 Reasons Punjab Kings Lost To Rajasthan Royals
2) PBKS Powerplay Collapse/Jofra Archer’s Stampede
On the contrary to the Royals’ top order, the Kings’ top order collapsed within the powerplay. On the first over of the inning, Jofra Archer bowled opener Priyansh Arya. In the very next over, the English pacer then bowled Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer out. The Australian all-rounder then fell in the fourth over off a ball by Sandeep Sharma.
At the end of the powerplay, PBKS’s score was 43/3. Then, in the seventh over, spinner Kumar Kartikeya dismissed in-form opener Prabhsimran Singh. Before the score of 50, the home team had lost four wickets. And while Nehal Wadhera and Glenn Maxwell formed a fine partnership in the middle overs, that match had essentially ended in the powerplay.
While the top-order collapse was partially because of brilliant bowling, especially for Arya’s and Stoinis’ wickets, the dismissal of skipper Iyer was mostly the fault of the batter, who stepped out to play a rash shot after already having scored two boundaries in the over.
1) Misreading The Pitch And Miscalculation By The Captain
The pitch on which the PBKS vs RR match was played on was partially a black-soil track. The bounce here was a little uneven and on the lower side for the most part. There was also a certain stickiness to the surface here. Knowing all that, it is easy to understand how the Punjab Kings slightly misread the pitch.
While Lockie Ferguson had a good outing with the ball today, the likes of Ferguson and Marco Jansen bowled four overs on a less bouncy and sticky track, while a crafty bowler like Vujay Kumar Vyshak sat on the bench. Also, the lack of a proper spinner in the squad besides Yuzvendra Chahal was borderline criminal, seeing how RR’s spinners bowled 10 overs and conceded only 83 runs, taking four crucial wickets.
But the biggest mistake the Kings, and especially their captain Shreyas Iyer, made on the day was the miscalculation of overs. Despite using six bowlers, he used up all three of his main pacers early. This resulted in all-rounder Marnus Stoinis bowling the last over. While Stoinis is a fine wicket-taking bowler in the middle overs, he should have never bowled the last over in an inning. But he did and conceded 19 runs.
Check Out: 3 Reasons Punjab Kings Lost To Rajasthan Royals
Get IPL 2025 Live Score, Team Updates along with the Latest Player News at IceCric.News and Follow for Live Updates – Facebook & Instagram.
