Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey stitched an unbeaten 77-run partnership off just 32 balls to power Rajasthan Royals to a thrilling six-wicket victory over Punjab Kings in the 40th IPL 2026 match at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Tuesday.
With the contest finely poised after 14 overs and the required rate climbing above 12, the pair made the chase look easy. Ferreira and Dubey took full advantage once the spinners were taken off, targeting the pace bowlers. Arshdeep Singh was hit for three fours in his return spell, while Marco Jansen conceded a four and a six. The duo kept up the attack against Arshdeep, showing poise and clean hitting to finish the chase and hand Punjab Kings their first defeat of the season.
Earlier, Rajasthan’s chase was energised by a blistering start from 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. After Yashasvi Jaiswal handed him the strike, Sooryavanshi made an immediate impact. Despite Arshdeep Singh opening with two accurate yorkers, the youngster responded with 6, 4, 4 as RR collected 15 runs in the opening over. He continued his assault against Lockie Ferguson and Jansen, striking sixes and boundaries with ease.
Sooryavanshi raced to 43 off 16 balls, hitting three fours and five sixes, before Arshdeep changed his angle and induced a sliced shot off a low full toss, with Shreyas Iyer taking the catch. During his knock, Sooryavanshi reached 400 runs in just 167 balls at an astonishing strike rate of 238.09 — the fastest any player has reached 400 runs in an IPL season. RR had already crossed 50 in 3.2 overs and were 66/1 after four overs.
Jaiswal, quiet initially, took charge after Sooryavanshi’s dismissal. He struck 4, 6, 4 against Arshdeep and reached 51 off 27 balls, bringing up his fifty in 26 deliveries. However, Yuzvendra Chahal made a crucial impact for Punjab, dismissing Jaiswal and then removing Riyan Parag (29), while Dhruv Jurel fell for 16 off 20 as RR managed only 25 runs in the next four overs.
Harpreet Brar bowled tightly, conceding just 25 runs in four overs, but it was Chahal’s strikes that shifted momentum. At one stage, RR needed 100 off 52 balls.
Nevertheless, Ferreira and Dubey completely turned the tide. With fearless batting and smart targeting of the seamers, they dismantled the Punjab attack in the death overs, ensuring no further setbacks.
Earlier, Punjab Kings posted a strong 222/4 after opting to bat. Jofra Archer struck early to dismiss Priyansh Arya (29), but Prabhsimran Singh anchored the innings with 59 off 44 balls. He found support from Cooper Connolly (30) in a 59-run stand off 33 balls, while Iyer contributed 30.
The standout performance came from Marcus Stoinis, whose explosive unbeaten 62 off 22 balls powered Punjab past 220.
Brief scores: Punjab Kings 222/4 in 20 overs (Marcus Stoinis 62 not out, Prabhsimran Singh 59; Yash Punja 2-41, Jofra Archer 1-40) lost to Rajasthan Royals 228/4 in 19.2 overs (Donovan Ferreira 52 not out, Yashasvi Jaiswal 51; Yuzvendra Chahal 3-36, Arshdeep Singh 1-68) by six wickets.
