Rajasthan ends Punjab’s unbeaten run

Rajasthan Royals chased 223 in 19.2 overs at New Chandigarh on April 28, beating Punjab Kings by six wickets and ending Punjab’s unbeaten IPL 2026 run. (espncricinfo.com) (iplt20.com) Punjab Kings finished on 222/4 after Marcus Stoinis smashed 62 not out from 22 balls and Prabhsimran Singh made 59. Yuzvendra Chahal took 3 for 36 for Rajasthan. (espncricinfo.com) Rajasthan’s chase was built by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 51, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s fast start, and a fifth-wicket stand of 77 in 32 balls between Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey. Ferreira finished unbeaten on 52 from 26; Dubey made 31 from 12. (espncricinfo.com) (sports.yahoo.com) The result changed the top of the table more than the margin suggests. Punjab Kings stayed first with 13 points from eight matches, while Rajasthan moved to third with 12 points from nine. (financialexpress.com) (sports.yahoo.com) Royal Challengers Bengaluru were also on 12 points after eight matches, ahead of Rajasthan on net run rate, and Sunrisers Hyderabad sat fourth on 10. The win pulled Rajasthan back into the middle of a crowded playoff race with several teams still in range. (financialexpress.com) (outlookindia.com) Punjab’s run had lasted eight matches before this loss, making Rajasthan the first team to break through against Shreyas Iyer’s side this season. Punjab’s net run rate also dropped after conceding 228 in a chase completed with four balls left. (financialexpress.com) (cricbuzz.com) The match also underlined Rajasthan’s middle-order fix. ESPNcricinfo reported that Ferreira, acquired in a trade, and Impact Player Dubey closed a chase that still looked awkward before their late burst. (espncricinfo.com) With the league stage moving into its final stretch, Punjab is still top and Rajasthan is back in the top three. After 222 played 228 in New Chandigarh, net run rate looks more important than it did a day earlier. (financialexpress.com) (espncricinfo.com)