Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey delivered a stunning late assault, stitching an unbeaten 77-run stand off just 32 balls to power Rajasthan Royals to a thrilling six-wicket win over Punjab Kings in Match 40 of the Indian Premier League 2026 on Tuesday.
Chasing a daunting 223 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, RR looked under pressure with the required rate climbing beyond 12 after 14 overs. But Ferreira and Dubey flipped the script, tearing into the seamers once the spin threat faded.
Arshdeep Singh was taken apart for three boundaries in one over, while Marco Jansen leaked a four and a six as the duo maintained relentless pressure. Calm, calculated, and clean in execution, they saw RR home with ease, handing PBKS their first defeat of the season.
Sooryavanshi’s whirlwind sets the tone
Earlier, 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi lit up the chase with a breathtaking cameo. After Yashasvi Jaiswal handed him the strike, the youngster countered two pinpoint yorkers from Arshdeep with audacious strokeplay, 6, 4, 4, to launch RR with a 15-run opening over.
He didn’t slow down, taking on Lockie Ferguson and Jansen with fearless hitting. Sooryavanshi raced to 43 off just 16 balls (3 fours, 5 sixes) before Arshdeep deceived him with a change of angle, inducing a miscued slice to Shreyas Iyer.
In the process, the prodigy smashed his way to 400 runs in just 167 balls at a staggering strike rate of 238.09, the fastest to the mark in an IPL season. RR stormed past 50 in just 3.2 overs and were 66/1 after four.
Jaiswal, initially watchful, shifted gears post-dismissal, hammering Arshdeep for 4, 6, 4 en route to a 26-ball fifty. But Yuzvendra Chahal turned the game on its head for PBKS, removing Jaiswal and Riyan Parag (29) in quick succession.
Dhruv Jurel fell after a sluggish 16 off 20, and RR managed just 25 runs in four overs, slipping behind the rate. Harpreet Brar kept things tight with a tidy four-over spell.
At one stage, RR needed 100 off 52 balls, with momentum firmly in PBKS’ corner.
Stoinis powers PBKS past 220
Earlier, PBKS posted a formidable 222/4 after being put in. Jofra Archer struck early to remove Priyansh Arya (29), but Prabhsimran Singh anchored the innings with 59 off 44.
He was supported by Cooper Connolly (30) in a brisk 59-run stand, while Iyer chipped in with 30.
The late surge came from Marcus Stoinis, who smashed an unbeaten 62 off just 22 balls to propel PBKS beyond 220.