For a while on Sunday (May 24, 2026) evening, Suryakumar Yadav and captain Hardik Pandya kept Mumbai Indians alive in a contest that seemed to be slipping away from the home team.

But Jofra Archer’s decisive all-round intervention ensured Rajasthan Royals sealed the fourth and final IPL 2026 playoff spot in style at the Wankhede Stadium.

Had it not been for Archer’s late flourish with the bat and fiery burst with the ball, RR may well have been left ruing another near-miss — a feeling that the eliminated Punjab Kings will now know all too well.

When Archer walked in at No. 7 in the 13th over, ahead of designated finisher Shubham Dubey and Impact Player option Ravindra Jadeja, a few eyebrows were raised. But the Englishman repaid the faith instantly, muscling the ball nonchalantly to the boundary and injecting momentum into an innings where run flow had stalled for a brief period.

His cameo (32, 15b, 1x4, 3x6) proved crucial as RR plundered 73 runs off the final five overs to post 205 for eight against an underperforming MI unit.

Archer struck straightaway with the ball. He forced an edge off Rohit Sharma in the opening over before cleaning up Naman Dhir with a sharp delivery.

Yet, with Suryakumar surviving a chance at midwicket off Yash Raj’s leg-spin and Hardik beginning to find his rhythm, the Mumbai franchise threatened to script a memorable chase for the 19,000-odd schoolchildren in attendance under MI owners’ Education and Sports For All initiative.

But Archer returned in the 16th over to produce a vicious short ball that Hardik could not handle, decisively swinging the game the visiting side’s way.

Earlier, MI had rested Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik did not bowl, but teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi failed to light up the venue. After Will Jacks’ acrobatic save converted a certain six into a single, Sooryavanshi fell into a deep-point trap off Deepak Chahar.

Yashasvi Jaiswal provided an explosive start before falling to Jacks’ off-spin, while the middle-order batters — including captain Riyan Parag — lost their wickets when trying to force the pace. A mix-up initiated by Dhruv Jurel resulted in Dasun Shanaka’s untimely run-out. But Archer’s star turn helped the Rajasthan team return to the playoffs after a disappointing 2025 campaign.