Jofra Archer’s opening spell helped RR successfully defend 159. | Photo Credit: RV MOORTHY

In a rare slow-burn Indian Premier League (IPL) contest, Rajasthan Royals defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 40 runs at the Ekana Cricket Stadium here on Wednesday by successfully defending this season’s lowest total. 

After the Royals managed just 159, Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger reduced the Super Giants to 11 for three in the PowerPlay, as Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant and Aiden Markram fell for ducks. 

Nicholas Pooran’s painstaking 25-ball 22 ended just as the West Indian looked to tee off in the face of a mounting required rate. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Bishnoi’s stranglehold through the middle meant the host was always behind the eight ball. 

With 61 runs needed from five overs, Mitchell Marsh’s steady presence in the middle gave the home fans hope before the Australian was undone by Burger’s slower one. 

Riyan Parag’s low diving catch at extra-cover to dismiss the dangerous Mukul Choudhary was the last nail in LSG’s coffin. Brijesh Sharma and Archer later completed the formalities.

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Earlier, after the Super Giants elected to bowl, Mohammed Shami steamed in, with a slip in place on a spicy pitch, and delivered a pearler that was angled on leg-side but moved away late to kiss Dhruv Jurel’s outside edge and into the wicketkeeper’s gloves. A ball earlier, Shami had dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal with a bouncer after he had carted Shami for three consecutive fours. 

In the following over, Mohsin Khan stemmed the flow of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s exuberance by homing in on a good length consistently, which resulted in five dot balls, before Sooryavanshi rushed into a fatal slog. 

Sensing the situation, Parag didn’t go feeling for the ball when Shami strode in again, with the RR skipper leaving one in the channel before solidly defending—pure Test match stuff. 

RR’s top-order juggernaut had ground to a halt, crawling to 44 for three inside the PowerPlay. 

Mayank Yadav’s 0 for 56 in four overs was the sole blemish in an otherwise spotless Super Giants bowling performance. 

However, Jadeja and Impact Player Shubham Dubey’s 49-run partnership off 25 balls was crucial in consigning the Super Giants to their third straight defeat at home. 

Published on Apr 22, 2026