IPL 2026: Archer, Burger wreck LSG as Rajasthan Royals storm to 40-run victory

LUCKNOW: Jofra Archer (3/20 off four overs) and Nandre Burger produced exceptional spells of incisive fast bowling to help Rajasthan Royals win by 40 runs while defending 159/6 against Lucknow Super Giants here on Wednesday. The duo bowled with aggression, generating disconcerting pace and movement off the pitch to trump the efforts of LSG pacers Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan and Prince Yadav.

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Burger finished with figures of 2/27, which included the wickets of LSG skipper Rishabh Pant and Mitchell Marsh. Once Ayush Badoni was run out for naught in the first over, Archer and Burger turned on the heat. Archer dismissed Aiden Markram with extra pace as the batter top-edged a pull shot straight to wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel. Minutes earlier, Pant had fallen for a duck, trying to slog Burger out of the ground. The left-arm pacer then accounted for Marsh, who was threatening to take the game away with a fighting 55 off 41 balls. The home team folded for a paltry 119.

Once Marsh was dismissed, the LSG tail was wiped out in no time.

While the Royals pacers made the maximum use of the uncharacteristically lively pitch, Ravindra Jadeja’s mature, unbeaten knock of 43 off 29 gave the bowlers a decent total to defend after the top order was blown away by the LSG pacers. Royals moved up to No. 2 in the points table while LSG’s campaign nosedived as they remained at No. 9.

Earlier, Shami delivered a couple of beauties while Mohsin Khan snuffed out teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as LSG’s all-India bowling unit derailed Rajasthan Royals. This is the third time in three games that Royals’ top order imploded.

The experience and class of Shami (2/30 in 4 overs) stood apart while the lanky Mohsin (2/17 in 4 overs) was extremely disciplined, getting the ball to rear up and seam at the same time from awkward lengths.

However, in the closing stages, Jadeja and impact substitute Shubham Dubey provided Rajasthan Royals with much-needed acceleration with an unbeaten 49-run partnership off 25 balls.

Shami, however, was a sight to see. After Yashasvi Jaiswal struck him for three consecutive boundaries, the veteran pacer responded brilliantly in his next over, dismissing the batter for 22 with a sharp bouncer and then removing Dhruv Jurel for a golden duck off the very next ball with a fine outswinger.