Yesterday IPL match result: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on fire again; Donovan Ferreira, RR chase down 223 vs PBKS

NEW CHANDIGARH: In the end, it came down to two men who refused to read from anyone else’s script. Shubham Dubey, walking in as an Impact Sub with Rajasthan Royals’ chase wobbling, and Donovan Ferreira, who took one look at what Dubey was doing and decided he wanted a piece of it too.

Between them, an unbroken 77-run stand turned a match Punjab Kings thought they had won into one Rajasthan Royals emphatically claimed by six wickets at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Stadium here on Tuesday.

It was Punjab’s first defeat of IPL-2026. It had to come eventually, but it would hurt Shreyas Iyer & Co. a little more because they had done so much right.

It began with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (43 off 16b; 3x4, 5x6) doing what he does with extraordinary regularity these days. Two defences to start, and then the 15-year-old was at it again. Arshdeep Singh went for a six and two boundaries in the first over. Lockie Ferguson, bowling at 145-plus, was treated with utter disdain as Sooryavanshi hit the Kiwi fast bowler for two sixes and a boundary, one of those sixes clearing the ropes faster than the ball had arrived.

Arshdeep had the last laugh with a low full toss that Sooryavanshi skied in his eagerness to clear the boundary yet again. A boy playing like a man. A phenomenon is not too strong a word.

Yashasvi Jaiswal (51 off 27b; 7x4 1x6) assumed command thereafter and was equally ruthless. Jaiswal has been in irresistible touch this IPL and he showed why, motoring Rajasthan to 84 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay. The target, at this time, was well within reach.

And then Punjab’s spinners arrived, and the match tilted.

Harpreet Brar was disciplined and gave nothing away, building pressure with the kind of sustained accuracy that forces mistakes. Yuzvendra Chahal, from the other end, was his partner in crime. Chahal got the wickets of Dhruv Jurel, Jaiswal and Royals skipper Riyan Parag, finishing with figures of 3/36.

Impact Sub Dubey walked in when the asking rate was climbing and nerves were beginning to fray. He didn’t flinch. His 31 not out (off 12b; 3x4, 2x6) was as composed as it was brutal. The moment Dubey started timing it, Ferreira found another gear entirely. What followed was a hitting masterclass as Ferreira (52* off 26b; 6x4, 3x6) finished the match in style with a six off Marco Jansen.

Earlier, Punjab Kings showed why their batting carries a sense of inevitability these days. Not just about runs, but the manner in which they go on to execute the task in hand. It’s brisk, confident, and increasingly dismissive of reputation. That mood continued as the Rajasthan Royals attack was taken apart in phases that felt both planned and instinctive.