Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals pulled off a stunning chase against Punjab Kings on Tuesday, chasing down 223 runs in Mullanpur to hand PBKS their first defeat of IPL 2026.The star of the night was South African batter Donovan Ferreira, who smashed an unbeaten 52 off just 26 balls. Batting higher up the order in the absence of Shimron Hetmyer, Ferreira attacked Punjab’s bowlers in the death overs and finished the game with four balls remaining.
After the win, Rajasthan Royals shared a light-hearted video featuring Ferreira apologising to Bollywood superstar Salman Khan.“Sorry bhai, aaj nahi,” Ferreira joked in the video.Watch:The clip referred to an old 2014 social media post by Salman about Punjab Kings, co-owned by Preity Zinta. During a previous IPL match involving PBKS, Salman had famously posted: “Zinta’s team won kya?” The post has since become a recurring joke online whenever Punjab Kings play.
Ferreira, Dubey seal dramatic chase
Rajasthan Royals still needed 71 runs from the final six overs when Ferreira shifted gears alongside Shubham Dubey, who remained unbeaten on 31 off just 12 balls.The pair completely changed the momentum of the match with aggressive hitting, taking apart PBKS pacers Arshdeep Singh and Lockie Ferguson.Earlier, teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had given RR a flying start with a blistering 43 off 16 balls, including five sixes.Despite a strong spell from Yuzvendra Chahal, who picked up three wickets, Punjab Kings could not stop Rajasthan’s late assault as their unbeaten streak this season finally came to an end.
