IPL 2025, RR vs PBKS, Highlights: Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, and Harpreet Brar shine as Punjab Kings climb to second in the points table.
Brief score: PBKS: 219/5 (Nehal Wadhera 70, Shashank Singh 59, Tushar Deshpande 2/37) beat RR: 209/7 (Dhruv Jurel 53, Yashasvi Jaiswal 50, Harpreet Brar 3/22) by 10 runs.
Classical left-arm spinner- Harpreet Brar pulled Punjab Kings to the victory line by grabbing three crucial wickets. Later, Jurel showed some resilience, but that wasn’t sufficient for Rajasthan Royals as they lost the match by 10 runs in 59th Match of IPL 2025.
Highlights from PBKS vs RR, IPL 2025
Nehal Wadhera- Shashank Singh made the most of the conditions
After the end of the powerplay, Punjab were crawling at 58-3 and they were in desperate need of a partnership. The top three- Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh and Mitchell Owen were already in the dugout, and now it was time for the middle order to step up on the occasion.
Nehal Wadhera, their knight in shining armour, delivered in style by scoring 70 off 37 balls with a healthy strike rate of 189.19. He took his time initially by chipping the balls. But later, when his eyes were set, he played some extraordinary shots to counterattack the opposition’s bowling lineup.
The shot of the day was when he swept Hasaranga for a six at deep midwicket!
Later, by the time Nehal departed, Punjab looked in control, but they needed someone who could push the NRR beyond par. That’s where Shashank Singh proved his credentials with 59 off 30 balls, yet again! Right from the first ball he faced, his intentions looked clear. He toyed with the field and made bowlers double-check their plans. With his clean and crisp bat swing, he punched the ball out of the park quite frequently. Hence, from 58/3 to 219/6, Nehal and Shashank stitched a fine partnership and displayed true chivalrous character.
Read More: Qualification scenarios as IPL 2025 approaches the business end
Effortless 🤝 Effective
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 18, 2025
Nehal Wadhera with his 2⃣nd fifty of the season 🔥
Both coming off against #RR 👌
Updates ▶ https://t.co/HTpvGew6ef #TATAIPL | #RRvPBKS | @PunjabKingsIPL | @nehalwadhera pic.twitter.com/JP60ju6PZo
Harpreet Brar 3- fer keep Punjab in hunt
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi were all blazing from the first ball they faced. They chipped in plenty of runs in the powerplay, and that provided the right foundation for RR. But just when the momentum was swinging in the home team’s way, Punjab introduced Harpreet Brar, who slowed things down by taking three crucial wickets in his spell of four overs. He was given the ball in the 5th over and indeed was right on money since then.
They key to his success today was his adaptability, how quickly he adjusted his line and lengths as per the batters. For instance, to shatter Parag’s stumps, he kept the length short, while to dismiss Vaibhav, he pitched the ball right up. Two contrasting deliveries, but same results!
Read More: The Glenn Maxwell Factor: Despite poor outputs, why do franchises root for him in IPL
Middle order faults the chase for RR
This has been the story of RR in IPL 2025 in almost all the matches. Their top order provides a decent start, but the middle order fails to capitalise on the same. Today’s match was no different as the fate was quite the same.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi (40 off 15) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (50 off 25) fought hard with the new ball, but the middle order failed miserably. Sanju Samson, the skipper of the team, carried his low patch by scoring just 20 runs. Then, Riyan Parag and Shemron Hetmyer too couldn’t meet the asking NRR. The three of them hadn’t performed as per their calibre this season, and thus, the team is wandering at the bottom of the points table.
Later, Dhruv Jurel, the lone warrior, gave some hope as he scored a good fifty. His efforts weren’t sufficient to cross the finish line but his temperament engaged the match till the final over. Overall, it was the middle order at fault as they lost another match which they couldn’t conveniently won.
Read More: IPL 2025, PBKS vs LSG, Highlights: Punjab rise to second spot; Prabhsimran, Arshdeep play lead roles
Conclusion
With the competition getting stiffer by each passing match, PBKS held their nerves and grabbed those crucial two points. Now, they stand in the second spot and are all set to grab their maiden title. RR, on the other hand, need to work on their strategies, so that they can come back stronger in IPL 2026!
Top Twitter/X Reactions from RR vs PBKS, Jaipur, IPL 2025
Shashank de Villiers 👀💥
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) May 18, 2025
11 Sal Ka intezar khatam hone hi wala hai. Well done @PunjabKingsIPL @ShreyasIyer15
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) May 18, 2025
Read More: IPL 2025, KKR vs RR, Highlights: Russell’s 57*, Harshit’s two crucial strikes keep KKR in the hunt
