Saturday turned into a batting party in Mullanpur, with Rajasthan Royals racking up an impressive 205 for four against Punjab Kings in their IPL showdown. The star of the show? Yashasvi Jaiswal, who brushed off a rough start to the season with a cracking 67, while Riyan Parag lit up the end with a fiery cameo that pushed Rajasthan past 200 for the first time at this ground.
Jaiswal, the 23-year-old rising star, had been having a tough time lately. With scores of just 1, 29, and 4 in his first three games, plus some off-field chatter about his move to Goa and whispers of a rift with Mumbai cricket, the pressure was on. But he didn’t let it get to him. Stepping up alongside captain Sanju Samson, he kicked things off with a solid 89-run opening stand—Rajasthan’s best this season—after Punjab’s Shreyas Iyer decided to bowl first.
The young opener had a shaky moment facing Arshdeep Singh’s tricky first over but soon found his groove. He took on Marco Jansen with flair, flicking a gorgeous upper-cut over the keeper for six and then smashing one high over square leg. The Power Play brought 53 runs, and Jaiswal was just getting warmed up. He charged down to smack a lightning-fast Lockie Ferguson ball over the boundary, then cruised to his first fifty of the season—his 10th in the IPL—with a smooth drive off Yuzvendra Chahal. He kept the crowd buzzing with a six over midwicket and a couple of crisp boundaries off Marcus Stoinis.
That’s when Riyan Parag stepped in and stole the show. With three massive sixes and three fours, he turned the game around in the final stretch. Teaming up with Dhruv Jurel, he smashed 20 runs in the last seven deliveries, helping Rajasthan pile on 55 runs in the last three overs. It was the kind of finish that gets fans on their feet and puts the opposition on notice.
From Jaiswal shaking off the doubters to Parag’s clutch heroics, this was Rajasthan Royals showing what they’re made of. Punjab Kings have a mountain to climb now—and Rajasthan’s got the momentum to keep rolling.
