PBKS Beat RR, Near IPL Playoff Berth

Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 10 runs in Jaipur, moving to second place on the IPL 2025 points table and nearing their first playoff appearance in 11 years. PBKS recovered from 34-3 with strong batting by Nehal Wadhera (70 off 37) and Shashank Singh (59* off 30), posting 219/5. RR's chase was led by Yashasvi Jaiswal (50 off 25) and 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi (40 off 15), but Harpreet Brar's 3-22 and disciplined death bowling, especially from Marco Jansen, limited them to 209/7. Sanju Samson returned as RR captain after injury, but the team remains eliminated from playoff contention. The match marked the IPL's return after an eight-day hiatus caused by India-Pakistan tensions. PBKS are now level on points with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, while RR continue to seek a positive end to their season despite missing key players.