In focus: Jofra Archer needs to strike early.
| Photo Credit: ANI
IPL is a beast. Ask Rajasthan Royals.
The Royals had begun their campaign with four wins in a row. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the boy in just his second season, was treating men like Jasprit Bumrah and Josh Hazlewood, who between them have 1020 international wickets, with little respect. Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger were breathing fire with the new ball.
The Men in Pink were looking to settle the issue in the PowerPlay, with bat and ball, just about every time. Things were indeed looking rosy, and their fans must have already begun to hope for a place in the play-off.
Some five weeks later, those hopes are still there, but so are enough concerns, with just two games remaining. After losing all their three last matches, Riyan Parag’s men are in a desperate situation. First, they have to win against Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday.
To win a match at their home ground, the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, is something they haven’t done this season, having lost all three previous ones – in sharp contrast to their record at their home away from home, Guwahati’s Barsapara Cricket Stadium, where they won all three.
And they have to recover quickly from their disappointing five-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals in the last match at New Delhi, where they slid from 161 for two to 191 for eight just a couple of days ago. They cannot afford one more collapse like that.
Another breathless start from Sooryavanshi would be great, but Parag and Dhruv Jurel, who both scored fifties against Capitals, need to bat deeper. Archer has to produce another spell of quality.
LSG may be out of the race for a place in the top four, but they should be in a confident frame of mind after the recent wins against table-topper Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings.
Published – May 18, 2026 11:02 pm IST
