Well then, this brings us to the close of this entertaining double-header Saturday. Earlier in the day, Delhi Capitals registered a thumping win over the Chennai Super Kings at CSK’s own backyard, defeating them by 25 runs, and later in the evening, RR ran over PBKS, with a commanding 50-run win. This is a wrap from this game, then. But matches come thick and fast in the IPL, as up next, we have got another thriller contest lined up for you all. The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium of Hyderabad will light up once again as the Sunrisers Hyderabad host the Gujarat Titans. Both teams are coming off contrasting results with SRH placed at the rock bottom, and GT in the top half. That game will be played on 6th April, Sunday, and the first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT). Till then, cheers, and take care!

Bowlers are having their say, finally! The tide seems to have turned in recent matches with four consecutive successful defenses by teams batting first. Rajasthan Royals have completely outplayed Punjab Kings as they bounce up to the seventh position, while Punjab Kings slip down to the fourth, suffering a huge dip in their net run rate.

Jofra Archer of the Rajasthan Royals wins the PLAYER OF THE MATCH award for his spectacular showing with the ball. He snagged a match-winning three-for and conceded only 25 runs off his 4 overs. He reflects that things didn’t go well for him at the beginning of the tournament, but expresses his happiness to contribute to the team’s win. Adds that when you have days like this, you need to cash in nicely. Opines that you can get lucky in some circumstances, and in some, the batter can get ahead of you. Says everyone in the squad is training hard. Adds every day is not the same, but on good days, you have to enjoy and express yourself to the fullest.

The Rajasthan Royals' captain, Sanju Samson, says that after the way they started in the Powerplay, he felt they might end up falling short of a competitive total, but the middle order stepped up and came through when it mattered the most. Adds that the team managed the game well overall and played with good awareness. Samson also praises the bowling duo of Jofra Archer and Sandeep Sharma, calling them a deadly combination. He adds that he's happy with the way both are performing and trusts them more in pressure situations. He says the team enjoys watching Archer bowl with pace, while Sandeep is one of the best in the business when it comes to execution. States that it took them some time to figure out the right entry points for individuals. Tells that injuries play a significant role in the IPL and emphasises the importance of taking care of players’ bodies.

Time for the Presentation ceremony...

Riyan Parag of the Rajasthan Royals is up for a chat now. He says the plan was to get a few runs in the Powerplay. He says they knew the ball would stick in the wicket and they practiced accordingly. He says his plan was to also take time at the crease and then tee off. Admits it wasn’t the best of effort from him, but still he is happy. He appreciates that Sanju Samson has been their leader for a lot of years, even when he wasn’t officially the captain. Adds that Sanju always analyzes the situations well, and comes up with solutions. He says today the plan was to keep the left-right combination going, and hence, he came in early to bat.

The captain of the Punjab Kings, Shreyas Iyer, says conceding 205 was a bit much and they gave away a few extra runs, which proved costly in the end. Tells that a slight hiccup at the start of the tournament isn't necessarily a bad thing, and he’s actually glad it happened early on. Mentions the ball was holding up a bit. Adds that they needed partnerships in the middle and could have taken things a bit slower. Says there are a lot of learnings to take from this game. States they will go back and review where things went wrong both with the bat and ball. Tells that Nehal Wadheral batted phenomenally under pressure, took his time, and read the wicket really well.

Earlier in the game, the Royals got off to a flyer after being put in to bat by the Punjab Kings. Jaiswal was on fire after a somewhat slow start, with Samson providing solid support as they raced to an 89-run opening stand. Punjab tried mixing things up with frequent bowling changes, but couldn't contain the early onslaught. Once that platform was set, all the incoming RR batters made it count. Jaiswal smashed a quick 67, while Parag provided the perfect finishing kick with a blistering 43 off just 25 balls. With Hetmyer and Jurel chipping in with valuable cameos, Rajasthan cruised past the 200-mark. Ferguson was Punjab's lone bright spot with the ball, picking up a couple of wickets, but they just couldn't find breakthroughs when needed. The death bowling was particularly expensive, leaking 55 runs in the final four overs.

After those two key wickets, Rajasthan really tightened their grip on the match. Their bowlers were absolutely spot on in the final overs, completely drying up the boundaries when PBKS needed them most. Shashank Singh, who's usually their go-to finisher, barely saw any of the strike and couldn't conjure up his usual magic to save the day.

The Maxwell-Wadhera duo mounted a spirited comeback, racing to an 88-run stand off just 52 balls. Wadhera shifted into the overdrive mode, blasting his way to a rapid fifty, while Maxwell did what Maxwell does best - playing those trademark aggressive shots. But T20 cricket's pendulum swings quickly, and RR's Sri Lankan spin duo turned the game on its head in consecutive deliveries. Theekshana outfoxed Maxwell first, and before Punjab could recover, Hasaranga sent back the dangerous Wadhera.

This early cluster of wickets pegged PBKS firmly on the back foot in their chase. RR’s impact player Kumar Kartikeya also made an instant impact by removing Prabhsimran Singh, who was just looking to get going. In a desperate need of a strong comeback partnership, Glenn Maxwell and Nehal Wadhera tried to steady the ship, and didn’t spare any looseners thrown at them.

Rajasthan Royals had a dream start defending 205 runs, with Archer striking twice in his opening over, including the crucial scalp of PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer. The early momentum continued as Stoinis also fell cheaply, leaving Punjab in deep trouble at 43/3 by the end of the Powerplay - a stark contrast to Rajasthan's comfortable 53 without loss at the same stage.

Back-to-back wins for Rajasthan Royals then. And both of them with good display in all facets. First, they beat CSK by 6 runs in Guwahati, and now decimate the Punjab Kings by 50 runs in an away game. After starting their campaign with two consecutive defeats, this win will surely inflate RR's net run rate enormously. This also marks Punjab Kings' first defeat this season, and with that, Delhi Capitals are the only team left unbeaten in this season so far. 

Is that a boundary? Also, the umpires are checking how many fielders were inside the inner ring before the ball was bowled. It will be deemed as a No Ball if fewer than four fielders are found inside the 30-yard circle. The aerial angle from the spider-cam comes up now for the umpire's convenience. Riyan Parag is explaining his case to the umpire, as he is the one who might have moved outside the ring. The wait continues and the third umpire reconfirms with a few more aerial angles. The verdict comes in favor of RR as it is not a No Ball. Now, on the boundary check, Sandeep Sharma fails to stop it. 

Lockie Ferguson is the last man in for Punjab Kings.

The physio from the PBKS camp rushes out for the mandatory concussion check. Shashank looks fine.

Jofra Archer to wrap up the match. His figures read, 3-0-20-3 so far.