Rajasthan Royals returned to winning form in emphatic fashion on Wednesday, handing Lucknow Super Giants their fourth straight defeat in the IPL 2026 season with a 40-run victory in Lucknow.
Batting first on a surface that offered variable bounce and seam movement, RR posted a competitive 159/6, anchored by a composed 43 off 29 balls from Ravindra Jadeja. Shubham Dubey also contributed a quick 19 as Rajasthan looked to recover from regular wicket losses through the innings.
Chasing 160, LSG never found momentum and were bundled out for 119 in 18 overs. The RR attack was led by disciplined spells from Jofra Archer (3 wickets for 20 runs) and Nandre Burger (2 for 27), while Brijesh Sharma also chipped in with two wickets. The collapse was capped by Jadeja’s key breakthrough, dismissing Nicholas Pooran at a crucial stage.
Speaking after the match on broadcast platforms, Jadeja reflected on the challenging batting conditions, noting the red-soil surface offered extra bounce and seam movement. He said partnerships were difficult to build against LSG’s pace attack, and stressed the importance of “taking the innings deep” while still rotating strike and taking calculated risks in T20 cricket.
He also highlighted a tactical approach against the bowling of Mayank Yadav in the death overs, explaining how he used the short boundaries and field settings to his advantage to add valuable late runs for RR.
On the bowling front, Jadeja explained his decision to vary pace on a two-paced wicket, pointing to how LSG batters including Mitchell Marsh and Pooran struggled against slower deliveries that held up on the surface. He added that adapting to conditions and match-ups dictated his role, even if it meant changing expectations around his full four-over quota.
Despite previously not completing his spell in earlier matches—including a game where he returned impressive figures of 2 for 8 against Kolkata Knight Riders—Jadeja completed his full allocation this time, emphasizing that team requirements always take priority over individual rhythm or milestones.
With the win, Rajasthan Royals moved into second place on the points table with 10 points from seven matches and will next face Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday.
(With inputs from ANI)