Rajasthan Royals (RR) fast bowler Jofra Archer took a dig at Punjab Kings (PBKS) after they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2026 Eliminator. The fast bowler said that his franchise needs to avoid a collapse like the Punjab Kings campaign and maintain its momentum during the crucial knockout stage.
Riyan Parag-captained Rajasthan Royals defeated Pat Cummins-captained Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs in the eliminator at the New Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Wednesday, May 27. The win secured Rajasthan a place in Qualifier 2, where they will face Gujarat Titans (GT) at the same venue on Sunday, May 31.
Don’t want what happened to Kings 11 to happen to us – Jofra Archer
Speaking to the broadcasters, Jofra Archer talked about the current pace of Rajasthan Royals. The fast bowler said the team is moving in the right direction but added that every player must continue to contribute to avoid a sudden dip in form.
“Very confident. Every game, every game at a time. I think we’re at peak, well, I don’t want to say peak, we’re going in the right direction at the right time, you know, we don’t want what happened with the Kings 11 to happen to us, so I think we’re on the right track, everybody is performing well every game, and that’s the important part,” Archer said.
Punjab Kings suffered a dramatic collapse under the leadership of captain Shreyas Iyer during IPL 2026. After winning six of their first seven matches, the 2025 runners-up lost six consecutive games and ultimately finished with 15 points, missing out on the playoffs by a narrow margin as Rajasthan Royals qualified with 16 points.
Stick to your plans, stick to your length – Jofra Archer on RR bowling display
Jofra Archer praised Rajasthan Royals’ bowling effort after their high-scoring win in the eliminator. The fast bowler said the entire attack followed the team’s plans well and maintained disciplined lengths despite conceding runs on a batting-friendly surface.
“Apart from the stats, I thought our bowling was absolutely fine. I think everyone bowled OK. We stuck to our plans. We stuck to our lengths and we got the reward for that tonight,” Archer said.
England’s fast bowler played an important role in stopping Sunrisers Hyderabad from chasing the target of 244 runs. He dismissed Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Travis Head and took 3 wickets for 58 runs in four overs.
The more runs he scores, the more runs we have to defend – Jofra Archer on Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Jofra Archer praised young batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi after his explosive innings in the eliminator. Archer said that the teenage opener’s big score reduces the pressure on the bowling attack and gives the team a stronger chance of defending the total.
“It was very exciting, the more runs he scored, the more runs we had to defend. So, you know, he can go on and score 150. So when he scores a lot of runs it’s good for the bowlers,” Archer said.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi played a match-winning inning of 97 runs in just 29 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The 15-year-old has emerged as one of the biggest performers for Rajasthan Royals this season along with Archer and has played a major role in taking the team to Qualifier 2.
ALSO READ: CSK finally react to rumors of Rahul Dravid as head coach
