NEW DELHI: “The ball was just flying everywhere,” said a relieved Marco Jansen — and that line summed up the chaos Punjab Kings endured before scripting a dramatic win over Rajasthan Royals on Sunday to move closer to the IPL playoffs.Also visit: DC vs GT, IPL 2025Defending a hefty 220-run target at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Punjab found themselves under siege as Yashasvi Jaiswal and young Vaibhav Suryavanshi exploded to 76 runs in just 4.5 overs. The carnage was breathtaking, and for a moment, Punjab’s playoff hopes hung by a thread.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!But Harpreet Brar, calm and clinical, dismissed both openers in quick succession, tilting the match back in Punjab’s favour. “Brar is consistent in the nets. Today he stepped in and delivered,” said skipper Shreyas Iyer, visibly pleased. “The guys were in high spirits. We showed the mindset that we wanted to win irrespective of the situation.”Who’s that IPL player?Iyer, who is nursing a finger injury from a practice session, praised the team’s spirit and Brar’s temperament. “Absolutely brilliant approach and attitude,” he added.Jansen, who bowled key overs at the death, revealed the team strategy: “For us it was about staying in the game. Talk was about two or three or four good overs. We did that quite well and finished it off at the back end.”
Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson, meanwhile, lamented another missed opportunity. “It was gettable… With our power-hitters, we thought it was chaseable. We just have to get the job done,” he said.Punjab are now second in the standings with 17 points and are a step closer to a top-four finish with momentum on their side.
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