Punjab Kings hold their nerves to trounce RR

Punjab Kings staged a remarkable recovery from an early top-order collapse to post a challenging total of 210, and then held their nerve in a tense finish to edge out Rajasthan Royals by 10 runs in a thrilling IPL encounter at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday.

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Punjab’s innings looked doomed early on, with the top three, Priyansh Arya, Mitchell Owen, and Prabhsimran Singh, back in the pavilion inside the powerplay for just 34 runs. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Tushar Deshpande struck early, while Kwena Maphaka chipped in with Mitchell Owen's wicket, leaving PBKS in dire straits.

Rescue came through Nehal Wadhera, who played a fluent 70 off 37 balls, dominating the spinners with elegant lofts and powerful pulls, including a signature six off Akash Madhwal. Shreyas Iyer (30 off 25) helped steady the innings before falling to Yashasvi Jaiswal’s sharp catching off Riyan Parag.