IPL 2025: 'I didn't expect to get a wicket on the first ball', says Archer

IANS April 6, 2025 291 views

Jofra Archer delivered a spectacular bowling performance in the IPL 2025 match against Punjab Kings, taking three crucial wickets. His first-ball breakthrough set the tone for Rajasthan Royals' dominant 50-run victory in Mullanpur. Supported by Yashasvi Jaiswal's impressive 67-run innings, Archer's spell of 3-25 was instrumental in the team's success. The match showcased Archer's return to form after previous underwhelming performances.

"I didn't expect to get a wicket on the first ball, and set the tone." - Jofra Archer
IPL 2025: 'I didn't expect to get a wicket on the first ball', says Archer
New Chandigarh, April 6: Speedster Jofra Archer, who set the tone for Rajasthan Royals' 50-run win over Punjab Kings in IPL 2025, said getting the wicket on very first ball of the second innings, was a crucial factor in helping the side getting an upper hand from the get go and bring energy in everyone on field.

Key Points

1

Archer takes crucial 3-25 wickets in dominant Royals performance

2

First-ball breakthrough energizes team

3

Yashasvi Jaiswal supports with 67-run knock

4

Royals crush Punjab Kings by 50 runs

In matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, Archer gave away 76 and 33 runs respectively without taking a wicket. But Archer redeemed himself with a spell of 1-13 in RR's win over Chennai Super Kings at Guwahati.

In Mullanpur on Saturday, Archer was at his roaring best to castle Priyansh Arya and Shreyas Iyer in the opening over with over 145 kmph thunderbolts before coming back to remove Arshdeep Singh at the back end to lead RR's demolition job of PBKS through an impressive spell of 3-25.

"Well, I thought that, if I can give the guys a good start, the bowler from the other end would take that up, do the same thing and hopefully keep passing the pressure on them. Honestly, I think the ball was supposed to swing a bit more."

"I didn't expect it to not do as much, but I'm happy that I still was able to get a wicket with the first ball, and set the tone. It got everybody some energy and I'm just glad that we got the win in the end," said Archer to Yashasvi Jaiswal in a video chat on iplt20.com on Sunday.

Jaiswal mentioned Archer aiming to bowl a bouncer to Arshdeep, but instead bluffing him with a half-volley. Explaining that, Archer said, "Yes, when I was running in, he bats away slightly, so I was like, just bowl at the stumps."

Jaiswal, who signalled a return to form by hitting a 45-ball 67, talked about his knock helping RR go past 200. "It was really important for me to always think to climb another mountain. I needed to absorb the pressure and enjoy the pressure because, of course, there is pressure in this game," he said.

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Archer is pure fire when he's on song! 🔥 That first ball wicket changed everything. PBKS never recovered after that. RR looking dangerous this season!
P
Priya S.
Love how humble Archer is about his performance. He could have bragged about those 145+ kmph deliveries but instead focused on team effort. Class act!
A
Amit D.
While Archer was brilliant, I think the article overlooks how poor PBKS batting was. Some of those shots were questionable at best. Can't blame just the bowling.
S
Sanjana M.
Jaiswal's knock deserves more attention too! 67 off 45 after his recent struggles - that's the comeback we love to see 💪 Both players made it a complete team performance.
V
Vikram J.
That bluff to Arshdeep was genius! Shows how much Archer has grown as a bowler - not just raw pace but proper game awareness now. Excited to see more of this version of him.
N
Neha P.
As an RR fan, this was the performance we've been waiting for! Hope Archer stays fit throughout the season. Our bowling attack looks scary when he's firing like this 💙

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Tags:
IPL 2025 Jofra Archer Rajasthan Royals Punjab Kings Cricket Highlights
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