Jaipur, May 18 (NationPress) Dynamic half-centuries from Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh propelled Punjab Kings to a commendable score of 219/5 in their 20 overs during the IPL 2025 encounter against Rajasthan Royals at Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday.

Choosing to bat first, Punjab Kings' openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh commenced aggressively, with Arya striking a boundary on the very first ball of the match. Prabhsimran also found the boundary in Fazalhaq Farooqi's opening over, scoring 11 runs in total.

However, Rajasthan made a comeback with Tushar Deshpande dismissing Arya (9) in the second over, where he was caught by Shimron Hetmyer, just after being dropped by Farooqi.

Prabhsimran dominated Kwena Maphaka's over, hitting two fours and a six before Maphaka claimed his first wicket, dismissing IPL debutant Mitchell Owen for a duck.

Punjab faced another setback when Deshpande removed Prabhsimran in the following over, leaving them at three wickets down within the powerplay. Prabhsimran scored 21 runs off 10 balls, featuring three fours and a six.

Captain Shreyas Iyer, stepping in at No. 5, alongside Nehal Wadhera, ensured that the team didn’t lose further wickets during the powerplay, with Punjab Kings at 58/3 by its conclusion.

The pair continued to accumulate runs, with Wadhera taking an aggressive stance against Wanindu Hasaranga, striking him for two fours and a six in consecutive overs.

Meanwhile, Iyer maintained momentum by hitting Akash Madhwal for two fours in the ninth over, marking the 50-run partnership for the fourth wicket, with Punjab at 97/3 at the halfway point.

Iyer hit Riyan Parag for a boundary to push the score past the 100-run mark in the 11th over. However, Parag dismissed the Punjab captain shortly after for a 25-ball 30, caught by Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Shashank Singh joined Wadhera at the crease, and Punjab continued their aggressive strategy in Jaipur. Shashank launched a six over deep mid-wicket against Hasaranga, who later dropped him on a caught-and-bowled chance.

Wadhera notched his second half-century of the season with a boundary off Madhwal, reaching the milestone in just 25 balls. He followed it up with a six over deep square-leg on the next delivery.

Shashank and Wadhera quickly built a 50-run partnership, with Shashank striking a four off Madhwal in the 16th over. Wadhera also hit a six in the same over before being dismissed on the last ball, finishing with an impressive 70 runs from 35 balls, including five sixes and five fours. Punjab Kings stood at 159/5 after 16 overs.

Azmatullah Omarzai and Shashank took charge in the final overs, with Shashank completing his half-century in just 27 balls during the last over of the innings.

The duo added a remarkable 60 runs off 24 balls in the closing overs. Shashank remained not out at 59 runs from 30 balls, featuring three sixes and five fours, while Omarzai contributed with 21 runs off 9 balls, including a six and three fours.

For Rajasthan, Deshpande ended with impressive figures of 2-37, while Parag, Maphaka, and Madhwal each took one wicket.

Brief scores: Punjab Kings 219/5 in 20 overs (Nehal Wadhera 70, Shashank Singh 59 not out; Tushar Deshpande 2-37, Riyan Parag 1-26) against Rajasthan Royals.