IPL 2025: Rajasthan royals defeated Punjab kings in the first match of Mullanpur – but the match was full of strategy and planning|
In modern T20 cricket, one often gets to see 200+ high scoring matches or even low scoring thrillers. But the most interesting and tactical matches are those that happen between the two – where there is a perfect balance of batting, bowling, and fielding departments. The first match of IPL 2025 played in Mullanpur between Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings was one such game – a perfect example of multi-layered, strategic and smart cricket.
Powerful performance of Royals, but not just about runs
Rajasthan royals scored 205 while batting first – the first 200+ score of IPL in Mullanpur. Royals won the match by 50 runs, but this victory came not only due to big score, but also due to planning and balance. RR scored 53 runs in powerplay without losing any wicket. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson gave a slow but steady start. After 10 overs the score was 85. By the 15th over wickets started falling, but Riyan Parag, Hetmyer and Jurel increased the pace and took the team to 205. “Powerplay was slow but we finished strong because of quality batsmen,” – Sanju Samson
Punjab got off to a bad start
PBKS batting broke down right from the start. Jofra Archer took 2 wickets in the first over itself – Arya and Shreyas Iyer. After that Stoinis and Prabhsimran also got out early. 4 wickets fell in the first 7 overs. Nehal Wadhera and Glenn Maxwell shared 88 runs, but the match had gone out of their hands. RR bowlers never gave them a chance to settle down.
Rajasthan’s Strategy: Read the pitch correctly
Bowler Sandeep Sharma said: “We understood the pitch quickly. Back of length balls were low and skidding. We took feedback from the batsmen and bowled balls that were difficult to hit.” Spin also became a game changer for RR. RR bowled 10 overs of spin and took 4 wickets, while PBKS bowled only 4 overs of spin and did not get any wicket. Coach Sunil Joshi admitted that this was a mistake on their part. “Maxwell and Chahal should have been given more spin.” – Sunil Joshi
Royals showed smartness, not just power
RR controlled the match at every stage – adjusted batting tempo, made bowling changes smartly, and maintained pressure through fielding. Their victory was an example that in T20 cricket, not just boundaries but strategy also brings victory.
This match was a reminder that T20 cricket is not just a game of sixes and 200+ – smart thinking, pitch understanding and department to department coordination are equally important.
