MI vs RR, IPL 2026: Jofra Archer puts on all-round show to drag Rajasthan Royals into Playoffs

For a brief while on Sunday evening, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya threatened to pull off the improbable and keep Mumbai Indians alive in a contest that seemed to be slipping away. But Jofra Archer’s decisive intervention ensured Rajasthan Royals won by 30 runs and sealed the fourth and final Indian Premier League Playoffs berth in style at the Wankhede Stadium.

Had it not been for Archer’s late flourish with the bat and fiery burst with the ball, Rajasthan may well have been left to rue another near-miss — a feeling Punjab Kings will now know all too well.

When Archer walked in at No. 7 in the 13th over, ahead of designated finisher Shubham Dubey and Impact Player Ravindra Jadeja, it raised a few eyebrows. But the England quick repaid the faith instantly, muscling the ball nonchalantly to the boundary and injecting momentum into an innings that had briefly stalled.

His cameo proved crucial as Rajasthan plundered 73 runs off the final five overs to post a daunting 205 against an underperforming Mumbai batting unit.

Archer then struck immediately with the ball. He forced an edge off Rohit Sharma in the opening over before cleaning up Naman Dhir with a sharp delivery in his next.

Yet, with Suryakumar surviving a chance at midwicket off Punja’s leg-spin and Hardik beginning to find rhythm, Mumbai briefly threatened to script a memorable chase for the nearly 19,000 school kids in attendance under MI owners’ Education and Sports For All initiative.

That was until Archer returned to produce a vicious short ball that Hardik could miscue to long on, decisively swinging the game Rajasthan’s way.

Earlier, Mumbai had rested Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik did not bowl, but even then teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to fully light up the venue. After Will Jacks’ acrobatic save converted a certain six into a single, Sooryavanshi eventually fell into a deep-point trap off Deepak Chahar.

Yashasvi Jaiswal provided an explosive start before falling to Jacks’ off-spin, while the middle order — including captain Riyan Parag — lost wickets trying to force the pace. A mix-up initiated by Dhruv Jurel also resulted in Donovan Ferreira’s untimely run-out.

But Archer’s intervention ensured Rajasthan’s return to the Playoffs after a disappointing 2025 campaign.

Published on May 24, 2026