Jofra Archer knocks over Priyansh Arya and Shreyas Iyer in the first over in PBKS vs RR IPL 2025 match [Watch]

Rajasthan Royals RR Practice Session In Jaipur - Source: Getty — Jofra Archer. (Image Credits: Getty)

Rajasthan Royals speedster Jofra Archer breathed fire in the very first over in the IPL 2025 game against the Punjab Kings in Mullanpur on Saturday. The right-arm speedster knocked over Priyansh Arya and Shreyas Iyer to have the hosts two down in the opening over, putting them under pressure.

With Priyansh Arya striking a promising 47 against the Gujarat Titans on his IPL debut, he looked primed to take on the England speedster. However, the Barbadian produced a peach as the ball pitched on the leg stump and nipped away sharply to knock off the top of off. Iyer, meanwhile, opened his account with a boundary and followed it up with another but Archer rearranged his stumps in the final delivery of the over.

Watch the dismissals here affected by Jofra Archer:

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The 30-year-old, who fetched a hefty ₹12.5 crore from the Royals, started the tournament in forgettable fashion. He leaked an eye-watering 76 from his four wicketless overs against the SunRisers Hyderabad.

He conceded 33 runs in 2.3 overs against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). However, he showed marked improvement against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with a haul of 3-1-13-1, headlined by Rachin Ravindra's wicket.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag shone before Jofra Archer's twin strikes

Yashasvi Jaiswal batting. (Image Credits: Getty)

Although Punjab Kings had won the toss, the Royals stole the initiative as the opening pair of Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal stitched an 89-run partnership. Jaiswal top-scored with 67 off 45 deliveries before Lockie Ferguson cleaned him up. Samson, who returned as captain after missing the first three matches, struck six boundaries in his 26-ball 38.

Riyan Parag, who led the Royals in Samson's absence, stayed unbeaten on 43 off 25 balls. Nitish Rana (12) and Shimron Hetmyer (20) also chipped in with valuable runs to lift their side to 205/4 in 20 overs. At the time of writing, the home side were teetering at 81/4 after the halfway mark.

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A former Tata Consultancy Services employee, Aayushman has been supporting the Australian men's national team after being impressed with their aggressive and never-say-die attitude in the 2003 ICC World Cup. His favorite cricketer is Steve Smith, whose tremendous self-belief in his methods, despite them being unorthodox, inspire him a lot. Smith’s performances from 2019 Ashes Series only fueled this inspiration further. He would like to revisit the 2015 ICC World Cup semi-final clash between India and Australia if ever got hold of a time machine.

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Edited by Aditya Singh