NEW DELHI: The tension was clearly visible on Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara’s face during his side’s must-win IPL 2026 clash against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.Sangakkara remained glued to his seat till the very last ball, repeatedly wiping sweat off his face with a towel and barely showing any expression throughout the game. But the moment the final ball was bowled and Rajasthan Royals confirmed their playoff qualification with a 30-run win over Mumbai Indians, a visibly relaxed Sangakkara stood up, applauded his players and exchanged handshakes with members of the support staff and team.While Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders were dependent on complicated qualification scenarios and net run-rate equations, Rajasthan Royals entered the game with a simple task – win and qualify for the playoffs.RR delivered under pressure, riding on Jofra Archer’s brilliant all-round performance to seal the fourth and final playoff berth in style.“During the last timeout it was just about sticking to plans and holding your nerve. When you go to the back end it’s all about who responds better under pressure. All the bowlers did a brilliant job. And on the field we were pretty tidy. It’s always guesswork isn’t it (Archer’s promotion while batting). It’s great when it works and pretty ugly when it doesn’t,” Sangakkara said after Rajasthan Royals’ victory.Jofra Archer shines with bat and ballArcher first made a crucial impact with the bat, smashing 32 runs off just 15 deliveries to help Rajasthan Royals post 205 for eight.The England pacer hammered three sixes and a four during his quickfire cameo that changed the momentum of the innings.He then backed it up with an outstanding spell with the ball, returning figures of 4-0-17-3 to earn the Player of the Match award.“We know what Jofra can do with the bat. Wanted him to go out there and take a bit of risk. And then let Ferreira and Dubey handle the later overs when the bowlers were tired in the sun. Unfortunately Donovan did get out but Jofra kicked on and then Jaddu coming in at the end with a bung elbow got us over the line,” Sangakkara said.“From where we were, looking at only 180, 206 was a fantastic effort. He has been like that in every single game (Archer being fired up). Very invested in the team, helping everyone. Has been our spearhead right from the start. Very proud of him.”Sangakkara praises young spinner YashThe Rajasthan Royals coach also reserved special praise for young spinner Yash Raj Punja, who impressed against a strong Mumbai Indians batting line-up. Punja claimed 2/44. “Yash has been an interesting choice for us. He’s tall, has got good revs on the ball, turns his leg spinner and the googly. This is a good wicket to bat on but the way he bowled to those seasoned batters was outstanding. We don’t pick age, we pick ability,” Sangakkara added.Rajasthan Royals will now face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator of IPL 2026 on May 27 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh.
