New Delhi: The tension was palpable. Rajasthan Royals The head coach Kumar SangakkaraHis face during his team’s IPL 2026 must-win clash against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.Sangakkara remained glued to his seat until the last ball, repeatedly wiping the sweat from his face with a towel and barely showing any expression throughout the game. But the moment the last ball was bowled and Rajasthan Royals confirmed their play-off qualification with a 30-run win over Mumbai Indians, a visibly relaxed Sangakkara stood to applaud his players and shake hands with support staff and team members.While Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders depended on complicated qualification scenarios and pure 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 ArcherA brilliant all-round performance sealed the fourth and final play-off berth in style.“During the last time-out 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 fantastic job and we were very clean on the field. It’s not always speculation (Archer’s promotion while batting) when it works great,” Sangkar said. After the Rajasthan Royals win.Jofra Archer shines with bat and ball.Archer made a significant impact from the first bat, scoring 32 off just 15 balls to help Rajasthan Royals post 205 for eight.The England fast bowler hit three sixes and a four during his fast-paced cameo that changed the momentum of the innings.He then backed it up with a brilliant spell with the ball, returning figures of 4-0-17-3 to claim 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 Dube take over the later overs when the bowlers were tired in the sun. Unfortunately Donovan got out but Jofra kicked and then Jadoo came in with an elbow at the end,” Sangakkar said.“From where we were, just seeing 180, 206 was a tremendous effort. He’s been like that every single game (Archer getting sacked). Invested a lot in the team, helped everyone. Has been our spearhead since the beginning. Very proud of him.”Sangakkara praised young spinner Yash.The Rajasthan Royals coach also heaped praise on young spinner Yash Rajpanja, who impressed against Mumbai Indians’ strong batting line-up. Panja claimed 2/44. “Yash has been an interesting pick for us. He’s tall, he’s got good revs on the ball, turns his leg-spinner and googly. It’s a good wicket to bat on but the way he bowled these experienced batsmen was brilliant. We don’t choose age, we choose ability,” Sangakkara added.Rajasthan Royals will now face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 Eliminator on May 27 at the Maharaja Yadavendra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Milanpur, New Chandigarh.
