By Suramya Kaushik
NEW CHANDIGARH, India (Reuters) -England fast bowler Jofra Archer came back from bowling the costliest spell in Indian Premier League (IPL) history last month to become the match winner in Rajasthan Royals’ victory on Saturday.
Archer, who missed the last IPL season and went into the 2025 mega auction as a late addition, had a forgettable start to the season, getting figures of 0-76 in Rajasthan’s season-opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad last month.
His performance continued to falter in the team’s eight-wicket defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders where he remained wicketless, bowling just 2.3 overs at an economy rate exceeding 13 runs per over.
Rajasthan, however, backed Archer and the pacer repaid the trust with a crucial performance in the side’s six-run win over Chennai Super Kings followed by a match-winning 3-25 spell against Punjab Kings on Saturday.
The 30-year-old made his mark in the first over, taking two wickets — dismissing Priyansh Arya off his first delivery and sending Punjab skipper Shreyas Iyer back to the pavilion to end the over.
Rajasthan defeated Punjab by 50 runs and, after being named Player of the Match, Archer said: “When there are days like this you’ve got to make sure you cash in… enjoy the good ones, take the bad ones in your stride.”
Sandeep Sharma, Archer’s fellow pacer, said that despite the Englishman’s poor start, the team always believed in him for his experience at international level.
“We always knew, Jofra is a world-class bowler and the scale he brings to the table or into the game is totally different and I think very few can bring that,” Sandeep told reporters.
“So all the management and team had confidence in him that the day he gets that one over, one wicket, maybe two good overs, that will boost his confidence. He is one of the IPL’s toughest bowlers to face or play.
“It was just our fourth game and I’m pretty sure with more games we’re going to get better and better.”
With Archer’s return to form alongside Sandeep, Rajasthan now have two gun pacers in their arsenal, propelling the team forward in the IPL standings.
“That (Archer-Sandeep) is a very deadly combo — one guy bowling around 150 and another bowling around 115… I can trust them with pressure overs. We all love it when he (Archer) bowls those quick overs,” Rajasthan captain Sanju Samson said.
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)
