Kumar Sangakkara (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
New Delhi: The tension was evident on Rajasthan Royals coach Kumar Sangakkara’s face during his team’s must-win IPL 2026 match against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.Sangakkara remained glued to his seat until the last ball, repeatedly wiping the sweat off his face with a towel and barely showing any expression throughout the match.
But at the moment when the last ball was bowled and Rajasthan Royals confirmed their qualification for the playoffs 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 relying on complex qualifying scenarios and net run rate equations, Rajasthan Royals entered the game with a simple mission – to win and qualify for the playoffs.RR performed under pressure, capitalizing on Jofra Archer’s impressive all-round performance to book their fourth and final playoff berth in style.“In the final deadline, it was just about sticking to the plans and keeping 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 on the field we were very tidy. It’s always a guess, isn’t it (Archer’s promotion while batting).
“It’s great when it works and very ugly when it doesn’t,” Sangakkara said after Rajasthan Royals’ win.Jofra Archer shines with bat and ballArcher made a decisive impact for the first time with the bat, smashing 32 runs off just 15 deliveries to help Rajasthan Royals post 205 for eight.The Englishman hit three sixes and a four during his quick cameo that changed the momentum of the innings.He then backed it up with an impressive spell on the ball, returning figures of 4-0-17-3 to earn him the Man of the Match award.“We know what Jofra can do with the bat. We wanted him to go out there and take some risks. Then let Ferreira and Dube handle the subsequent runs when the bowlers were tiring in the sun. Unfortunately, Donovan was out but Jofra kicked and then Jadu came in at the end with a punched elbow that got us over the line,” Sangakkara said.“From where we were, looking at just 180, 206 was an amazing goal. He was like that every game (Archer was motivated).”
I invested a lot in the team, helping everyone. He has been our spearhead since the beginning. Very proud of him.”Sangakkara praises young spinner YashThe Rajasthan Royals coach also paid special tribute to young player Yash Raj Poonja, who performed admirably against a strong Mumbai Indians line-up. Bunga claimed 2/44. “Yash has been an interesting choice for us. He is tall, has good spin on the ball, leg spin and movement. This is a good wicket to bat on but the way he bowled these veteran batsmen was fantastic. We are not choosing age, we are choosing ability,” Sangakkara added.Rajasthan Royals will now take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator of IPL 2026 on May 27 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh.