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Punjab Kings’ unbeaten run ended as Rajasthan chased 222, powered by a teenage standout and late hitting.
Ricky Ponting's Punjab Kings have suffered their first defeat of the IPL season, falling to Rajasthan Royals in a high-scoring contest despite a late surge from Marcus Stoinis.
Stoinis produced an unbeaten 62 from just 22 balls to power Kings to 4-222, with fellow Australian Cooper Connolly adding a quick 30 from 14 deliveries. On a pitch described by captain Shreyas Iyer as slow and tacky, the total appeared competitive.
Rajasthan, however, chased it down with four balls to spare, finishing 4-228. Donovan Ferreira sealed the win with an unbeaten 52, while Yashasvi Jaiswal set the platform with 51 from 27 balls.
The innings was launched by 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who struck 43 from 16 balls in a rapid start.
His knock included five sixes and underlined a breakout campaign that has already seen him reach 400 runs in just 167 balls, the fastest in an IPL season.
Punjab's previously unbeaten run, six wins and one washout, keeps them at the top of the table, but their bowling attack came under pressure.
Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson and Marco Jansen combined to concede heavily as Royals cleared the boundary 14 times.
Kings had earlier recovered from a steady start. Priyansh Arya made 29 from 11 balls before falling to Jofra Archer, while Connolly accelerated after a cautious beginning.
Stoinis then took control late, smashing 57 runs from his final 17 deliveries, including two sixes off Archer and 24 from the last over.
Despite the strong total, Punjab were unable to contain Rajasthan's aggressive chase, with Sooryavanshi's early momentum proving decisive.
Elsewhere, in the Pakistan Super League, Aaron Hardie returned 3-24 as Peshawar Zalmi defeated Islamabad United to reach the final. Zalmi posted 7-221, led by Babar Azam's 103, before bowling out Islamabad for 151.
