NEW DELHI: Jofra Archer, the Rajasthan Royals pacer, displayed visible frustration after a disastrous opening over against Gujarat Titans during their IPL 2026 encounter at Sawai Mansingh Stadium. The England speedster endured a nightmare start, conceding 18 runs in an 11-ball over, which ranks among the joint-longest overs in IPL history.
Archer's Struggles with Line and Length
Archer struggled severely with his line and length, spraying wides and bowling a no-ball as the Gujarat Titans openers capitalized on the poor start. The chaotic over unfolded as follows: 4, Wd, 0, Nb+1, Wd5, Wd, Wd, 0, 1, 2, 1. After finally completing the over, Archer walked toward the boundary ropes, his face red with anger. The fast bowler appeared irritated by some sloppy fielding efforts from his teammates, with his emotions clearly on display.
Sangakkara Steps In
The dramatic scenes prompted Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara to approach the boundary ropes and calm Archer down before play resumed.
Ball-by-Ball Breakdown of the Over
Ball 0.1: Archer began with a short and wide delivery outside off stump. Sai Sudharsan punished it immediately, slashing the ball over point for a boundary to get off the mark in style.
Ball 0.2: Archer bowled a wide outside off, with the delivery shaping away sharply. Sudharsan threw his bat but failed to connect. The legal delivery was a short-of-length ball outside off that moved away; Sudharsan guided it to backward point for no run.
Ball 0.3: Archer overstepped by a huge margin, bowling a no-ball. Sudharsan steered the back-of-length delivery to backward point, where sloppy fielding allowed a single. Gujarat Titans also earned a free hit.
Ball 0.3 (free hit): Archer sprayed the ball far down the leg side. Shubman Gill missed the flick, and the ball raced to the boundary for five wides.
Ball 0.3 again: Archer followed up with another wide down the leg side, continuing his struggle with control.
Ball 0.3 again: Yet another wide followed, making it three consecutive wides. The free hit continued, and the Rajasthan Royals dugout looked tense.
Ball 0.3 (legal delivery): Archer finally landed a yorker outside off. Gill tried to squeeze it out but missed completely.
Ball 0.4: Archer bowled on middle and leg, and Gill flicked it through square leg for a single.
Ball 0.5: Sudharsan survived a leading edge while trying to flick across the line. The ball safely cleared the cover fielder, and the batters completed two runs. The third umpire briefly checked for another no-ball, but Archer’s back foot was marginally behind the line.
Ball 0.6: Archer ended the over with another misfield behind the stumps. Sudharsan punched a length delivery to cover for a single, but an overthrow at the keeper’s end allowed Gujarat Titans to finish with 18 runs from the over.
Match Context
Captain Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan struck commanding half-centuries before late fireworks from Washington Sundar propelled Gujarat Titans to a formidable 229/4 against Rajasthan Royals. Stay updated with the latest IPL Live Score, IPL news on Times of India. Follow the IPL Schedule, check the IPL Points Table, and track the race for the IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple Cap.
