Rajasthan Royals’ premier fast bowler Jofra Archer had a terrible time bowling in the powerplay against the Gujarat Titans on Saturday, May 9. Playing at their home ground, Rajasthan had a terrible start to the game. Archer, who has done exceedingly well in the Indian Premier League so far conceded 17 runs in the first over.
What struck the fans and even the broadcasters was that Archer, who has exceptional with his line and length sprayed the ball all over the place. Archer bowled four wides and a no ball, stretching the over to 11 deliveries.
RR vs GT, IPL 2026: UPDATES | SCORECARD
He constantly drifted down the leg side of the batter, failing to control the swing that the ball extracted in the opening over of the match.
To make matters worse, Archer perhaps bowled one of the biggest no balls in this season’s IPL raising eyebrows at a time when betting apps and corrupt approaches are being discussed heavily in the league.
After bowling that huge no ball, Archer bowled three wide balls, one of which was so down the leg side that it went to the boundary. The fast bowler eventually completed the over in his 11th ball, after conceding 17 runs.
LONGEST OVER IN IPL HISTORY
This meant that Archer equalled the record of bowling the longest over in the history of the Indian Premier League. Archer equalled Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, and Mohammed Siraj in this unwanted record.
This over against GT was an anomaly from the fast bowler. Archer has been sensational otherwise in the Indian Premier League with 15 wickets from 10 games. He has conceded runs at just 8.62 per over, marking this year as one of his best outings in the Indian Premier League.
Rajasthan Royals’ bowling coach Shane Bond agreed that Archer was out of sorts after returning from a short break. Rajasthan last played a game on May 1 against Delhi Capitals. The team was taking a mini-break in the 8 days where it did not play any competitive cricket.
“He was just having one of those days. He had a couple of days off, and it looked like he was not in the swing of things,” RR bowling coach Shane Bond said.
RR vs GT IN PLAYOFFS RACE
Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans are placed fourth and fifth in the Indian Premier League’s points table at the moment. The two teams are tied in points after playing 10 games. Whoever wins this match will break away from the mid-table logjam and put themselves in contention to finish in the Top 4 this season.
IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Player Stats | Purple Cap | Orange Cap | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
– Ends