In the Godfather world, you don’t announce Don. You feel his presence as the room falls silent and the deal is completed. Donovan Ferreira played it that way on a loud IPL night in Mullanpur.
No chaos. No panic. Just control.
It has been a long time coming for Rajasthan Royals. Four wins to start the season masked a growing problem. When Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal fired, RR were flying. When they didn’t, the middle order often froze. IPL 2026, PBKS vs RR Highlights | Scorecard
Chasing 223 against Punjab Kings, RR once again got off to a perfect start. Sooryavanshi smashed 43 off 16. Jaiswal got to 51. The scenario was familiar.
What was not known was what followed.
This time the middle order didn’t blink.
By the time Ferreira finished things off with a six, RR had racked up a huge total with four balls to spare, they had handed PBKS its first loss of the season and quietly solved their biggest problem.
HOW FERREIRA flipped the script for RR
When Ferreira came into play in the 12th over at 123 for 3, the game was level. The required speed was increasing. One mistake and it’s tipped.
He didn’t do any.
“I just kept my mind nice and clear. Just like when I was playing with the truck as a kid,” Ferreira said after the win.
That clarity manifested itself. No wild swings. No rush. Just choose the moments.
With Shubham Dubey at the other end, the pair added 77 runs in just 32 balls. Dubey’s 31 off 12 contributed to the chase but it was Ferreira who called the shots.
“I kept telling the boys we have to be positive. It’s not that hard to get a score like that,” he said.
The turning point came quickly. Arshdeep Singh went for 17 in the 18th over. Lockie Ferguson escaped with 16 in 19. Suddenly 12 overs didn’t seem like a mountain.
“I kept reminding myself, one good finish and the game becomes much easier,” Ferreira said.
He stayed until the end. 52 not out off 26 balls. Game over.
HOW RR’S MIDDLE ORDER DID VS PBKS
Shubham Dubey and Donnovan Ferreira (PTI Photo)
The numbers don’t lie. Prior to this game, RR’s middle order (Nos. 4 to 7) averaged just 21.10 in the first eight matches. Only Lucknow Super Giants were worse.
Hit rate? 126.35.
That doesn’t win you games in IPL 2026.
On Tuesday, that whole story turned around. From a weak link, the middle order became the reason why RR chased 223.
Riyan Parag chipped in with 29 off 16. Dubey exploded. Ferreira is done.
For once, the openers didn’t have to do everything.
MIDDLE ROW PRINTS FROM RR
The game was not turning slowly. It flipped over on impact.
RR needed 72 off the last 36 balls when Yuzvendra Chahal removed Parag. PBKS were ahead.
Then came the Ferreira-Dubey show.
Arshdeep’s 18th over made 17. Ferguson’s 19th over 16. In two overs the chase was mentally mastered.
Dubey took on Marc Jansen. Ferreira cleaned up the rest.
This 77-run stand didn’t just win RR the game. This ended the invincibility of PBKS.
TIME TO MOVE ON FROM HETMYER?
Now comes the tougher conversation.
Shimron Hetmyer has been RR’s designated finisher for a while, but this season hasn’t followed that script. Just 72 runs in nine games, average 14.40, strike rate 116.13. These are not final numbers in a league where there are 200 pars.
RR called against PBKS. They left him out.
Ferreira moved up the order, got a defined role and made it count. This clarity has been missing from RR’s middle-order mix all season. And it will bring it back. In his last five outings, Ferreira has scores of 52, 33, 20, 7 and 62. When he had time at the crease, he finished.
Even Parag’s quick-fire 29 off 16 played its part in keeping the momentum alive, but the way RR approached the chase was even bigger. No over-reliance, no panic once the openers fall.
“We can’t just rely on our openers who have been really good for us,” Ferreira said.
“Different guys have to put their hands up.
It felt like that shift.
For weeks, RR’s middle order has been a problem teams have been waiting to uncover. On this night, it became the reason they put up a 223 run chase against the only unbeaten side in the competition.
And that changes things.
Because in a long IPL season, it’s not just about who gets off to a good start. It’s about who finds the answers along the way.
RR may have just found theirs.
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– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
29 Apr 2026 08:55 IST
