‘Age doesn’t choose, we…’: Kumar Sangakkara’s bold statement after Rajasthan Royals seal IPL 2026 play-off berth

Kumar Sangakkara (Image credit: BCCI/IPL) NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara’s tension was clearly visible during his side’s must-win IPL 2026 match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.Sangakkara remained glued to his seat until the last ball, repeatedly wiping the sweat from his face with a towel and showing almost no expression during the game. But as the final ball was bowled and Rajasthan Royals confirmed play-off qualification by 30 runs over Mumbai Indians, a visibly relieved Sangakkara stood up, applauded his players and exchanged hands with members of the support staff and team.While Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders were dependent on complex qualifying scenarios and clean run equations, Rajasthan Royals came into the game with a simple task – to win and qualify for the playoffs.RR performed under pressure and used a brilliant all-round performance from Jofra Archer to seal the fourth and final play-off spot in style.“In the last timeout it was just about sticking to the plans and keeping your nerve. When you go to the back end it’s all about who reacts better under pressure. All the bowlers did a great job. And we were pretty tidy on the field. It’s always a guess, isn’t it (Archer’s batting promotion). It’s great when it works and pretty ugly when it doesn’t,” S Royal said.Jofra Archer shines with bat and ballArcher first made a major impact with the bat as he smashed 32 runs off just 15 deliveries to help Rajasthan Royals post 205 for eight.The England pacer hammered three sixes and a four during his quickfire which changed the momentum of the innings.He then backed it up with an excellent spell with the ball, returning figures of 4-0-17-3 to claim the Man of the Match award.“We know what Jofra can do with the bat. We wanted him to go in there and take a bit of a risk. And then he let Ferreira and Dubey take care of the later overs when the bowlers were tired in the sun. Donovan got out unfortunately but Jofra kept kicking and then Jaddu came at the end with an elbow that got us over the line,” Sangakkara said.“From where we were, to see just 180, 206 was a fantastic performance. He was like that in every single game (Archer was fired). He was very invested in the team, helped everyone. He was our pioneer from the beginning. Very proud of him.”Sangakkara praises young spinner YashThe Rajasthan Royals coach also reserved special praise for young spinner Yash Raj Punja, who impressed against the powerful Mumbai Indians batting. Punja claimed 2/44. “Yash was an interesting choice for us. He is tall, has good spin on the ball, leg spin and googlies. This is a good wicket to bat but the way he bowled at those seasoned batsmen was excellent. We don’t pick age, we pick ability,” added Sangakkara.Rajasthan Royals will now take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator of IPL 2026 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh on May 27.