Jofra Archer (Image credit: BCCI/IPL) NEW DELHI:Rajasthan Royals did not get the start they expected from star pacer Jofr Archer as the speedster had a nightmare first over against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026. Archer struggled with his line and rhythm and ended up bowling 11 balls – joining the unwanted list of bowlers who bowled the longest overs in IPL history.Archer’s over equaled the record for the longest joint bowling in the IPL, alongside bowlers like Mohammed Siraj, Tushar Deshpande, Shardul Thakur, Sandeep Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh, all of whom had previously bowled over 11 balls in the tournament.
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Why Suryakumar Yadav Will Lose India T20I Captaincy: Everything You Need To KnowLongest overs in IPL history (in balls)BallsBowlerOppositionVenueYear11Mohammed SirajMumbai IndiansBengaluru202311Tushar DeshpandeLucknow Super GiantsChennai202311Shardul ThakurKolkata Knight RidersKolkata202511Sandeep SharmaDeldy10Grat2 CapitalsD TitansWankhede202511Arshdeep SinghGujarat TitansMullanpur202611Jofra ArcherGujarat TitansJaipur2026*Archer conceded 18 runs in the opener and looked far from his best. Here’s how the dramatic over unfolded ball by ball:Ball 0.1: Archer started with a short and wide delivery outside the off stump and Sai Sudharsan punished it immediately, cutting the ball over point for a boundary to get off the mark in style.Ball 0.2: Archer darted wide. The delivery took a sharp turn and Sai Sudharsan threw the bat at him but failed to connect.Ball 0.2 (legal delivery): Archer then delivered a short ball to the outside that got away from the batter. Sai Sudharsan guided it towards backward point but failed to score.Ball 0.3: Things got worse for Archer when he overstepped and bowled a no-ball with a wide lead. Sai Sudharsan edged the delivery to backward point where sloppy fielding allowed for a single. Gujarat Titans also earned a free hit.Ball 0.3 (free kick): Archer blasted the ball well down the leg side. Shubman Gill missed the flick and the ball raced to the boundary for five.Ball 0.3 again: Archer followed it up with another wide down the leg side as he continued to fight for control.Ball 0.3 again: Another wide followed, making it three wides in a row. The free hitting continued as the Rajasthan Royals dugout looked tense.Ball 0.3 (legal delivery): Archer finally got it going with a yorker outside off. Gill tried to squeeze it out but missed completely.Ball 0.4: Archer lunges for a middle and leg and Gill shoots her through with a square leg.Ball 0.5: Sai Sudharsan survived the leading edge trying to fly over the line. The ball cleared the fielder safely and the batsmen completed two runs. The third umpire briefly reviewed another no-ball but Archer’s back foot was just over the line.Ball 0.6: Archer ended the over with another misfield behind the stumps. Sai Sudharsan struck a length towards cover for one, but a overthrow at the keeper’s end allowed Gujarat Titans to complete 18 runs from the over. Rajasthan Royals stand-in captain Yashasvi Jaiswal won the toss and chose to bowl against Gujarat Titans. Jaiswal led Rajasthan Royals after regular skipper Riyan Parag pulled a hamstring in RR’s previous match.GT made one change bringing in Prasidh Krishna in place of Manav Suthar while RR brought in Shimron Hetmyer and Yash Raj Punj.Teams:Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja.Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj.
