Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], May 18 (ANI): After the completion of the first innings between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Sunday, left-hand batter Nehal Wadera opened up on the reason behind scoring 200-plus runs constantly in the ongoing tournament.

The Shreyas Iyer-led team has slammed six 200-plus scores in the ongoing 18th edition of the cash-rich league so far in the 12 matches they have played in the competition.

'It was wonderful batting there today. I think Shreyas bhai and I both played well together. I think 220 is a very good score on this wicket. Shashank and Omarzai played well towards the end. The talks have been clear with the captain and coach. We have to punish the loose balls; that's why we are scoring 200 runs frequently,' Nehal Wadhera said after the first innings.

'That positive approach has helped us. I think the preparations happen in the nets. The way the players play in the nets, they play similarly in the game. It is quite hot today, but the surface is looking good. We have good bowlers, I am pretty sure we are going to nail this game,' the uncapped Indian player added.

A career-best half-century from Nehal Wadhera and a blistering effort from Shashank Singh towards the end overs helped Punjab Kings (PBKS) score 219/5 in their 20 overs against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at Jaipur on Sunday.

After being reduced to 34/3 following their decision to bat first, half-centuries from Wadhera (70* in 37 balls, with five fours and five sixes) and Shashank (59* in 30 balls, with five fours and three sixes) gave PBKS a massive score to defend, with supporting knocks from skipper Shreyas Iyer and Azmatullah Omarzai.

Before the beginning of the game between the Rajasthan and Punjab sides, the Indian national anthem was played in the stadium.

IPL took to X and shared a video with a caption, 'Grateful to the Armed Forces. Jai Hind.'

https://x.com/IPL/status/1924044082277421460

BCCI suspended the cash-rich league for a week in the wake of the cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan.

BCCI on Monday announced the resumption of the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and revealed the schedule for the remaining 17 fixtures.

A total of 17 matches will be played across six venues, starting May 17, and culminating in the final on June 3. The revised schedule includes two double-headers, which will be played on two Sundays.

The six venues that have been selected are Bengaluru, Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Kolkata's Eden Gardens, which was set to host the final, was missing from the list of venues. (ANI)