Jofra Archer is back to his very best, and IPL 2026 has served as a reminder of just how dangerous he can be when fully fit and in rhythm. After a couple of underwhelming seasons, the Rajasthan Royals pacer has rediscovered both his sharpness and confidence, troubling batters consistently with high pace, steep bounce and relentless accuracy.
Archer has operated with real intensity throughout the tournament, regularly clocking high speeds while making life uncomfortable even for the most established batters. More importantly for Rajasthan, he has remained fit through the season and delivered in crucial moments, often changing the course of matches with short bursts of brilliance.
Even in the Eliminator, Archer made a massive impact with the new ball, tearing through SRH’s explosive top order almost single-handedly. He removed Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Ishan Kishan in a fiery opening spell that immediately put Rajasthan Royals in control while defending a daunting 244-run target. Although he conceded a few runs later in the innings, the damage had already been done. His early breakthroughs disrupted SRH’s momentum and forced them onto the back foot from the outset. In a high-pressure knockout game filled with big hitters, Archer’s spell once again highlighted his ability to deliver when Rajasthan need him the most.
Tom Moody was full of praise for Archer after the Rajasthan Royals pacer produced another match-defining spell in the Eliminator. The former Australian all-rounder highlighted not just Archer’s raw pace, but also the intent and aggression he showed despite the quick turnaround between matches, applauding the fast bowler for attacking SRH’s dangerous batting line-up instead of trying to contain them.
“You have to really admire his performance in a pretty short turnaround for him. As an elite fast bowler to turn it up, he was bowling over 150 [kph] on the odd occasion. He did what he needed to do. He didn’t look to defend. He came and attacked the opposition and took them out. You couldn’t ask for anything more. That’s what he’s paid for, and that’s what he delivered,” Moody said on ESPNCricinfo.
Jofra Archer eyes Purple Cap
With 24 wickets already to his name, this has become Archer’s most successful IPL campaign, surpassing his impressive 2020 season when he picked up 20 wickets and first established himself as one of the league’s premier fast bowlers. This year, however, he has looked every bit the complete match-winner Rajasthan expected him to be. He is one of the contenders to win the Purple Cap and is currently sitting at the third spot behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kagiso Rabada. The tearaway pacer is once again going to be key for the Royals with the ball against the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 on Friday night.
