Rajasthan advances to IPL playoffs with 30-run win against Mumbai

MUMBAI, India (AP) — England pacer Jofra Archer put in an all-round performance as Rajasthan Royals advanced to the Indian Premier League playoffs with a 30-run win against Mumbai Indians on Sunday.

Rajasthan’s victory also knocked out Punjab Kings, which had occupied the fourth and last playoff spot, and Kolkata Knight Riders.

Archer hit 32 off 15 balls to help Rajasthan score 205-8 in its must-win final league game, and then took 3-17 in four overs as Mumbai was restricted to 175-9.

Rajasthan (16 points) secured fourth spot — a point ahead of Punjab — with its eighth win in 14 games,

Kolkata (13 points) is sixth and hosts already eliminated Delhi Capitals in Sunday’s late game.

Mumbai finished ninth with 10 losses in 14 games, just above Lucknow on net run-rate.

Points table winner and defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on second-place Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday at Dharamsala.

Third-place Sunrisers Hyderabad will play Rajasthan in the Eliminator on Wednesday in New Chandigarh, which will also host Qualifier 2 on Friday.

Ahmedabad will host the final next Sunday.

Put into bat, Rajasthan lost 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for four. Yashasvi Jaiswal provided a quick start with 27 off 17 balls, including three sixes.

Rajasthan scored 54-3 in the powerplay – Jaiswal was caught off Will Jacks in the fourth over, with Sooryavanshi out four balls later to Deepak Chahar. Skipper Riyan Parag (14) was caught on the final ball of the powerplay.

Dhruv Jurel (38) and Dasun Shanaka (29) added 45 off 27 balls. Shanaka was run out just past the halfway stage.

Rajasthan slipped to 139-6 in 15.3 overs, with Jurel and Donovan Ferreira (18) losing their wickets.

Archer came to the rescue. He hit three sixes in his 15-ball innings and Ravindra Jadeja scored 19 not out off 11 as Rajasthan eventually crossed 200.

Archer then struck with the ball – Rohit Sharma was caught behind for a duck and Naman Dhir was bowled for six with Mumbai down to 18-2 in 2.3 overs.

Nandre Burger sent back Ryan Rickelton for 12 in the next over and Brijesh Sharma bowled Tilak Varma for three. Mumbai was 38-4 in 5.1 overs and finished the powerplay with 49-4.

Suryakumar Yadav scored 60 off 42 balls – only his second half-century this season – and rebuilt the chase, first with Jacks (33) and then skipper Hardik Pandya (34).

Yadav and Jacks added 63 off 38 balls, and then another 48 off 25 balls with Pandya, as Mumbai fought back.

But Archer returned to have Pandya caught in the 16th over and Mumbai's hopes faded.

Yadav was out caught in the 18th over as Mumbai’s disappointing season approached its end. Burger finished with 2-43, while Sharma took 2-26 and wrist spinner Yash Raj Punja 2-44.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Rajasthan Royals' Jofra Archer hits a six during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai, India, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Mumbai Indians' Suryakumar Yadav celebrates his fifty runs during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai, India, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Rajasthan Royals' captain Riyan Parag, right, and Dhruv Jurel celebrates after their win in the Indian Premier League cricket match against Mumbai Indians in Mumbai, India, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Rajasthan Royals' Jofra Archer gestures during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai, India, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

PARIS (AP) — Marta Kostyuk’s first-round win at the French Open became one of her toughest matches after she found out beforehand that a missile almost hit her parents' home in Ukraine.

Kostyuk fought back tears after beating Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-2, 6-3 on Court Simonne-Mathieu on the opening day of the clay-court Grand Slam at Roland Garros in western Paris.

“I think it was one of the most difficult matches of my career," the 15th-seeded Kostyuk said. “This morning, 100 meters away from my parents’ house, the missile destroyed the building and it was a very difficult morning for me ... I didn’t know how I would handle it, I’ve been crying part of the morning.”

She received a message at 8 a.m. and could not stop thinking what could have happened.

“I felt sick,” she said. “If it was 100 meters closer, I probably wouldn’t have a mom and a sister today.”

Her mother, sister and great aunt — were in the house at the time of the strike, she said, among 17 people in total, so her relief was enormous that no one was injured.

“I don’t want to think what I would do if something worse happened, but I knew that this is the day to go out and play,” she said. “It didn’t cross my mind today that I shouldn’t go out, because, you know, at the end of the day, everyone is alive.”

After the match, she thanked fans and received an ovation. Then she explained how she found the emotional and mental resources to play.

“I think it’s important to keep going. My biggest example is Ukrainian people, I woke up in the morning today and,” the 23-year-old Kostyuk said, becoming tearful before repeating and finishing the sentence.

“I looked at all these people who woke up and kept living their life, kept helping people who are in need,” she said. "I knew a lot of Ukrainian flags would be here today and a lot of Ukrainian people would come out, support. My friends from Ukraine came as well.”

When Kostyuk first served for the match at 5-1 she got broken. But she served it out on her next opportunity and waved to fans holding up a Ukraine flag in the upper deck.

She next plays unseeded American Katie Volynets and Kostyuk's countrywoman Elina Svitolina — a recent winner at the Italian Open in Rome — faces Anna Bondar on Monday.

Sunday's opening day saw players coping with high temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius (91 Fahrenheit) — with the intense heat contributing to Frenchman Arthur Gea taking an emergency bathroom break early into his first-round loss to No. 13 Karen Khachanov on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.

Spectators folded newspapers in half and fanned themselves to keep cool as players on court attempted to stay hydrated.

The opening match on Court Philippe-Chatrier saw No. 11 Belinda Bencic beating Sinja Kraus 6-2, 6-3 and 2024 runner-up Alexander Zverev followed with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win against Benjamin Bonzi. The second-seeded German plays unseeded Tomas Machac next.

The night match on Chatrier features three-time champion Novak Djokovic against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

Two days after his 39th birthday, Djokovic will play a men’s record 82nd Grand Slam tournament — one more than Roger Federer and Feliciano Lopez.

AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf in Paris contributed to this report.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Alexander Zverev of Germany returns to Benjamin Bonzi of France during their first round men's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine signs autographs after winning against Oksana Selekhmeteva of Spain during their first round women's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine celebrates as she won against Oksana Selekhmeteva of Spain during their first round women's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine celebrates as she won against Oksana Selekhmeteva of Spain during their first round women's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Arthur Gea of France warms up before the first round men's singles tennis match against Karen Khachanov of Russia at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)