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Jofra Archer cleans up Tim Seifert, takes wicket on 1st ball for 3rd time in a row in IPL 2026
Sanjeev Kumar | April 19, 2026 9:21 PM CST

New Delhi: Rajasthan Royals (RR) pacer Jofra Archer struck on the first ball of his first over of the innings for the third time in a row in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Sunday, April 19. Archer cleaned up Tim Seifert with a ripper on the very first ball of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) innings during the clash between the two sides at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

After the hosts restricted Rajasthan Royals to a moderate total of 155 runs in 20 overs, Archer got the visitors off to a flying start during KKR’s run chase. The England pacer opened the bowling for RR during KKR’s 156-run chase and dismissed Seifert on a duck on the very first ball of the innings.

The pacer went full and straight, and the ball ripped through Seifert’s defence after kissing his pads. It was an excellent delivery from Archer, which rattled the stumps of the right-hander, leaving him stunned. Seifert was dismissed on a Golden Duck as RR got the start that they wanted.

Watch Jofra Archer cleans up Tim Seifert on 1st ball:

Jofra Archer takes a wicket on 1st ball for 3rd time in a row

Archer has now taken a wicket on the first ball of the innings for three games in a row in the IPL 2026. He dismissed Phil Salt on a duck during RR’s clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 10 before getting rid of Abhishek Sharma on a Golden Duck on the first ball of his side’s innings during RR’s last outing against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Archer has managed to forge an incredible streak of picking up a wicket with his first ball in the game, highlighting his superior form and confidence. The Rajasthan Royals pacer has now taken a wicket with his first ball in an IPL game five times, equalling the record held by senior India pacer Mohammed Shami.

Wickets off the first ball of an IPL innings:

5 – Mohammed Shami

5 – Jofra Archer

RR bowlers capitalised on the perfect start from Archer to run through KKR’s top order during their 156-run chase at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. After Seifert’s dismissal in the first over, Nadre Burger removed KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane on a duck in the next over to leave KKR reeling on 5/2.

Cameron Green was looking in great touch en route to his 13-ball 37, but Dhruv Jurel pulled off an acrobatic stumping to send him packing cheaply. Ravindra Jadeja then got rid of Angkrish Raghuvanshi on 10 off 19 balls to reduce KKR to 52/4 in the 156-run chase. KKR will need their middle and the lower middle order to deliver if they are to fancy their chances of pulling off a successful chase against RR.

KKR are winless in the IPL 2026 so far with five defeats and a washout in their first six matches. The three-time champions are lookig for their first win of the season.

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