The IPL returned after a 10-day suspension triggered by military tensions between India and Pakistan, and did so with both emotion and intensity.

In Delhi, fans stood in unison for the national anthem and chanted “Vande Mataram” as the Capitals and Titans took the field.

Digital boards flashed messages thanking the armed forces, and the mood was unmistakably patriotic. Similar scenes unfolded in Jaipur earlier in the day, where Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings lined up for the anthem under loud applause.

But it was on the field in Jaipur that the cricket took centre stage again.

Punjab Kings, eyeing a playoff spot for the first time since 2014, held their nerve to defeat Rajasthan Royals by 10 runs in a high-scoring contest. Nehal Wadhera (70 off 37) and Shashank Singh (59* off 30) powered Punjab to 219/5, before Harpreet Brar's decisive spell of 3/22 turned the game around after a fiery RR start led by Yashasvi Jaiswal (50 off 24) and 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi (40 off 15).

RR looked in control at 76/0 inside five overs, but Brar removed both openers to shift momentum. Azmatullah Omarzai and Marco Jansen then chipped in with timely wickets, including the dismissal of a dangerous Dhruv Jurel (53), to seal a nervy win.

Skipper Shreyas Iyer, who missed the field due to a finger injury, praised his side's resilience: “We showed the mindset that we wanted to win irrespective of the situation.”

With 17 points and a superior net run rate, Punjab now sit second on the table and need just one more point to confirm their playoff berth, as the IPL returns to full throttle.