Rajasthan Royals’ Rollercoaster Journey in IPL 2024
In the 17th season of IPL, Rajasthan Royals have won 8 of their first 9 matches. But then Rajasthan lost 4 consecutive matches. Therefore, even after Rajasthan reached the playoffs, the tension has increased.
Punjab Kings Upset Rajasthan Royals, Altering Points Table Dynamics
Sam Curran’s unbeaten 63 runs, Punjab Kings achieved a spectacular victory over Rajasthan Royals by 5 wickets. In the 65th match of the 17th season of IPL, Rajasthan Royals had given a challenge of 164 runs to Punjab. Punjab completed this challenge easily by losing 5 wickets in 18.5 overs. Punjab won after 2 consecutive defeats. This was Punjab’s fifth win of the season. It was Rajasthan’s fourth consecutive losing match. Rajasthan’s fourth consecutive defeat has increased the tension.
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Punjab defeated Rajasthan and overtook Mumbai Indians to reach ninth place in the points table. Even after the defeat, Rajasthan Royals remains in second position. After this, Rajasthan has one more match left. If Rajasthan wants to retain the second position in the playoffs, it will have to win the last and 14th matches. Rajasthan will play its last league match against Kolkata Knight Riders on May 19. This will also be the last match of KKR.
Intense Battle for Top 2 Positions:
Chennai Super Kings also have 14 points with 7 wins from 13 matches. Chennai is in third place. If Chennai wins the last match, Hyderabad wins the remaining two matches and Rajasthan loses the last match, then Rajasthan can slip to fourth place. Because CSK’s net run rate is better than Rajasthan’s. CSK’s net run rate is +0.528 while Rajasthan’s is +0.273. So, from now on, every match is going to be a fight for second place for Rajasthan.
Playoff Scenarios and Potential Pathways
Then there was an eliminator match for third place between the third and fourth-placed teams. The team that wins this match plays against the losing team in Qualifier 1. This match is Qualifier 2. The winner of this match will reach the final round. In short, if you finish 3rd and 4th, you can reach the finals by winning 2 matches. If you finish in the top 2, you get two chances to reach the final round. In such a situation, will Rajasthan remain in second place or will Hyderabad change the game? Cricket fans will have their eyes on this.
Read Also: IPL 2024: Punjab Kings’ Playoff Hopes Dashed
