The Rajasthan Royals now have a far more difficult road to the playoffs. After their third straight loss to the Delhi Capitals on Sunday night, they are now in a five-way race for the final playoff position. They must win both of their remaining games, starting on Tuesday at home against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
RR has two challenges after playing just twice in the past two weeks. They have lost all three of their games in Jaipur this season, so they must first figure out how to win there. Second, with temperatures predicted to reach 43 degrees Celsius amid excessive heat warnings, they will be playing back-to-back games in harsh conditions.
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| For once, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took his time taking off |
As if that weren't enough, Ravindra Jadeja missed the last game due to a niggle, raising some minor doubts about his fitness. Yashasvi Jaiswal's declining returns are another issue; in his last five innings, he has only managed one significant score. In seven of his twelve innings in the tournament thus far, he has been removed inside the power play.
Despite being eliminated from contention, LSG has won two of its previous three games and appears to be at its dangerous best. Their previously competitive bowling attack has elevated their returns a few levels, and their top order has finally clicked. Mitchell Marsh's form and Prince Yadav's possible breakout are two of the benefits LSG is gradually seeing from this phase, which they will be eager to seize and maintain until 2027.
Under the spotlight
With 251 runs from 11 innings, only one half-century, and a strike rate of 138.67, Rishabh Pant's results this season have been meagre by any standards. He did not walk out in LSG's chase in the previous game, even though he was padded up. Even though he was prepared to bat, he later discussed different opinions among the team management. The previous time Pant had a similarly disappointing season, he responded by moving up to No. 3 in the penultimate league match and finishing with a century, although in a losing effort. This time, may he be inclined to do something similar?
Shimron Hetmyer has been one of RR's middle-order hitters. He was dropped halfway through the competition due to a top score of 22 in seven innings, but he has since returned due to injuries and team dynamics, as none of the other middle-order batters are performing any better. Last week, against GT, he only managed to score 6. However, Hetmyer would want to take advantage of an unlikely opportunity, should one arise, as Jadeja might miss out.
Is Jadeja going to be fit?
Ravindra Jadeja is unlikely to play since he is still under observation for a knee and elbow problem that kept him out of the previous game. Riyan Parag's fitness is also uncertain because of a hamstring ache. He scored a half-century in the previous game, though, so this didn't really bother him. It's also thought that Ravi Singh, who made his debut against the Delhi Capitals, is hurt.
Rajasthan Royals: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 3 Dhruv Jurel, 4 Riyan Parag (capt), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Donovan Ferreira, 7 Shubham Dubey, 8 Dasun Shanaka, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Brijesh Sharma/Sushant Mishra, 11 Tushar Deshpande, 12 Yash Raj Punja
LSG's foreign options are limited as Aiden Markram returned home for personal reasons and missed the team's last two games. Matthew Breetzke, the lone other international reserve hitter, has also departed. This implies that, barring the return of George Linde, LSG may actually have just three foreign players in its XII going into the final two games. However, given Shahbaz Ahmed's success in his few opportunities, the more important question is: Who makes room for him?
Lucknow Super Giants: 1 Mitchell Marsh, 2 Josh Inglis, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 5 Abdul Samad, 6 Akshat Raghuwanshi, 7 Mukul Choudhary, 8 Shahbaz Ahmed, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Mayank Yadav, 11 Akash Singh, 12 Prince Yadav
Trivia and statistics
This season, LSG's power play economy rate of 8.5 is still at the top of the standings. After GT (26) and RCB (27), they have the third-most wickets in this phase with 22.
The nine distinct choices LSG and the Mumbai Indians have used the most Nos. 4–7 this season.
RR has only won one of its eight games at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur since IPL 2025. This season, RR's batting has been a tale of opposites. They are the second-slowest scoring club in the final overs at 10.2 runs per over, despite having the greatest powerplay run rate of 11.8.
Conditions and pitch
Pitch number five, where 228 played 229 in the RR vs. SRH match, will host the game. With nine balls remaining, RR lost despite Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's spectacular 37-ball 103. In the second inning, Dew was heavily involved. Similar to that game, Tuesdays will take place at night, and the intense heat and humidity will probably play a significant role once more.
How are the Rajasthan Royals eligible?
Gujarat Titans (GT), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have qualified for three of the four IPL 2026 playoff slots. Here's what the five candidates must accomplish to secure the last position.
Royals of Rajasthan
Points: 12, NRR: 0.027, Played: 12
LSG (H) and MI (A) are the remaining matches.
Only the Rajasthan Royals (RR), one of the five teams vying for the last playoff position, can advance without depending on other outcomes. They will play the ninth-place Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and tenth-place Mumbai Indians (MI) in their final two games.
If RR wins both of those games, they will place in the top four. If they win their next two games and GT and SRH lose their final league games, they might even place second.
If Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lose one of their final two games and Punjab Kings (PBKS) lose their final game, RR will still be in the running for fourth place.
If RR ties Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Capitals (DC) on 14 points, net run rate would be taken into consideration.
Can RR secure the final position in the playoffs?
Greetings to all. In Chennai yesterday, SRH defeated CSK to secure their playoff berth. After RCB, the reigning champions, became the first team to qualify for the playoffs, they brought GT along. Five teams are vying for the last postseason slot, including RR. Parag's team still has control over their destiny; they will advance to the final four if they win their next two games. This is another opportunity for the LSG, who have already been eliminated, to try out additional marginal players to see if they can fit into their plans for the upcoming season.
Discomforts at home
Since the IPL 2025 began, RR has won eight games in Jaipur.
Jaiswal will command RR instead of Parag.
According to reports, Riyan Parag has been told to take it easy on his left hamstring, which he injured while batting in RR's last game. Jaiswal will skipper RR today in Parag's absence. Due to knee and elbow problems, Jadeja is probably going to miss another game. Additionally, he is not included in India's Test team for the one-time encounter with Afghanistan.
No Parag, Jaiswal-led RR choose to bowl
The Lucknow Super Giants will be bowled by the Rajasthan Royals.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, the stand-in captain of the Rajasthan Royals, decided to bowl against the Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur since he anticipated that the dew would arrive later in the evening. Vaibhav Sooryanavshi is most likely to enter from the bench when RR chases. RR's normal captain was on the Impact Subs bench despite missing out due to a hamstring injury.
"It means a lot to me, and proud to represent the Rajasthan Royals franchise," Jaiswal said at the toss.
Due to knee and elbow problems, Ravindra Jadeja was unable to play in another game. Additionally, the left-arm spin bowler is not included in India's Test team for the one-time match against Afghanistan.
Sandeep Sharma, Sushant Mishra, and Luhan-dre Pretorius were the three additions made by RR. Adam Milne and Ravi Singh were left out for the hosts, aside from Parag. Mishra is playing in his debut IPL match. RR has only won one of eight games in Jaipur since the IPL 2025 began. They are currently engaged in a five-way contest to earn a postseason berth. LSG is no longer in the running for the playoffs.
Mohsin Khan, a left-arm seamer, rejoined the team when Mohammed Shami left. Aiden Markram, who went home for personal reasons, was replaced in LSG's starting lineup by Ayush Badoni. Additionally, Markram won't be able to play in LSG's season finale. They only included three foreign players in their starting lineup that day, and when they bowl later in the evening, mystery spinner Digvesh Rathi is probably going to be their Impact Player.
RR bowl-first XI: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal(capt), 2 Lhuan-dre Pretorius, 3 Dhruv Jurel(wk), 4 Donovan Ferreira, 5 Shubham Dubey, 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Jofra Archer, 8 Sushant Mishra, 9 Sandeep Sharma, 10 Brijesh Sharma, 11 Yash Raj Punja
Impact Subs bench: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yudhvir Singh, Aman Rao, Ravi Bishnoi, Riyan Parag
LSG bat-first XI: 1 Mitchell Marsh, 2 Josh Inglis, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Rishabh Pant(capt& wk), 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Mohsin Khan, 9 Mayank Yadav, 10 Akash Singh, 11 Prince Yadav
Impact Subs bench: Mukul Choudhary, M Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Himmat Singh, Arshin Kulkarni
Mishra's debut under pressure
Marsh hopped the first ball, and Archer created an opportunity by hitting Inglis' bat splice. Sushant Mishra, an IPL rookie, runs across and back from midwicket. He drops the grab after assuming an awkward side-on position.
After that, Marsh does Marsh things. To finish the over, he travels down the track, creates swinging room, and hits Archer for four and six over the covers. In his opening over, Archer gives up 12 runs.
Inglis lines up Mishra's next bowl and swots him over square leg for a huge six. 99-meter strike. The left-arm seamer is then scythed over point by Inglis. From the dugout, RR coach Sanga looks on anxiously.
The lads from WA assault Archer
The archer is sprinting in and striking the deck with greater force. The ball bounces sharply as it hits the bat. However, two Western Australian batsmen are unfazed by it. Against Archer, who has lost 24 runs in his opening two overs, both Marsh and Inglis keep stepping out or retreating. In three overs, LSG is 38 for 3.
The bad beginning of Brijesh
4 4 0 6 0 0
Brijesh Sharma is pumped for two fours after starting with two full-tosses. Marsh then stood tall and flat-batted him over the covers for six after he overcorrected his length and dragged it short and outside off. In five overs, LSG is 68 for 0.
Inglis and Marsh go all out
LSG scored 83 runs during Tuesday's power play. This season has seen four of LSG's top five IPL powerplay scores. Marsh and Inglis appear to be looking good for more, which is bad news for RR. For the fourth straight game, RR is wicketless during the power play.
Fifty Inglis!
Yash Raj Punja, a wristspinner, gives Inglis a faultless delivery that gets him there in 23 balls. Inglis lines it up and whacks it over the covers after he darts it on a back of a length on off, which may be a mistake.
Marsh scoops up a wrong'un from Punja in the same over and swots him over midwicket for a powerful six. LSG is 95 for 0 in seven overs, which is another length miscalculation from RR. They quickly surpass 100 in the following over.
LSG's raging opening stand is stopped by Punja
On 109, rookie wristspinner Punja breaks LSG's opening stand. From over the wicket, he sends up a googly that veers in. For the slog-sweep, the length is insufficient. It's at that awkward transitional length. Inglis misses and swings. Punja strikes the upper middle. 60 off of 29 balls. A little respite for RR
Impact Subs bench: Mukul Choudhary, M Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Himmat Singh, Arshin Kulkarni
Mishra's debut under pressure
Marsh hopped the first ball, and Archer created an opportunity by hitting Inglis' bat splice. Sushant Mishra, an IPL rookie, runs across and back from midwicket. He drops the grab after assuming an awkward side-on position.
After that, Marsh does Marsh things. To finish the over, he travels down the track, creates swinging room, and hits Archer for four and six over the covers. In his opening over, Archer gives up 12 runs.
Inglis lines up Mishra's next bowl and swots him over square leg for a huge six. 99-meter strike. The left-arm seamer is then scythed over point by Inglis. From the dugout, RR coach Sanga looks on anxiously.
The lads from WA assault Archer
The archer is sprinting in and striking the deck with greater force. The ball bounces sharply as it hits the bat. However, two Western Australian batsmen are unfazed by it. Against Archer, who has lost 24 runs in his opening two overs, both Marsh and Inglis keep stepping out or retreating. In three overs, LSG is 38 for 3.
The bad beginning of Brijesh
4 4 0 6 0 0
Brijesh Sharma is pumped for two fours after starting with two full-tosses. Marsh then stood tall and flat-batted him over the covers for six after he overcorrected his length and dragged it short and outside off. In five overs, LSG is 68 for 0.
Inglis and Marsh go all out
LSG scored 83 runs during Tuesday's power play. This season has seen four of LSG's top five IPL powerplay scores. Marsh and Inglis appear to be looking good for more, which is bad news for RR. For the fourth straight game, RR is wicketless during the power play.
Fifty Inglis!
Yash Raj Punja, a wristspinner, gives Inglis a faultless delivery that gets him there in 23 balls. Inglis lines it up and whacks it over the covers after he darts it on a back of a length on off, which may be a mistake.
Marsh scoops up a wrong'un from Punja in the same over and swots him over midwicket for a powerful six. LSG is 95 for 0 in seven overs, which is another length miscalculation from RR. They quickly surpass 100 in the following over.
LSG's raging opening stand is stopped by Punja
On 109, rookie wristspinner Punja breaks LSG's opening stand. From over the wicket, he sends up a googly that veers in. For the slog-sweep, the length is insufficient. It's at that awkward transitional length. Inglis misses and swings. Punja strikes the upper middle. 60 off of 29 balls. A little respite for RR
Marsh fifty!
In just 25 balls, Mitch Marsh scores a half-century on his own. He uses a drilled drive straight of long-on to reach the landmark. Six bowlers have already been deployed by RR in 11 overs, and they are all currently bowling at a rate of more than 10 per over.
Punja hits RR once more
Punja hardly reacted when Inglis was removed, but this time, he put out a loud yell after Pooran was bowled out to long-off. This was really enjoyable for him. Pooran is unable to clear Ferreira at long range after Punja darts a googly away from him. 16 runs off of 11 balls. After failing to show up to bat against CSK in Lucknow, Pant pushes himself to No. 4.
Punja is demonstrating his trustworthiness. He is tall, has the ability to pivot and skid with his legs, and appears to pick things up quickly. He is making his IPL debut after playing net bowling for RR and making an impression in the Maharaja T20 competition in Karnataka.
Pant starts to move
Pant had a sluggish start; at one point, he was on 10 off 11 balls. On his twelfth ball, he finds the boundary. He pumps Brijesh over long-on for six after maintaining his form for a sufficient amount of time. Pant shuffles across off, hits a ball from the blockhole, then whips it over square leg in the following over. Then he unfolds the falling scoop, which barely avoids the off stump as it slips between his legs. Archer is grinning wryly.
In the eighteenth over, Pant propels LSG to 200. The forecaster on ESPNcricinfo predicts that LSG will end with 229.
Meanwhile, Punja has finished this game. In the dressing room, he may now raise his feet. As RR's Impact Sub, Sooryavanshi enters the field.
RR 221 for LSG
Marsh didn't score a century. After 57 balls, he was run out for 96. Even before OUT appears on the large screen, he leaves the field. He only managed 43 off his next 32 balls after reaching his half-century off 25. "It felt like torture out there," Marsh remarks regarding the innings' second half.
In the last over, LSG skipper Pant was also run out. In the final ball of the innings, Archer knocks Badoni, who is back with the LSG club, over for a duck. LSG finishes on 220 for five.
Akash's explosive start
1w 4 4 4 1w 0 5w 0 4
LSG's previous match hero, Akash Singh, bowled this opening over. Here, he mishandled his lines, which let RR cut 23 runs off their objective in the opening over. Furthermore, Sooryavanshi is not the one who has crossed these lines.
To locate the fence, Sooryavanshi must wait for six balls. In the third over, he leans back, capitalises on Mayank's speed and bounce, and upper-cuts him out. Sooryavanshi is rushed for pace and bounce by Mayank's 147kph lifter in retaliation. Neither mid-on nor mid-off is affected by the top edge.
Mohsin vs Jaiswal
6 4 4 4 0 1
Mohsin is now lined up by Jaiswal, who hits him with the sequence 6,4,4,4. Jaiswal has easily reached 37 off 16 balls. Anything that has been even slightly off has been met with harsh criticism from him. Sooryavanshi has been going at less than a run-a-ball at the other end, which may surprise you.
Powerplay battle
Marsh and Inglis led LSG to 83 for 0 in six overs earlier in the day. In response, RR chases 220 with a power play of 71 for 9. This game is intriguingly poised, and Sooryavanshi has also found his stride.
LSG has a 50.37% chance of winning. RR's 49.63%
Jaiswal is nicking off to Akash
Akash recovers in his second over of the chase after giving up 23 runs in the first, ending Jaiswal's innings at 43 off 23 balls. He adjusts the length so that it nips away just a little bit outside. It's not a driving ball. Jaiswal hits the ball with his bat and edges it behind Pant.
Fifty Sooryavanshi!
At one point, Sooryavanshi was on 11 off 12 balls. He turned that into a fifty off twenty-three balls. By his standards, it's a measured half-century. He uses a reverse-sweep to reach the landmark. Akash was brutally taken for 24 off six balls by him.
Sooryavanshi has smashed 48 sixes this IPL, the most by a Royals player in any season. He exceeds Buttler's 2022 total of 45.
In general, the only people ahead of Sooryavanshi are Gayle and Russell. With 59 sixes in 2012, Gayle leads the chart.
Sooryavanshi has left
93 off 38 in a remarkable innings.
As he leaves for the pavilion, the audience is up and waving their pink flags. In the dugout, the RR team is also moving. They give him a head pat as he joins them, but he appears to be in a different universe. He is almost irritated that he is no longer able to enjoy himself outside.
Goenka, the owner of LSG, and Langer, their head coach, were also applauding Sooryavanshi. When will he be allowed to play international cricket for India?
A little lull
Following Sooryavanshi's dismissal off the final ball of the fourteenth over, the Royals experienced a little pause.
Pretorius also ran out. RR needs 25 off 22, and Donovan Ferreira is in.
RR prevails
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi needs to adjust to being followed by cameras. As he sat in the dugout, he was unaware that someone was watching him. When someone draws attention to it, he instantly smiles sheepishly and raises both of his hands to form the "V" gesture. You are immediately reminded of his youth. RR is still in the running for the playoffs thanks to his 93 off 38. By the way, Sooryavanshi is sporting a cap that reads "Dear Vaibhav, well done" and is autographed by Virat Kohli.
In just 25 balls, Mitch Marsh scores a half-century on his own. He uses a drilled drive straight of long-on to reach the landmark. Six bowlers have already been deployed by RR in 11 overs, and they are all currently bowling at a rate of more than 10 per over.
Punja hits RR once more
Punja hardly reacted when Inglis was removed, but this time, he put out a loud yell after Pooran was bowled out to long-off. This was really enjoyable for him. Pooran is unable to clear Ferreira at long range after Punja darts a googly away from him. 16 runs off of 11 balls. After failing to show up to bat against CSK in Lucknow, Pant pushes himself to No. 4.
Punja is demonstrating his trustworthiness. He is tall, has the ability to pivot and skid with his legs, and appears to pick things up quickly. He is making his IPL debut after playing net bowling for RR and making an impression in the Maharaja T20 competition in Karnataka.
Pant starts to move
Pant had a sluggish start; at one point, he was on 10 off 11 balls. On his twelfth ball, he finds the boundary. He pumps Brijesh over long-on for six after maintaining his form for a sufficient amount of time. Pant shuffles across off, hits a ball from the blockhole, then whips it over square leg in the following over. Then he unfolds the falling scoop, which barely avoids the off stump as it slips between his legs. Archer is grinning wryly.
In the eighteenth over, Pant propels LSG to 200. The forecaster on ESPNcricinfo predicts that LSG will end with 229.
Meanwhile, Punja has finished this game. In the dressing room, he may now raise his feet. As RR's Impact Sub, Sooryavanshi enters the field.
RR 221 for LSG
Marsh didn't score a century. After 57 balls, he was run out for 96. Even before OUT appears on the large screen, he leaves the field. He only managed 43 off his next 32 balls after reaching his half-century off 25. "It felt like torture out there," Marsh remarks regarding the innings' second half.
In the last over, LSG skipper Pant was also run out. In the final ball of the innings, Archer knocks Badoni, who is back with the LSG club, over for a duck. LSG finishes on 220 for five.
Akash's explosive start
1w 4 4 4 1w 0 5w 0 4
LSG's previous match hero, Akash Singh, bowled this opening over. Here, he mishandled his lines, which let RR cut 23 runs off their objective in the opening over. Furthermore, Sooryavanshi is not the one who has crossed these lines.
To locate the fence, Sooryavanshi must wait for six balls. In the third over, he leans back, capitalises on Mayank's speed and bounce, and upper-cuts him out. Sooryavanshi is rushed for pace and bounce by Mayank's 147kph lifter in retaliation. Neither mid-on nor mid-off is affected by the top edge.
Mohsin vs Jaiswal
6 4 4 4 0 1
Mohsin is now lined up by Jaiswal, who hits him with the sequence 6,4,4,4. Jaiswal has easily reached 37 off 16 balls. Anything that has been even slightly off has been met with harsh criticism from him. Sooryavanshi has been going at less than a run-a-ball at the other end, which may surprise you.
Powerplay battle
Marsh and Inglis led LSG to 83 for 0 in six overs earlier in the day. In response, RR chases 220 with a power play of 71 for 9. This game is intriguingly poised, and Sooryavanshi has also found his stride.
LSG has a 50.37% chance of winning. RR's 49.63%
Jaiswal is nicking off to Akash
Akash recovers in his second over of the chase after giving up 23 runs in the first, ending Jaiswal's innings at 43 off 23 balls. He adjusts the length so that it nips away just a little bit outside. It's not a driving ball. Jaiswal hits the ball with his bat and edges it behind Pant.
Fifty Sooryavanshi!
At one point, Sooryavanshi was on 11 off 12 balls. He turned that into a fifty off twenty-three balls. By his standards, it's a measured half-century. He uses a reverse-sweep to reach the landmark. Akash was brutally taken for 24 off six balls by him.
Sooryavanshi has smashed 48 sixes this IPL, the most by a Royals player in any season. He exceeds Buttler's 2022 total of 45.
In general, the only people ahead of Sooryavanshi are Gayle and Russell. With 59 sixes in 2012, Gayle leads the chart.
Sooryavanshi has left
93 off 38 in a remarkable innings.
As he leaves for the pavilion, the audience is up and waving their pink flags. In the dugout, the RR team is also moving. They give him a head pat as he joins them, but he appears to be in a different universe. He is almost irritated that he is no longer able to enjoy himself outside.
Goenka, the owner of LSG, and Langer, their head coach, were also applauding Sooryavanshi. When will he be allowed to play international cricket for India?
A little lull
Following Sooryavanshi's dismissal off the final ball of the fourteenth over, the Royals experienced a little pause.
Pretorius also ran out. RR needs 25 off 22, and Donovan Ferreira is in.
RR prevails
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi needs to adjust to being followed by cameras. As he sat in the dugout, he was unaware that someone was watching him. When someone draws attention to it, he instantly smiles sheepishly and raises both of his hands to form the "V" gesture. You are immediately reminded of his youth. RR is still in the running for the playoffs thanks to his 93 off 38. By the way, Sooryavanshi is sporting a cap that reads "Dear Vaibhav, well done" and is autographed by Virat Kohli.
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