Rajasthan Royals Settle for Third Place as Rain Interrupts IPL Clash with KKR

Rajasthan Royals endured the consequences of their lackluster performance during the crucial stage of the tournament, as the cancellation of their final IPL league match against the leading Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday pushed them down to third place behind Sunrisers Hyderabad. KKR concluded the league stage with 20 points, securing nine victories along with two additional points due to washouts. Meanwhile, SRH (Sunrisers Hyderabad) with 17 points edged past RR (Rajasthan Royals) by virtue of a superior Net Run Rate (NRR). SRH's NRR stood at 0.414, contrasting with RR's 0.273.

The upcoming fixtures see KKR facing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first Qualifier in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, followed by an 'Eliminator' clash between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the same venue.

Rajasthan Royals are in a pickle, ruing their fall into a slump after an impressive start to the tournament where they won eight out of nine matches. But their momentum faded towards the latter half, where they lost four games on the trot. Buttler's unavailability for these must-win games compounds their problems when up against a strong opponent in RCB in a do-or-die contest.

Meanwhile, SRH flexed their muscles with their power hitting and used the 'Impact Sub' pretty well. The win over Punjab Kings, where they chased the target of 215 with five balls to spare, was indicative of the nature of their batting, but helped the NRR at a critical moment.