How the mighty fall! Once unstoppable, Rajasthan Royals four loses on the trot cost them the second spot in the IPL 2024 group stage rankings. Their sloppy show in the business end coupled with rainout at Barsapara Stadium pushed them to third place. Their final IPL league game against Kolkata Knight Riders was washed out due to incessant downpour. Despite finishing on 17 points, RR fell behind Sunrisers Hyderabad due to poor Net Run Rate (NRR). KKR topped the table with 20 points, including two points from washouts, while SRH (17 points) had a better NRR of 0.414 compared to RR’s 0.273.
KKR will face SRH in the first Qualifier in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, followed by the ‘Eliminator’ between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the same venue.
RR’s performance dipped in the latter half of the tournament, losing four consecutive games after winning eight of their first nine.
Missing Jos Buttler for crucial matches, they now face a tough challenge against RCB. In contrast, SRH excelled with power-hitting and strategic use of the ‘Impact Sub,’ notably chasing 215 against Punjab Kings, enhancing their NRR at a critical time.
