Rajasthan has the last laugh; hope dashed for Kolkata, Punjab

MUMBAI: Rajasthan Royals defeated Mumbai Indians in a crucial match of the IPL, securing their spot in the playoffs. With Mumbai's defeat, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings are on their way out of the tournament without seeing the playoffs. Chasing a target of 206 runs set by the Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai could only score 175 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs. Rajasthan won by 30 runs and secured a playoff ticket as the fourth-placed team. Bengaluru, Gujarat and Hyderabad had already finished in the top three positions.

Chasing the target, Mumbai had a poor start. Rohit Sharma 0(4), Ryan Rickleton 12(7), Naman Dheer 6(5), and Tilak Verma 3(7) stumbled as the score reached 38 runs for four wickets. Later, Will Jacks 33(18) and captain Hardik Pandya 34(15) led the team forward. But when Hardik was dismissed in the 16th over, the Royal camp brimmed with hope.

Mumbai needed 56 runs in the last four overs. Suryakumar Yadav, who had been brilliant in the game, was dismissed at a crucial juncture for 60 (42), thus sealing Mumbai's defeat. Deepak Chahar returned to the ninth position with 8 (5). Shardul Thakur remained unbeaten on 10* (11), and Ghazanfar remained unbeaten on 2* (3). Jofra Archer took three wickets for Rajasthan, while Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma and Yash Raj Pancha shared two wickets.

Batting first, Rajasthan scored 205 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs. Wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel was the top scorer with 38 (26). Jofra Archer 32 (15), Dasun Shanaka 29 (15) and Yashasvi Jaiswal 27 (17) also put in a good performance with the bat. Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur took two wickets each for Mumbai. Will Jacks, Ghazanfar and Corbin Bosh got one wicket each.

Rajasthan will now face Hyderabad in the eliminator.