Royals finish third after rain plays spoilsport in their IPL game against KKR

NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals faced the consequences of their lackluster performance in the business end of the tournament, settling for a third spot on the points table as their final IPL league match against table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders was abandoned due to rain in Guwahati on Sunday.
The unfortunate outcome meant both Royals and KKR shared a point each and Sunrisers Hyderabad pipping the former for a second spot on a better Net Run Rate.
The Royals’ inability to secure a victory in their last game proved costly as they will now have to face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Eliminator.
As It Happened
While KKR finished the league engagements on 20 points with nine wins and two more solitary points courtesy wash-outs, SRH (17 points) pipped RR (17 points) despite both teams have equal points.
SRH finished with NRR of 0.414 compared to RR’s 0.273.
KKR will play Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first Qualifier in Ahmedabad on Tuesday followed by the ‘Eliminator’ between RR and RCB in the same venue.
Rajasthan Royals would blame themselves for getting into a nice little rut after an incredible run during the first half of the tournament when they had won eight out of their nine games.
But their campaign lost a bit of steam towards the back end as they lost four games on trot and with no Jos Buttler for crunch games, facing a marauding RCB in a winner-takes-all match could be a very tough proposition.
On the other hand, SRH, a team that redefined power-hitting with optimum use of ‘Impact Sub’, had one of their best chases on Sunday, albeit on a track that once again resembled a highway in terms of its placid quotient. The chase of 215 against a depleted Punjab Kings with five balls to spare also bolstered their NRR just when it was needed.
(With inputs from PTI)