Rajasthan Royals knocked out Royal Challengers Bengaluru with 4-wicket win in the IPL 2024 Eliminator at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
With a target of 173, Rajasthan Royals chased it down with an over to spare. Yashasvi Jaiswal led the RR's run-chase with a knock of 45 off 30 balls while Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer contributed with an innings of 36 and 26, respectively.
The middle-order batter Rovman Powell hit the winning runs in the penultimate over to take the team past the finishing line and played an unbeaten cameo innings of 16 runs off 8 balls at a strike rate of 200.
For Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Mohammad Siraj picked two wickets while Lockie Ferguson, Karn Sharma and Cameron Green took a scalp each.
Rajasthan Royals will lock horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2 in Chennai, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru's quest for first IPL title continues as their IPL 2024 campaign came to an end with a defeat.
Mid-Innings Score:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 172/8 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 34; Ravichandran Ashwin 2/19, Avesh Khan 3/44).
The Rajasthan Royals bowled first as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru set a total of 172/8 in the Indian Premier League Eliminator held on Wednesday. Opting to bat, Rajat Patidar led the scoring for RCB with 34 runs off 22 deliveries.
In prime form, opener Virat Kohli contributed 33 runs off 24 balls before being dismissed by crafty leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, while Mahipal Lomror added a quick 32 runs off 17 balls.
Experienced Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin showcased superb bowling, concluding with impressive figures of 2/19 in four overs, claiming the wickets of Cameron Green and Glenn Maxwell in consecutive deliveries. Avesh Khan registered 3/44 in his four overs.
Toss Update:
Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson won the toss and elected to bowl first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Ahmedabad.
Shimron Hetmyer is back in RR while the rest of the playing XI remains the same. RCB have the same team which knocked out Chennai Super Kings in their last game.
The winner of this match will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on May 24 while the loser will be knocked out.
Rajasthan Royals XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sanju Samson (c/ wk), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma and Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact substitutes: Shubham Dubey, Donovan Ferreira, Nandre Burger, Shimron Hetmyer and Tanush Kotian
Royal Challengers Bengaluru XI: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Siraj and Lockie Ferguson
Impact substitutes: Swapnil Singh, Anuj Rawat, Suyash Prabhudessai, Vijaykumar Vyshak and Himanshu Sharma
RR vs RCB Preview
Sanju Samson's Rajasthan Royals face a formidable task as they seek to arrest an unexpected decline in a pivotal IPL Eliminator against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, slated for Wednesday.
Previously, the Royals seemed destined for a top spot in the league stage. However, a string of four losses and a rain-interrupted match against KKR in their recent encounter relegated Sanju Samson's team to third place behind Sunrisers Hyderabad.
In contrast, RCB orchestrated a remarkable resurgence from the brink of elimination. Starting the season with seven defeats in their first eight matches, Faf du Plessis' side embarked on an impressive winning streak, culminating in ousting defending champions Chennai Super Kings to clinch a playoff spot.
While Rajasthan Royals enter the showdown on the heels of four losses and a washed-out game, RCB's six consecutive wins send a strong message to their opponents, underlining their determination in the playoffs.
Head-To-Head Record
Both teams have faced each other 31 times in the past out of which RCB has won 15 games while RR has come out on top in 13 T20s. But RR have a 3-2 advantage over RCB in their last 5 encounters in the Indian Premier League.
Pitch Report
The Qualifier 1 between KKR and SRH played a day before at this venue was a low-scoring game. That might not be the case tonight.
IPL 2024 Stats at Narendra Modi Stadium
Out of the 8 matches played at the world's biggest cricket stadium, the team batting first has won just twice as compared to the chasing sides 5 victories while one match was washed out.
173 - Average first innings score
170 - Average second innings score
