- Monday, February 24, 2025
RR slumped to the third position in the points table after dominating the tournament till midway while RCB made a solid comeback to storm into the playoffs.
By: Shubham Ghosh
THEY both are ‘royal’ but their tale in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 has been contrasting so far. While Rajasthan Royals (RR) led by Sanju Samson dominated the tournament till the midway point, winning eight of their first nine matches, they failed to pick a single win in their remaining five — losing four while one game was washed out in rain.
As a result, the 2008 champions slumped to the third position in the points table after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), on the other hand, lost seven of their first eight games and just when even their most ardent supporters gave up hopes, Faf du Plessis’s men scripted one of their biggest comebacks into the tournament, winning six consecutive matches to reach the playoffs. They knocked out defending champions Chennai Super Kings in their final league match in Bengaluru on May 18.
Read: Starc, Iyer duo shine as Kolkata thrash Hyderabad in IPL 2024 qualifier 1
The two teams now take one each other in the eliminator at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in the western state of Gujarat on Wednesday (22) and the winners will advance to the second qualifier to meet SRH, who lost to KKR in a one-sided contest at the same venue on Tuesday (21). That game will be played in Chennai on May 24, followed by the final on May 26.
RR have been hurt by the absence of the likes of Jos Buttler who scored two match-winning centuries in the tournament before leaving for the national duty. Some of their key players have also been out of form, including captain Samson who started off the season well. The form of opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has also been a worry. Yuzvendra Chahal, the spinner who had started the tournament on a great note, has also struggled of late.
Read: Kohli’s Bengaluru in IPL playoffs; defenders Chennai crash out
The RCB, on the other hand, saw the exact opposite. While the initial matches saw one or two in the term excelling — be it Virat Kohli or du Plessis — the team gradually started firing as a unit with batters Rajat Patidar and Cameron Green and pacer Mohammed Siraj delivering.
While there is little chance of Ahmedabad experiencing rain on Wednesday and all matches in the playoffs and the final have reserve days, yet a complete washout of the eliminator, even on the reserve day, would see RR advancing to the second qualifier since they have been placed higher in the points table.
Head-to-head, not much difference between the two sides as in 31 meetings between them since the inaugural edition, RCB have won 15 while RR won 13 while three games have remained inconclusive.
In this year’s edition, RR beat RCB by six wickets with both Kohli and Buttler hitting hundreds but much water has flown in river Sabarmati near to which the venue of Wednesday’s clash in Ahmedabad is located.
