A resilient all-round performance saw the Rajasthan Royals (RR) clinch a nail-biting victory by four wickets against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Eliminator of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The triumph propelled RR into Qualifier 2, where they will take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Chennai.
The match began with RR winning the toss and electing to bowl first. RCB’s innings showed early promise but faltered due to their inability to convert starts into substantial scores. RR’s bowlers adeptly broke through whenever an RCB batter seemed poised for a big innings, thwarting their momentum consistently.
Trent Boult spearheaded the RR attack with a stellar spell, conceding just six runs in three overs and delivering the crucial wicket of Faf du Plessis for 17. While Sandeep Sharma and Avesh Khan were a bit more expensive initially, Boult’s precision kept the RCB batsmen on the back foot. Du Plessis’s dismissal came in the fifth over when he attempted to go over mid-wicket, only to be caught by Rovman Powell, who made a good catch diving forward.
Promoted to No. 3, Cameron Green joined Virat Kohli as RCB finished the powerplay at a promising 50 for one. However, an attempt to up the ante saw Kohli misfiring a shot to mid-wicket off Yuzvendra Chahal in the eighth over, departing for 33 and giving RR a significant breakthrough.
The subsequent overs were characterized by a see-saw battle. While Green found some rhythm against Chahal, Rajat Patidar took his time settling in. Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin was instrumental in the middle overs by keeping RCB’s run rate in check, leading to the RCB batters taking undue risks. Patidar had a narrow escape when a chance was dropped at long-on, but Green could not capitalize further and was caught at cover off Powell in the 13th over for 27.
. The very next ball saw Glenn Maxwell fall to a catch at long-on, leaving RCB struggling at 97 for four.
Patidar eventually found his form, smashing two sixes in quick succession, but his momentum was cut short when Avesh Khan struck, leaving RCB at 127 for five in the 15th over. Dinesh Karthik’s entry was marked by a dramatic leg-before appeal, overturned by the third-umpire’s review.
RCB’s innings rallied towards the end thanks to Mahipal Lomror, whose aggressive 32 off 17 balls provided a crucial boost. Contributions from Swapnil Singh and Karn Sharma in the final over helped RCB push their total to a competitive 172.
The run-chase for RR began with a cautious approach as RCB’s bowlers appeared to extract early help from the wicket. The breakthrough came when Tom Kohler-Cadmore was bowled by a slower ball from Lockie Ferguson for 20, with RR at 46 in the fifth over. Yashaswi Jaiswal, having broken the initial shackles with four boundaries off Yash Dayal, maintained a steady scoring rate partnering with skipper Sanju Samson.
Jaiswal’s departure for 40, caught behind while trying to scoop Green, and the quick exit of Samson, stumped off Karn Sharma for 17, left RR in a delicate situation requiring cautious yet effective batting.
The mantle fell on Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer, who teamed up to steer the chase with measured aggression. A brilliant run-out of Dhruv Jurel by Virat Kohli threatened to derail the momentum, but Parag and Hetmyer maintained their composure. With 48 runs needed off the last five overs, Hetmyer hit Green for a six, followed by Parag’s powerful strikes which included a six over cover and a four past third-man, easing the required rate considerably.
Despite late wickets falling—Parag (36 off 26) and Hetmyer (26 off 14)—the chase was comfortably managed, falling to a run-a-ball equation. Rovman Powell ensured there were no last-minute jitters, closing the match emphatically with two fours and a six in the penultimate over, sealing a memorable victory for RR.
With this victory, Rajasthan Royals advance to Chennai, ready to face Kolkata Knight Riders in Qualifier 2, seeking their path to the ultimate glory in the IPL 2024 finale.