IPL 2023: Qualification scenarios for Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of their last league game against PBKS

The champions of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League, Rajasthan Royals have a strong squad on paper but in reality, the Sanju Samson-led side lost six of their last eight matches in the ongoing season. With that, they have jeopardized their chances to qualify for the playoffs but there is still a small possibility for them to finish in the top four. 

In order to do so, Rajasthan Royals will have to beat Punjab Kings by a massive margin when the two teams face each other at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on May 19. Notably, a win will take them to 14 points, which will definitely not secure their chances but if they manage to improve their net run rate, things may go in their favour.

However, for RR to qualify, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians will have to lose their last league games which is scheduled against Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively. RR will also have to keep an eye on Kolkata Knight Riders, who can climb up the table with a win over Lucknow Super Giants in their last match. 

Thus, just a win will not be enough for Rajasthan at the moment as they will be looking to improve their NRR and will also have to rely on various developments that take place in the final week of the league stage. On the other hand, Punjab Kings are in a similar spot as well. The Shikhar Dhawan-led will have to beat RR in their final league game and will have to improve their NRR in order to stay in the race.

If they manage to win, they would want RCB, MI and KKR’s next matches to end in their favor. If these three teams drop points, and if PBKS finish with a better NRR than them, then Dhawan and Co. can very well qualify for the playoffs. Thus, without a doubt, the match between PBKS and RR will be a cracker of a contest.