Royal Challengers Bangalore's journey in the playoffs came to a disappointing end in the eliminator match on Wednesday night. After securing a spot in the playoffs in a sensational manner, RCB set a target of 173 runs, which Rajasthan Royals chased down with 6 wickets to spare in 19 overs.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was the top scorer for Rajasthan with 45 runs. Other notable contributions came from Tom Kohler (20), Sanju Samson (17), Riyan Parag (36), Dhruv Jurel (8), Hetmyer (26), Powell (16*), and Ravichandran Ashwin (0*). The Rajasthan batsmen played aggressively right from the start, leaving the RCB bowlers struggling to take control. At one point, it seemed like the match might turn in RCB's favor as Rajasthan lost some key wickets, but it didn't happen. Rajasthan emerged victorious by excelling in both batting and bowling departments. For RCB, Mohammad Siraj took 2 wickets, while Lockie Ferguson, Karn Sharma, and Cameron Green each took 1 wicket. Another wicket fell as a run-out.
Earlier, RCB won the toss and opted to bat, scoring 172 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in 20 overs. Key innings came from Rajat Patidar (34), Virat Kohli (33), and Lomror (32). Other contributions included Du Plessis (17), Maxwell (0), Dinesh Karthik (11), Swapnil Singh (9*), and Karn Sharma (5). For Rajasthan, Avesh Khan took 3 wickets, while Ashwin, Boult, Sandeep Sharma, and Chahal took 1 wicket each.
Rajasthan Royals will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2 on Thursday in Chennai. The winner of this match will face Kolkata Knight Riders in the final.
