The IPL playoffs picture is tightening, and Rajasthan Royals are still in the driver’s seat for the last remaining qualification spot. With only two matches left in the league phase, the simplest route for RR is to win both their remaining games—because that would secure progress without needing help from other results. That makes tonight’s meeting with Lucknow Super Giants a straight-up must-win, not just a useful opportunity. Lucknow, meanwhile, may already be out of the playoff hunt, but they have not been playing dead. They have managed to win two of their last three matches, suggesting a side that still wants to end the season with momentum and pride rather than fade away. For Rajasthan, that creates an added challenge: when a team is chasing dignity rather than standings, it can often play with freedom and bite.
Rajasthan’s urgency is also coming from a different direction. The Royals arrive under pressure after three straight defeats, a run that has disrupted the rhythm they built earlier in the tournament. What began as a promising, steady campaign has turned into a tense finish, with their batting and decision-making in crucial moments no longer matching the consistency they showed in the first half. Their captain, Riyan Parag, will be expected to have a stabilising impact—both in how the team approaches pressure and in how they respond when the game turns. The skipper’s ability to steady the innings and help RR find the right execution at the right time could be pivotal if they are to keep their playoff hopes alive.
All eyes will again be on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old who has provided a genuine spark in an otherwise uneven Rajasthan batting lineup. His calmness and composure when the match is at its most demanding have stood out, and that has made him a key talking point for RR. Still, relying on a youngster so heavily in the business end of a tournament underlines the batting concerns the Royals have been carrying. Alongside that, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s form has dipped during the latter stages of the season, which has become a major worry for the top order. For Rajasthan to remain in contention, they will need the upper batting group to perform as a unit—starting quickly, building partnerships, and delivering when the pressure spikes.
Rajasthan’s selection and batting plans have also been shaped by Rishabh Pant’s continuing uncertainty in the order. Throughout the season, the wicketkeeper-batter has struggled to find a consistent role, and in the previous match he did not even take his turn at the crease as the team experimented with different combinations. However, a significant call has now gone against him today. Pant has been dropped from the ODI squad for the Afghanistan series, and he has also been removed from the Test vice-captaincy position. In his place, Ishan Kishan has been included in the ODI setup as the wicketkeeping option. Meanwhile, KL Rahul has been named the new Test vice-captain under Shubman Gill, reflecting a clear shift in leadership and selection direction ahead of the series.
Squads
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Riyan Parag (c), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Sandeep Sharma, Shubham Dubey, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Aman Rao Perala, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen, Dasun Shanaka, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Ravi Singh, Vignesh Puthur, Brijesh Sharma.
Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant (c), Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Arshin Kulkarni, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Mayank Prabhu Yadav, Wanindu Hasaranga, Anrich Nortje, Josh Inglis, Mohsin Khan, Naman Tiwari, Akash Maharaj Singh, Mukul Choudhary, Manimaran Siddharth, Arjun Sachin Tendulkar, Akshat Raghuwanshi.
