Rajasthan Royals moved closer to securing a spot in the IPL 2026 Playoffs after beating Lucknow Super Giants by 7 wickets in Jaipur on Tuesday. Chasing a challenging total, RR got explosive contributions from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel to complete the job with 5 balls remaining, lifting them into the fourth place in the points table and creating trouble for several other contenders.
Lucknow Super Giants set the tone at the top of the innings, posting 220/5. Mitchell Marsh was the standout performer with a thrilling 96, while Josh Inglis added momentum in the middle overs with a quick-fire half-century that kept the scoreboard moving.
RR’s chase was driven by a remarkable burst of batting from Sooryavanshi, who struck 93 off only 38 deliveries. Jurel provided the steady finishing touch as he notched his sixth fifty of the season, helping Rajasthan reach the target with time to spare.
IPL 2026 Playoffs: What this win means for Rajasthan
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Rajasthan’s triumph pushed them to fourth position with 14 points from 13 matches.
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With the current outcome, the result has also hurt Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Chennai Super Kings in the race for qualification.
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Scenario 1: If RR win their final league match against Mumbai Indians, they will finish on 16 points from 14 games, which should be enough to guarantee a playoff spot because no other team can catch that mark.
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Scenario 2: If RR lose their last match against Mumbai Indians, they would end up with 14 points from 14 matches. In that case, qualification would depend on results elsewhere, with RR needing KKR to drop at least one of their remaining matches and both CSK and PBKS to lose their respective final games.
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If KKR win both of their matches or if PBKS win their remaining fixture, RR will be knocked out.
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If both PBKS and KKR lose their last matches but CSK win their final game, RR and CSK would be level on 14 points, and the Net Run Rate (NRR) would decide who advances.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s reaction
Stand-in captain Yashasvi Jaiswal praised the team’s collective effort, saying that everyone “put in the hard yards” and stayed deeply engaged in the match plan. He highlighted the impact of the bowling—specifically mentioning the way Jofra and Brijesh delivered on a wicket he felt would offer runs—and pointed to the early powerplay response from Jofra as a key moment.
Jaiswal also credited the batting performances of Vaibhav and Dhruv for effectively turning the contest in Rajasthan’s favour. He added that the squad needed this kind of result and expressed gratitude for the behind-the-scenes work from the support staff as well.
“I think everyone put in the hard yards and they played really well. Everyone was into the game and working towards it. The way Jofra bowled and the way Brijesh bowled, because we knew the wicket was pretty good and runs were going to come. The way Jofra came back initially in the powerplay as well, I think it was unbelievable. The way Vaibhav batted and Dhruv batted, I think they killed the game. Absolutely amazing. I’m really happy for the team, we needed it. And of course all the support staff have put in a lot of work behind the scenes as well, so I think it’s unbelievable. Very grateful,” Jaiswal said.
