IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals can’t let the playoff spot slip

RR skipper Riyan Parag. Pic/IPL; (right) LSG’s Nicolas Pooran during his team’s practice session in Jaipur on Monday. Pic/PTI

Their Playoff hopes hanging by a thread, the Rajasthan Royals will need an all-round improvement against the out-of-contention Lucknow Super Giants to stay alive in the IPL here on Tuesday.

At the high-scoring Sawai Mansingh Stadium, RR are yet to win a game this season and the final fixture here is a do-or-die one for the home team. Following Tuesday's fixture, RR's last game is also against a vanquished outfit - Mumbai Indians.

In Delhi on Sunday night, RR should have out-batted Delhi Capitals but a lower-order collapse cost them the match in which their fielding and bowling were also fairly ordinary. This was their third defeat in a row.

RR have been relying heavily on 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for flying starts, but the youngster has not got enough support from Yashasvi Jaiswal at the other end.

Dhruv Jurel has played some sublime knocks, but the one on Sunday night was a rather subdued one with wickets falling at the other end. Captain Riyan Parag was underwhelming in the first half of the IPL, but has picked up pace in recent games. He would want his side to be much more clinical in the last five overs with the bat.

The catching and fielding have generally been poor in the IPL and RR too have been guilty of grassing easy chances. Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant-led LSG, dealing with issues of their own, come into the game on the back of a rare win in the tournament.

They beat Chennai Super Kings at home on May 15 and would be looking to play party-poopers in their remaining two games (last one against Punjab Kings).

Zero
No. of matches RR have won in Jaipur this season; they have lost all three matches here

151.76
RR skipper Riyan Parag's impressive strike-rate in the IPL so far; but he has managed just 258 runs off 170 balls at a poor average of 25.80

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