Sunday’s match at the Eden Gardens was some 20 minutes old, and into the fourth over of the Delhi Capitals innings, when Rajasthan Royals sealed the last Playoffs slot of IPL-19 at the faraway Wankhede. RR’s win over Mumbai Indians doused the dying embers of Kolkata Knight Riders’s hopes, but their men who mattered came to know much later.

“We got to know when we finished our fielding, after those 20 overs. Before that, no instructions, nothing, that’s what we had decided before stepping onto the field. Our focus was to win this game, rather than think about what’s happening [elsewhere],” revealed KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane.