Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s explosive 93 and Dhruv Jurel’s unbeaten fifty helped Rajasthan Royals chase down 221 against Lucknow Super Giants to keep their IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive.
Rajasthan Royals kept their IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive with a thrilling seven-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants in Match 64 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Tuesday. Chasing a massive target of 221, RR completed the chase in just 19.1 overs with five balls remaining.
Lucknow Super Giants earlier posted a daunting 220/5 after explosive batting performances from Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis. Marsh narrowly missed out on a century, smashing 96 off 57 balls with 11 fours and five sixes, while Inglis hammered 60 off just 29 deliveries at a strike rate of 206.89.
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The duo added 109 runs for the opening wicket in only 8.2 overs and put Rajasthan under severe pressure early in the contest. Nicholas Pooran chipped in with 16 off 11 balls, while captain Rishabh Pant scored a quickfire 35 off 23 deliveries.
For Rajasthan, Yash Raj Punja emerged as the standout bowler with figures of 2/35 in four overs. Jofra Archer also picked up a wicket, while two run-outs in the final over prevented LSG from going beyond 220.
RR Chase With Ease After Sooryavanshi Storm
Rajasthan Royals responded fearlessly in the chase. Yashasvi Jaiswal provided the perfect start with a blistering 43 off 23 balls, smashing eight boundaries and a six before falling to Akash Singh.
The chase, however, belonged entirely to teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The youngster produced one of the innings of the season, blasting 93 off just 38 balls at a staggering strike rate of 244.73. His innings included seven fours and 10 massive sixes as he dismantled the Lucknow bowling attack.
Sooryavanshi reached his half-century in only 23 balls and stitched a game-changing 105-run stand with Dhruv Jurel in just 39 deliveries. Jurel remained unbeaten on 53 off 38 balls, while Donovan Ferreira’s late cameo of 16* off 10 deliveries sealed the chase comfortably for RR.
Mohsin Khan was the only effective bowler for LSG with figures of 1/31 from four overs, while the rest of the attack leaked runs heavily. Akash Singh conceded 54 in his three overs, while Mayank Yadav went for 50 in four overs.
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Playoff Scenario For Rajasthan Royals
The victory lifted Rajasthan Royals to fourth place on the IPL 2026 points table with 14 points from 13 matches and an NRR of 0.083. RR now face Mumbai Indians in their final league game and must win that contest to strengthen their playoff qualification chances. Even then, they could still depend on results involving Punjab Kings, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.
For Lucknow Super Giants, the defeat marked their ninth loss of the season as they remained rooted at the bottom of the table with eight points from 13 matches. Already eliminated from playoff contention, LSG will now look to end their disappointing IPL 2026 campaign on a positive note when they face Punjab Kings in their final match.
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