IPL 2024: RCB juggernaut stopped by RR in Eliminator, perennial woes haunt Bengaluru-franchise once again

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Ahmedabad, May 22: Rajasthan Royals ended Royal Challengers Bengaluru's dream run in IPL 2024 after registering a scrappy four-wicket win in the Eliminator here at Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday (May 22).

After their bowlers had restricted RCB to 172/8, RR's batters overcame a mid-innings wobble to chase down the target, finishing on 174/6 with an over to spare and made it to the Qualifier 2, where they'll take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 25.

IPL 2024: Rajasthan Emerge Victorious In Battle Of Royals

Chasing 173, Rajasthan were guided to victory by West Indies swashbuckler Rovman Powell, who remained unbeaten on 16, providing the crucial finishing touches in a tense finish.

Heroes in Rajasthan Royals' Win Over RCB

Riyan Parag also played a pivotal role, scoring 36 off 26 balls and showing remarkable composure under pressure. Parag - RR's leading run-scorer this season - threw his wicket at a critical juncture, leaving the team reeling under tense moments.

This win marked the Royals' first victory after a streak of four losses and an abandoned game, keeping their hopes alive in the tournament. They will now look for a place in the IPL final with a win over SRH on Friday in Qualifier 2 at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Shimron Hetmyer, returning to the side, contributed a crucial 26 off 14 balls, helping to tilt the balance in Rajasthan's favour during the latter stages of the chase.

RR Keep Hopes Alive With Win At Motera

The Eliminator between RR and RCB will be remembered for long as fortunes kept fluctuating throughout. Mohammed Siraj (2/33) raised RCB's hopes by dismissing Parag and Hetmyer in the 18th over, but Powell's composed boundary hitting off Lockie Ferguson sealed the deal for Rajasthan with 13 runs needed from the last two overs.

Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal set the tone for the chase with a brisk 45 off 30 balls. Despite an unsteady start with edges flying off his bat, Jaiswal found his rhythm quickly, smashing four fours in the third over off Yash Dayal to accelerate the scoring.

His new opening partner Tom Kohler-Cadmore (20) also made a steady contribution, albeit with a reprieve from Glenn Maxwell, who dropped a simple catch at deep square leg.

Lockie Ferguson provided the first breakthrough for RCB, deceiving Kohler-Cadmore with a slower yorker that crashed into the stumps. Jaiswal's innings, however, was cut short by the heat, causing him to play a loose ramp shot off Cameron Green, resulting in a simple catch to the keeper.

RCB's bowlers kept chipping away, with Karn Sharma stumping Sanju Samson (17) and a brilliant fielding effort from Virat Kohli running out Dhruv Jurel (8). However, a crucial 15th over saw Hetmyer and Parag smash Green for 17 runs, bringing Rajasthan back into contention.

Bowlers Lead The Way For Rajasthan Royals

Earlier in the match, Rajasthan Royals' bowlers executed a disciplined performance. Trent Boult (4-0-16-1) set the tone with a frugal opening spell, while Ravichandran Ashwin (4-0-19-2) made significant inroads by dismissing Cameron Green (27) and Glenn Maxwell (0) in consecutive deliveries. Avesh Khan (3/44) also contributed key wickets.

The experienced Ravichandran Ashwin made a strong comeback after a long wicketless stretch and bagged the player of the match for his performance in a high-stakes contest.

RCB's Old Woes Resurface

The Royals' fielders backed their bowlers effectively, with Rovman Powell taking two stunning catches to dent RCB's progress. Despite a valiant effort from RCB, Rajasthan's balanced performance with both bat and ball ensured their advance to the next stage of the IPL playoffs.

For RCB, it was yet another disappointing season as they came close to fulfilling their dream of lifting the elusive silverware but once again their perennial vows came back to haunt them. The Bengaluru-based franchise has been consistently making it to the playoffs in the last few seasons but has failed to make it to the finals.

The story in the 2024 edition wasn't any different for the franchise as they, once again looked heavily reliant on their big stars, KGF i.e. Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Faf du Plessis. RCB's domestic players such as Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal and Swapnil Singh - to some extent - did better in the second half of the season but other key players failed to live up to the expectations.

Just like last year, Kohli - who has been the leading run-scorer this season with 741 runs - and Du Plessis (438 runs) - were the only two players who made valuable contributions with the bat upfront. Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik and others weren't consistent this season which proved costly to the franchise.

By the time Patidar found his form with the bat, the other players, except for Kohli, had lost their momentum, and runs started to dry up. The biggest issue for RCB over the years has been the underperformance of their Indian batters, and this year was no exception.

Though RCB won six games on the trot in the second half of the competition and progressed to the playoffs but law of averages was bound to catch them at some stage, and it happened in the must-win Eliminator.

Their bowling wasn't up to the mark in this edition as well. Yash Dayal was the only standout bowler for the RCB in the 2024 season while the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Cameron Green, Lockie Ferguson, Akash Deep, and Alzzari Joseph failed to rise to the occasion more often than not.

With the next season featuring a mega auction, it will be intriguing to see the radical changes the RCB management might implement. There will be a keen interest in whether Captain Faf du Plessis can retain his spot alongside Maxwell, Karthik, and others. Additionally, it remains to be seen if Kohli will continue with RCB, as the franchise is yet to win a single trophy with him since its inception.