Rajasthan Royals (RR) have severely jeopardised their chances of qualifying for the IPL 2026 playoffs after conceding a last-over five-wicket defeat to the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday (May 17).
Rajasthan began strongly through Yashasvi Jaiswal and teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who smashed 46, while Dhruv Jurel and skipper Riyan Parag struck rapid half-centuries to power the visitors to 160/2 in 14 overs. Just as Rajasthan looked set for a massive total, Mitchell Starc turned the game around by dismissing Parag, Donovan Ferreira and Ravi Singh in quick succession.
Delhi’s bowlers tightened the screws as Rajasthan collapsed to 193/8. Chasing 194, KL Rahul (56) and Abishek Porel (51) added 105 for the opening
wicket before Axar Patel and Ashutosh Sharma calmly finished the chase in 19.2 overs.
The Royals still have a very realistic chance of qualifying for the IPL 2026 playoffs. Currently sitting in the sixth position with twelve points from twelve matches, their destiny remains largely in their own hands with two crucial games left to play.
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How can RR qualify for IPL 2026 playoffs?
The most definitive path for RR is to win both of their remaining fixtures. They face the Lucknow Super Giants on May 19 and the Mumbai Indians on May 24. Winning both would take their tally to 16 points.
Reaching 16 points practically guarantees qualification because the teams immediately around them, the Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, and Kolkata Knight Riders, cannot mathematically reach that number.
PBKS and KKR can only reach a maximum of fifteen points, while DC can only reach fourteen. Therefore, two victories ensure RR finish ahead of the mid-table traffic without needing to rely on outside results.
However, if RR manage to win only one of their final two games, they will finish the league stage with fourteen points. In this scenario, their qualification would depend heavily on the outcomes of other matches.
First, PBKS would need to lose their final game against LSG so they remain stranded on thirteen points. Additionally, the Chennai Super Kings, who are currently tied with RR on twelve points, must lose at least one of their matches against SRH or GT.
Similarly, the Kolkata Knight Riders would need to drop points in their final two games to avoid breaching the fourteen-point mark. Finally, if multiple teams finish tied on fourteen points, the Net Run Rate will be the deciding factor. RR currently have a positive NRR but they trail Punjab.
