NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2024 Eliminator on Wednesday, following a dramatic end to the league phase that saw the Sunrisers Hyderabad leapfrog RR into second place.
SRH defeated the Punjab Kings, securing the second spot and pushing RR to third. The Royals' subsequent match against the Kolkata Knight Riders was washed out, cementing SRH's position based on net run rate.
Former India cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra shared his insights on the upcoming clash on his YouTube channel, highlighting that recent developments have been favorable for RCB.
"One by one everything is going in favor of RCB because Hyderabad are a dangerous team. Not that RCB can't beat them, they have done that once at their (SRH's) own home. However, the truth is - that day the game can go anywhere. I feel they will catch and seize the Rajasthan Royals," Chopra said.
Chopra acknowledged the historical challenge for teams finishing third or fourth in the league phase, mentioning, "So RCB are in a happy place playing the Eliminator. It is difficult because it is also true that in the 11-year history of the Eliminator, only once a team that finished third or fourth has won. That was 2016 - Sunrisers Hyderabad."
The road to the final is daunting for RCB. If they defeat RR, they will face the loser of Qualifier 1 between SRH and KKR in Qualifier 2. To claim their maiden IPL trophy, they must also overcome the winner of Qualifier 1 in the final.
Chopra also pointed out RR’s poor form towards the end of the season.
"The match was washed out and because of that Rajasthan lost the chance they had to reach 18 points. The truth remains that this team hasn't won even a single match in May. Eight wins in the first nine games and after that not even one. They got four tries. People clear UPSC in four tries and they couldn't win one match," he noted.
Despite the washout, Chopra suggested RR cannot solely blame this for their third-place finish.
"You can see the one point they got in the end with two viewpoints. You can say your time was bad as a point was snatched from you or else you would have reached No. 2. The second view is that it was good you came after qualifying. Imagine if your qualification had not been confirmed and this one point had sent you out," he elaborated.
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