The final week of league stage action in IPL 2024 began with six teams chasing three spots available in the playoffs, and after eight matches the dust settled on Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru who joined Kolkata Knight Riders in the final four.
RCB stun CSK to take final playoff spot
The most remarkable and unprecedented run in RCB history saw Faf du Plessis’ team upend predictions and clinch the final playoffs spot, after ousting defending champions Chennai Super Kings by 27 runs in their final league game.
At the bottom of the points table well past the midpoint of the tournament, with seven losses from eight matches, RCB were down for the count. But five wins in a row left their final fixture against CSK as a must-win, with the margin of victory batting first needing to be at least 18 runs. Skipper du Plessis and Virat Kohli got the team off to a solid start after Ruturaj Gaikwad put RCB in, before Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green and Glenn Maxwell contributed vital cameos to a total of 218/5 in 20 overs.
Maxwell was then given the ball for the first over of CSK’s chase and dismissed Gaikwad for a golden duck, and a steady flow of wickets at key junctures saw the second innings heave and sigh. New Zealander Rachin Ravindra’s punchy 61 appeared to have CSK in control, but his shock run out was followed by another failure for Shivam Dube which left the old firm of Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni to try and seal a classic chase.
Defending 17 off the last over, seamer Yash Dayal was clubbed for a six off the first ball to Dhoni but held his nerve to get the CSK legend next ball, and then allowed just one more run for the rest of the over. RCB thus drew level with CSK on 14 points but went through to the playoffs on net run rate after a sixth win in a row.
SRH vs PBKS
An earlier washout in Hyderabad between hosts SRH and Gujarat Titans did the job for Pat Cummins and his team, with the solitary point awarded enough to ensure they became the third franchise to qualify for the playoffs after getting to 5 points. This made it the first time since 2020 than SRH made it to the final four, and it set up their final game against PBKS as a potential chance to get to second spot on the points table.
Having been forced to bowl, SRH allowed PBKS to post a total of 214/5 and then went on to chase it down in 19.1 overs. Australia’s Travis Head had a rare off day, brought in as Impact Player for the chase only to be out first ball, but his opening partner Abhishek Sharma got the innings up and running with a terrific 66 off 28 balls, which took his overall tally of sixes to 41 which is the best for all batsmen in IPL 2024.
Heinrich Klaasen also returned to form with 42 off 26, helping SRH to their target in the final over. The win put SRH at second spot, which they managed to hold onto after the washout between Royals and Punkab Kings in Guwahati.
RR vs PBKS
Delhi Capitals’ win over Lucknow Super Giants a day before had confirmed Royals’ passage to the IPL playoffs, but they still had to target a top-two finish when they met Punjab in Guwahati midweek. And they blew it – first losing to the already eliminated PBKS at their adopted home ground before they sat glumly looking at the rain fall in Guwahati to force an abandonment.
Another failure for Yashasvi Jaiswal – out bowled by Sam Curran for 4 – was followed by a stop-start innings that ended on 144/9 after 20 overs with Riyan Parag top-scoring with 48 off 34 deliveries. Despite slipping to 36/3 in the fifth over, PBKS had their captain Curran to thank for an unbeaten 63 off 41 balls that lugged them over the finish line in 18.5 overs.
This was Royals fourth loss on the trot, and it meant that they had to beat KKR in their last fixture to keep second spot, and hope that SRH were beaten by PBKS on the same day. SRH pulled off a big chase to move to second, and RR’s chances of moving back to second place were dashed by the washout in Guwahati.
Rohit’s final game for MI?
Five-time IPL winners Mumbai Indians ended their tournament on a flat note, losing to LSG at the Wankhede Stadium to finish with a season record of 4-10, the worst in their history.
Hardik Pandya once again erred by choosing to field, as LCG set MI a target of 215 and won by 18 runs. Just two Mumbai players made half-centuries, former captain Rohit Sharma with 68 off 38 balls and Naman Dhir with an unbeaten 62 off 28. When Rohit was dismissed in the 11th over, the way the MI fans at the Wankhede cheered him off, it was difficult to not get the feeling that perhaps they believed it was the last time they’d see their hero in a Mumbai jersey.
Speculation has been rife of Rohit moving away from MI ahead of the mega IPL 2025 auction, particularly given how the franchise fared once Rohit was removed as captain and Pandya brought back. Rohit’s 417 runs are the most he’s scored in a single IPL since 2016, and his strike-rate of 150 is the best in a season for the former MI captain.
