Rajasthan Royals (RR) put themselves in pole position to join Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and the Gujarat Titans (GT) and become the fourth team to qualify for the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs after winning their 13th game of the season against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Tuesday (May 19) at the Sawai Mansigh Stadium in Jaipur.
The Royals are one of the five teams competing for the last playoff spot alongside the Punjab Kings (PBKS), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Delhi Capitals (DC), and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Today’s result means that the playoff race will not be decided before the final day of the league on Sunday (May 24) when the Royals play the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in the afternoon game before the final game between Delhi Capitals (DC) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
IPL Playoff Scenarios After RR Beat LSG
RR – The Royals remain the only team with their playoff chances in their own hands. The equation is simple for them, and a victory over MI will be enough to confirm their progress to the second round. If they lose, they can still qualify if LSG beat PBKS and their NRR is above CSK, KKR, and DC.
PBKS – The chances of PBKS losing their final game and qualifying are now no longer possible. The Shreyas Iyer-led team needs to defeat LSG in Lucknow and hope that MI wins over RR. They also need to ensure their NRR remains above KKR (if they win both games).
CSK – The chances of the Super Kings qualifying are hanging by a thread. The five-time champions need to win their final game against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad and hope that MI beat KKR and RR while LSG beat PBKS. In this case, they ensure they keep their NRR above RR and DC (if they beat KKR).
KKR – The Kolkata-based team is also severely dependent on other results to qualify. They need to win both their games (against MI and DC) and then hope that RR loses to MI and LSG beats PBKS. In this case, they need to ensure their NRR is more than CSK (if they beat GT) and RR.
DC – The Capitals also need multiple other results to go their way. In order to qualify, the Axar Patel-led team needs to win their final game against KKR and also hope that MI beat RR and LSG beats PBKS. If these results happen, they will qualify if their NRR is above CSK (if they beat GT) and RR.However, the margin of victory they need over the Royals might be unrealistic unless Mumbai defeat the 2008 champions by a heavy margin.