Rajasthan Royals (RR) became the fourth and the final team to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs following the win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in their last league stage game.
RR had to defeat RR, irrespective of the margin, to punch their ticket to the playoffs. They registered a 30-run win over MI in the away fixture to make it to the second round. Following their win, RR fave it back to Punjab Kings (PBKS) and trolled them with a hilarious post. The inaugural IPL Champions shared a meme to troll the Shreyas Iyer-led side.
For the unversed, PBKS had taken a dig at RR during the league stage. On May 1, RR had an opportunity to displace PBKS and become the top-placed team in the IPL 2026 points table. But they failed to defend a big target of 226 against Delhi Capitals (DC). “Sorry bhai, aaj nahi!,” PBKS had written on X.
PBKS’ form dwindled in the second half and they registered six back-to-back defeats. They finally returned to the winning ways in their last league stage game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Courtesy of Shreyas Iyer’s century, PBKS chased down the target of 197 in 18 overs to keep their playoff hopes alive. They finished in the fifth spot with 7 wins and 15 points.
Rajasthan Royals journey in IPL 2026
Under a new captain, Riyan Parag, RR kicked off their season on a dominating note and won four back-to-back games. They managed one win in their next four games. They registered three wins in their next six games to qualify for the playoffs. RR will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 eliminator on May 27.