A superb Shane Watson century helped Rajasthan Royals (RR) secure a place in the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs with victory over defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium on Saturday.
KKR's loss in their last league match means that they now need a bit of a miracle in order to go through into the playoffs.
In the day's earlier match, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) eased past bottom side Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) to make sure they end the league stages as table-toppers with 18 points from 14 matches.
The results mean that there are just two more playoff berths up for grabs, with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Mumbai Indians (MI) vying for them in their final league games on Sunday.
After Saturday's win in Mumbai, Rajasthan climbed from sixth to second place with 16 points from 14 games.
Kolkata, meanwhile, are up against it since they have 15 points from 14 games. They are currently placed fourth, but would be overtaken by the winner of the match between Hyderabad and Mumbai.
However, the Knights could be in with a chance if the Hyderabad-Mumbai match is washed out.
{{/usCountry}}However, the Knights could be in with a chance if the Hyderabad-Mumbai match is washed out.
{{/usCountry}}There is another mathematical possibility favouring the Knights. If in the other Sunday outing, Delhi Daredevils (DD) inflict a heavy defeat on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Kolkata could sneak through. Although that seems to be a far-fetched scenario based on current form, KKR will be keeping their fingers crossed.
Bangalore are currently in third place with 15 points from 13 games.
SRH (14 points from 13 games) are fifth behind Kolkata, while MI (also on 14 points from 13 matches) are sixth due to their inferior run-rate.
Delhi (10 points, 13 matches) and Punjab (6 points, 14 matches) are the two sides which have no mathematical chance of making it to the playoffs.
(With inputs from Agencies)