Rajasthan Royals came into this match needing a win to secure the last playoff berth. But now that they have lost, their final league match against the Mumbai Indians on Sunday becomes a virtual quarterfinal.
The Royals put their best foot forward fielding a full strength squad, which has delivered them seven wins this season. Perhaps Kings XI Punjab, currently on top of points table, were also in a benevolent mood and decided to make it a bit easier for Royals leaving Glenn Maxwell and their top wicket-taker Sandeep Sharma out of the squad.
However, despite keeping their top players out and then losing momentum in the middle overs, KXIP managed to reach 179 in 20 overs with the the partnership between skipper Goerge Bailey and David Miller yielding 60 runs off the last 5 overs. The duo added 46 runs in the last three overs.
This added pressure on the Rajasthan batters and somehow their chase never took off. There was little urgency shown in the first 10 overs. Pacer Rishi Dhawan then knocked the wind out of Rajasthan's sails removing Ajinkya Rahane (23) and Shane Watson (0).