Bangalore will have to register a win in the last match at any cost.Image Credit source: BCCI
New Delhi: It has become clear that the battle for the playoffs of the IPL 2023 season is going to last till the very last day. The last four matches of the league stage will decide the fate of the remaining three places in the playoffs. In this too, a lot will depend on the last match. At least Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals The fate of this match will depend on it. The reason, Virat Kohli did not get any help from his friend Shikhar Dhawan.
Punjab Kings faced a 4-wicket defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals in their last match at Dharamshala on Friday. On the one hand, this defeat has thrown Punjab out, on the other hand it has kept the hopes of Rajasthan alive. He has also got 14 points equal to Bangalore. With this, Bangalore has got another opponent in the playoff race, which can prove to be more dangerous for them.
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RCB upset by Rajasthan’s victory
Actually it happened that Punjab and Rajasthan were playing their last match. Both had equal 12 points. That is, whichever team wins, it would have 14 points. The only difference was that the victory of Punjab did not cause as much tension in Bangalore as it did with the victory of Rajasthan. The reason is the net run rate. Punjab’s NRR was already very bad and a close win would not have improved it much. But Rajasthan’s run rate was already very close to Bangalore, which has come closer with this win.
Dhruv Jurel, nerves of steel 💎#PBKSvRR #IPLonJioCinema #TATAIPL #IPL2023 #EveryGameMatters pic.twitter.com/s0n0ASMQK5
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) May 19, 2023
What was the advantage of RCB from Punjab?
The whole game is of this run rate. This is because apart from Bangalore, Rajasthan and Mumbai also have 14 points. In this, Bangalore is currently at the top due to the run rate. Whereas Mumbai is the worst. But Mumbai and Bangalore have one match each. Had Punjab won, its run rate would have been the worst among the three. In such a situation, if Mumbai had lost their last match to Sunrisers Hyderabad and then Bangalore had failed to win, even then they could have reached the playoffs due to better run rate.
Number 5 tension for RCB
This victory of Rajasthan has spoiled the game of Bangalore here. Now even if Mumbai loses in their last match, Bangalore cannot rest easy. It is going to be a very close affair for him. First of all, he has to win at any cost, which is number one in the points table.
If this does not happen, then he will have to avoid a big defeat against Gujarat. According to NRR maths, if Bangalore lose by more than 5 runs, they will lag behind Rajasthan in net run rate and in such a situation, Sanju Samson’s team will make it to the last 4. That is, on Sunday 21st May the excitement is going to be at its peak.
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