Rajasthan Royals (MI) secured the fourth and final playoff spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 with a 30-run victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday (May 24).
Invited to bat first, the Royals posted 205/8 on the board. After Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 17-ball 27 at the top of the order, Dhruv Jurel anchored the innings with a solid 38 off 26 balls while Dasun Shanaka chipped in with a quickfire 29 off 15 deliveries.
Later, a tactical promotion for Jofra Archer paid off as he plundered 32 off 15 balls, combined with a finishing assault from Impact Player Ravindra Jadeja (19* off 11) and Nandre Burger (10* off 3) to take RR past the 200-run mark.
In reply, MI’s innings was restricted to 175/9. Archer starred with the ball for RR with three scalps, while Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja and Nandre Burger picked up two wickets each.
The victory pushed RR to 16 points, eliminating Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Delhi Capitals from playoff contention. Rajasthan Royals will now face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator on May 27.
Speaking after the game, RR head coach and director of cricket, Kumar Sangakkara, praised his team's composure under pressure.
“During the last timeout it was just about sticking to plans and holding your nerve. When you go to the back-end it's all about who responds better under pressure. All the bowlers did a brilliant job. And on the field we were pretty tidy,” Sangakkara said while speaking to broadcasters.
Sangakkara acknowledged that moving Archer up the order was "always guesswork" but praised the Englishman's fired-up attitude and immense dedication to the team.
“It's always guesswork isn't it (Archer's promotion while batting). It's great when it works and pretty ugly when it doesn't. We know what Jofra can do with the bat. Wanted him to go out there and take a bit of risk. And then let Ferreira and Dubey handle the later overs when the bowlers were tired in the sun. Unfortunately Donovan did get out but Jofra kicked on and then Jaddu coming in at the end with a bung elbow got us over the line. From where we were, looking at only 180, 206 was a fantastic effort.
“He has been like that in every single game (Archer being fired up). Very invested in the team, helping everyone. Has been our spearhead right from the start. Today, to see the way he bowled, but before that with the bat and really take us to the qualification, that was an exceptional effort from Jofra. Very proud of him,” he remarked.
Sangakkara also reserved special praise for Yash, a tall young mystery leg-spinner whom RR had kept as a net bowler for three seasons before finally handing him a debut this year.
“Yash has been an interesting choice for us. He's been with us in the nets for about 3 seasons. We picked him this year. Unfortunately Bishnoi has had to sit out a couple of games because of Yash. He's tall, has got good revs on the ball, turns his leg spinner and the googly. He's got a really calm demeanour under pressure. This is a good wicket to bat on but the way he bowled to those seasoned batters was outstanding. He'll just grow and improve but I just want him to stay calm and trust his skills. We don't pick age, we pick ability,” he stated.
When asked about the teenagers in their squad, the Royals coach said: “We want players who can contribute now and all of the guys - young and old - have done a really good job to drag us to the qualification.”
