Rajasthan out of contention for IPL 2025 playoffs after thumping loss to MI

Rajasthan Royals became the second team to crash out of the IPL 2025 playoff race, following Chennai Super Kings, after suffering a heavy 100-run loss to Mumbai Indians. Chasing a daunting target of 218, RR’s innings unraveled quickly at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.  RR now have 6 points from 11 games and can only go up to 12 points in the table which won't be sufficient for a spot in the top 4 of the table.

 

The Royals were off to a disastrous start as teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, fresh off a century in the last game, fell for a two-ball duck to Deepak Chahar. Yashasvi Jaiswal managed just 13 before falling to Trent Boult, and soon after, skipper Riyan Parag and Nitish Rana were dismissed in quick succession by Boult and Jasprit Bumrah.

 

 

Bumrah struck again in the same over, sending back Shimron Hetmyer for a duck as RR collapsed to 5/34 inside the powerplay. Shubham Dubey (15) and Dhruv Jurel (11) provided brief resistance but were removed by Hardik Pandya and Karn Sharma. Karn then went on to dismiss Maheesh Theekshana and Kumar Kartikeya in the same over, while Boult wrapped up the innings by removing Jofra Archer. Rajasthan were bowled out for just 117. 

  MI batters make their mark in Jaipur

 

Earlier in the evening, MI’s opening duo of Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton laid a perfect foundation after being asked to bat first. Rohit (53 off 36) and Rickelton (61 off 38) stitched together a commanding 116-run partnership, taking the attack to the RR bowlers from the outset.

 

Rohit targeted the spinners with aggressive intent, smashing back-to-back boundaries off Maheesh Theekshana, while Rickelton punished the pacers, notably pulling Jofra Archer for a six and elegantly flicking Fazalhaq Farooqi for a maximum. MI reached 58 without loss at the end of the powerplay.

 

Capitalizing on the openers' blitz, Suryakumar Yadav (48* off 23) and captain Hardik Pandya (48* off 23) continued the onslaught. The pair added a blistering 94-run stand, helping Mumbai Indians finish at a daunting 217/2. Their explosive finishes ensured RR faced an uphill task from the start.

 

With this emphatic win, Mumbai Indians moved to the top of the points table, continuing their red-hot form in IPL 2025 and pushing Rajasthan Royals out of the playoff contention.