IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals Beat Lucknow Super Giants To Stay In Playoff Race; PBKS Out of Top 4
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi powered Rajasthan Royals to a crucial chase against Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League 2026, scoring 93 from 38 balls and steering a tense pursuit of 221, completed with seven wickets in hand and five balls remaining.
The 15-year-old batter again handled pressure in a must-win situation, lifting Rajasthan Royals back into the Indian Premier League playoffs race. The result also damaged Lucknow Super Giants' campaign, leaving the side stranded in the lower half of the standings.
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IPL 2026 points table shift after Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants
This victory moved Rajasthan Royals to fourth on the IPL 2026 points table with 14 points from 13 matches and a net run-rate of 0.083, overtaking Punjab Kings, who slipped to fifth after staying on 13 points from 13 games due to an earlier washout.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru stayed top of the IPL 2026 points table with 18 points from 13 matches, while Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad remained level on 16 points, still contesting for a top-two finish, ahead of Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings in a tight mid-table grouping.
| Teams | Matches | Won | Lost | No Result | Points Table | Net Run-Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 1.065 |
| Gujarat Titans | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 0.400 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 0.350 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 0.083 |
| Punjab Kings | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 0.227 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 12 | -0.016 |
| Delhi Capitals | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 12 | -0.871 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 12 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 11 | -0.038 |
| Mumbai Indians | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 8 | -0.504 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 13 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 8 | -0.702 |
IPL 2026 points table context and Rajasthan Royals chase details
Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings both remained in contention with 12 points, while Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants occupied the bottom three positions, leaving Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad as the only confirmed qualifiers so far.
During the chase, Sooryavanshi reached 25 from 16 balls before accelerating sharply, attacking Akash Singh for 24 runs in the ninth over, then combining with Dhruv Jurel to collect 29 runs off Mayank Yadav’s 12th over, which left Rajasthan Royals well ahead of the asking rate.
Although Rajasthan Royals later lost Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Lhuan-dre Pretorius within 15 balls, Dhruv Jurel anchored the target with an unbeaten 53, supported by Donovan Ferreira’s 16 from 10 balls, completing a tense finish that kept Rajasthan Royals firmly involved in the IPL 2026 playoffs picture.
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