IPL 2021 Points Table: Updated standings and qualifying scenarios after RR blast away CSK
Even before Rajasthan Royals RR (seventh in the points table with three consecutive losses) stepped out on the field on Saturday, they were ruled out as no match for the Chennai Super Kings CSK (table-toppers with four back-to-back wins). Then when Sanju Samson announced five changes to the RR playing XI, his team were claimed to have "thrown in the towel" for the rest of the IPL 2021.
But such is the swirl and verve of this incredible tournament that it took the Men in Pink just three wickets and 17.3 overs to mercilessly shoot down CSK's 189-4 and rip open the points table once again.
CSK batsmen, especially the fantastic centurian Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja (32 off 15), made the Abu Dhabi surface look easy on their way to the above-par target. However, they couldn't have foreseen RR's all-out attack, which started with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Evin Lewis's 81-run push in the powerplay and ended with a knock for the ages from Shivam Dube (64 off 42).
As a result, just when we thought the battle for fourth place couldn't be tighter, it has gone absolute bonkers.
A look at the updated IPL 2021 Points Table
What does this mean for RR?
https://t.co/ha5XqmKICr
With the win, RR have leapfrogged defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) to now sit in sixth place in the points table. They have also done a world of good to their net run rate (NRR), which has gone from -0.468 to -0.337.
RR were in a must-win situation before this game and nothing has changed about that. They'll have to win both of their remaining two games to qualify while continuing to improve the NRR at the same time. RR can also qualify with 12 points, but that will require quite a few other results to go their way.
Sanju Samson's men now not only have massive momentum behind them, but they also have some much-needed belief, which could be decisive at the business end of the tournament. They should back themselves to build on this win and show similar vigor against MI on Tuesday.
What does this mean for CSK?
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CSK won't be too fussed about this defeat, considering how they have already qualified and are still leading the pack from the top of the table. Their bowling was also a bit thin without DJ Bravo and Deepak Chahar - both of whom were rested - which proved to be critical in the high-scoring encounter.
However, MS Dhoni and co. will surely be mindful not to lose too much momentum in their attempt to manage the workload. After all, their NRR has been hit by this game and they still need to win at least one of the remaining two games to comfortably finish in the top-two and avoid the Eliminator.
Impact on other teams in the Points Table
While there are currently four teams - RR, MI, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) - tied with 10 points after 12 matches, Rohit Sharma's boys will be the most bothered by today's result. Their NRR is a horrible -0.453 and RR's win has only made things more difficult for them.