Royals take last IPL 2026 playoff berth by beating Mumbai on their home patch | Cricket News

Rohit played down the wrong line, the ball took the edge, and Dhruv Jurel held a fine catch. In a must-win game, it was the start RR needed after putting up 205 batting first, and one MI didn’t. After his Powerplay impact, Archer returned in the 16th over to dismiss a rampaging Hardik Pandya and dent MI’s chances in the chase.

The bowling exploits were preceded by a pivotal batting effort. RR had the option of using their impact sub when Jurel fell in the 13th over. Yet, they sent Archer in at number seven, and his 32 off 15 balls was the cameo that gave them the impetus and eventually carried them to a 200+ score.

Surya comes good

After the highs of 2025, Suryakumar Yadav endured a disappointing IPL 2026 campaign, but had a last chance to make a significant contribution on Sunday. The right-hander walked in with MI in early strife at 18/2, and the first signs that he could make a difference came in the fourth over, when he swatted Nandre Burger for six over backward square leg.

The youthful crowd would have wanted to see more of such shots, except that with wickets falling at the other end, Surya had no option but to mix caution with aggression efficiently. With Will Jacks and later Hardik Pandya for company, he went about his business, taking singles and twos with the odd boundary in between.

Surya struck Ravindra Jadeja for sixes in the ninth and 10th overs before taking on Yash Raj Punja to keep MI in the chase. But Jacks’ dismissal in the 12th over increased the pressure on him to stay till the end.

His 50 came in the 14th over off 32 balls, and he had ensured that the asking rate and the current rate were at par. Pandya’s explosion at the other end helped Surya’s cause, and with 59 needed in five overs, MI held the upper hand.

Yet, Archer’s final over in which he claimed the MI skipper pegged back the chase, and when Surya fell for 60 in the 18th over, the game was almost done. But at the end of a tough season, he had offered a glimpse of what he could still do right at the end.

Sooryavanshi trap

For the majority of the IPL, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had shown a high proficiency in scoring runs on the legside, with the arc between long-on and square leg his favoured zone. On Sunday, he found himself in unfamiliar territory.

MI turned up in the afternoon heat at the Wankhede Stadium and set a trap. Six fielders were placed on the offside and three on the onside. The plan was clear: Nothing on the middle or leg, which would allow him to swing into his arc.

Deepak Chahar floated one on off stump on the first ball the teenager faced. Sooryavanshi went for it, almost instinctively. Jacks, at the cover boundary, pulled off a near-spectacular catch. That delivery was the sign of things to come. Neither the pacers nor the spinners offered anything on middle or leg for the teenager, who was itching to get going.

Eventually, the temptation got the better of him. Chahar, bowling his third straight over, delivered a full ball, and got Sooryavanshi to go for the big hit. The mistimed shot landed in Naman Dhir’s hands. The left-hander had fallen for four, and the trap offered others a cue on how to contain him in the playoffs.

Brief Scores: Rajasthan Royals 205/8 in 20 overs (Dhruv Jurel 38, Jofra Archer 32; Shardul Thakur 2/41) beat Mumbai Indians 175/9 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 60; Archer 3/17) by 30 runs.