Rajasthan Royals' dream of clinching their second IPL title was shattered after they lost against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Qualifier 2 match of IPL 2024 on Friday. Asked to bat first, SRH posted a total of 175/9 in 20 overs with Heinrich Klaasen scoring 50 runs. Later, SRH brought the lethal spin duo of Shahbaz Ahmed and Abhishek Sharma, who took three and two wickets respectively and restricted RR to 139/7. After claiming a 36-run victory, SRH sailed into the final, where they will be facing Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday in Chennai.
RR were once considered as the favourites to lift the IPL 2024 trophy but failed to maintain their winning momentum. Amid this heartbreak, a picture was shared on X, showing a young RR fan, inconsolably crying in the stands after the team's elimination.
"Feel for Rajasthan Royals fans. They were playing like royals in the first phase, winning almost 90% of their games and sitting in the top position. Then came the downfall: back-to-back defeats, playing the eliminator, and getting knocked out. They should blame themselves for their mindset. Bad luck struck just when they had a great chance to win the trophy," the caption of the post read.
After having a memorable outing in the first-half of the season, RR lost four matches on trot. They went on to beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Eliminator but failed to edge past SRH in the Qualifier 2.
"It was a big game. I am really proud of the way we bowled in the first innings. We were found short of options in the middle overs against their spin, that's where we lost the game. It's very hard to guess actually when we are expecting some dew or when we are not. The wicket started behaving differently in the second innings, the ball started turning a bit, they used that advantage really well," said RR skipper Sanju Samson after the defeat.
"We have found some really great talent for the country. Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and a lot of them are looking really exciting not only for RR but definitely for the Indian cricket team. We have had some great seasons from the last three years," he added.