Archer 3-17, Jurel 38: Rajasthan beat Mumbai by 30 at Wankhede to lock the IPL 2026 fourth seed
Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians by 30 runs at Wankhede on Sunday afternoon, and the result locked the last seat in the IPL 2026 playoff bracket. RR finish the group stage on 16 points in fourth and walk into next week's Eliminator. Mumbai, defeated at home, sign off on a 4-10 season that ends ninth on the table.
Jurel anchors, Archer and Jadeja finish
The innings did not start the way Rajasthan wanted. Three early wickets dropped them to 54 for 3 in the powerplay, with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi back in the dugout cheap for once. Dhruv Jurel held the middle order together from there. His 38 from 26 balls carried three fours and two sixes, the best of them off Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar in one over that turned the rhythm of the innings. Bosch eventually bowled him with a yorker.
Dasun Shanaka added a clean 29 either side of Jurel's dismissal. The late-overs work belonged to Jofra Archer, who hit 32 from 15 balls before Shardul Thakur had him, and Ravindra Jadeja, who finished unbeaten on 19 from 11. Rajasthan closed on 205 for 8, more than the surface had looked like offering at the halfway mark.
Archer wrecks the chase
Then Archer came back with the ball. Rohit Sharma went for a four-ball duck. Naman Dhir lasted four balls for six. Nandre Burger had Ryan Rickelton caught at short midwicket for 12, and at 24 for 3 the chase was already in trouble. Brijesh Sharma had Tilak Varma bowled for three, and Mumbai closed the powerplay at 49 for 4.
Suryakumar Yadav and Will Jacks dragged the chase back into the game with a 63-run stand for the fifth wicket. Jacks made 33 from 18 before he fell. Suryakumar carried on to 60, adding another 48 alongside Hardik Pandya, whose 34 from 15 was the last real threat. Archer finished with 3 for 17 from his four overs and the spell decided it. Mumbai's 175 for 9 fell 30 short.
Eliminator at New Chandigarh on Wednesday
Rajasthan's win mathematically eliminated both Punjab Kings, who finished on 15 points, and Kolkata Knight Riders, who play Delhi Capitals on Sunday evening with no playoff route left for either side. The IPL 2026 bracket is now set. Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans meet in Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala on Tuesday. Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan face off in the Eliminator on Wednesday at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. Qualifier 2 follows at the same venue on Friday, and the final is at Ahmedabad next Sunday.
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