Credit: X
With just two games remaining in the league stage of the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League, four teams have been qualified for the playoffs including the Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, SunRisers Hyderabad, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Virat Kohli's RCB defeated MS Dhoni's CSK by 27 runs and managed a better net run rate than Chennai and the Delhi Capitals to clinch the fourth spot after all three teams registered 14 points.
In this article, we will look at the big updates around the IPL 2024 that took place on Saturday, May 18, but before that, let’s check the match scheduled for the day.
Today's match preview
SunRisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings
The Sunrisers Hyderabad will host the Punjab Kings in the 69th match of the IPL 2024 at the Uppal Stadium in Hyderabad at 03:30 p.m. IST. After confirming their spot in the IPL 2024 playoffs due to a washout against the Gujarat Titans at home, the Sunrisers have a decent chance to finish in the top two with a win in the final group stage game of the season. For the Kings, it is important to achieve victory in their last game of the IPL 2024 season, to stay clear of the dreaded wooden spoon finish.
Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders
The Rajasthan Royals will host the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 70th match of the IPL 2024 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati at 07:30 p.m. IST. Following their four consecutive losses in the IPL 2024, Rajasthan Royals’ campaign has derailed in the tournament, but still have made it to the playoffs, courtesy of their outstanding start to the season. The Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, have been in their prime, winning nine out of 13 matches so far. Their recent wins in the tournament have helped them consolidate the top position in the points table.
Major events around IPL that happened on May 18
RCB seal playoff qualification with dramatic 27-run win over CSK
In the last-ball thriller between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Chennai Super Kings, Faf du Plessis' side managed to clinch the victory and sealed their playoff spot with a better net run rate. RCB skipper smashed a spectacular half-century while Cameron Green played an all-around inning as he contributed 38*(17) from the bat and picked up a wicket in the second innings. Virat Kohli went three runs shy of completing his fifty while Rajat Patidar continued his fine form and scored 41 off 23. Rachin Ravindra (61-off-37) was the top scorer for CSK while Ravindra Jadeja smashed an unbeaten 42 runs, however, Yash Dayal defended 17 runs in the last over to help his side clinch the victory.
Hardik Pandya handed one-match ban; to miss first game in IPL 2025
Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya became the second player after Rishabh Pant to be given a one-match ban for breaching the IPL's Code of Conduct for the third time following the joint-record five-time IPL champions' loss against the Lucknow Super Giants on Friday at the Wankhede Stadium. Hardik's last two slow-over rate offences came against LSG this season, which led him to miss the first game the next season.
Jitesh Sharma to lead Punjab Kings in final league match against SunRisers Hyderabad
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) will play in their final league stage fixture when they travel to Hyderabad to take on the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday, May 19. Ahead of Sunday afternoon's clash, PBKS confirmed that Jitesh Sharma will take the helm in Sam Curran's absence and the unavailability of Shikhar Dhawan. The England all-rounder, Sam Curran, who led the franchise following Dhawan's injury, has returned home alongside Jonny Bairstow.
Riyan Parag avoids practice to watch RCB vs CSK clash; conversation goes viral
On Saturday, May 18, Riyan Parag, the Rajasthan Royals batter, took to his official X account to share a WhatsApp conversation with the team’s support coach Siddhartha Lahiri. When the 22-year-old got asked about joining RR’s practice session later tonight, he said not to coach in favour of watching RCB play against CSK in their all-important IPL 2024 clash.
Bengaluru Police detain influencer for threatening to breach security during RCB vs CSK clash
On Saturday, May 18, the Bengaluru City Police sent out a video on their official X account to reveal that they had detained a social media influencer by the name of Nitin Zequeira. The action from the police was taken after the influencer threatened to breach the security and invade the field at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the IPL 2024 clash between RCB and CSK.
