Punjab Kings secured a five-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in their IPL clash in Guwahati on Wednesday, further denting the latter's chances for a top-two finish in the group stage. Sam Curran emerged as the standout performer, showcasing his all-round prowess with a well-paced fifty and two crucial wickets.

Rajasthan Royals landed in Guwahati without one of their star players in Jos Buttler, who left for national duties ahead of the T20 World Cup; Buttler is the captain of England for the tournament. Naturally, such a major void remains difficult to fill and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, the replacement at the opening spot, clearly struggled as he made his outing against Punjab Kings alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Kohler-Cadmore faced 23 balls for merely 18 on a sluggish surface in Guwahati; he wasn't alone in his struggles, though. Barring Riyan Parag (48), no other RR batter showed promise as the side was restricted to 144/9 in 20 overs. Despite a modest target of 145, Punjab Kings faced some challenges, with the side being reduced to 48/4 by 8 overs. However, Sam Curran's composed innings of 63 not out, supported by Jitesh Sharma's valuable contribution of 22, steered them to victory with ease.

While Punjab Kings will also endure absences with captain Curran and Jonny Bairstow departing before their last game of the group stage to join the English camp, the damage is significantly lesser considering PBKS are already knocked out of the playoffs race. RR, on the other hand, have qualified for the playoffs and are fighting to retain the second spot in the table. To make matters worse, their last game in the group stage is against the high-flying Kolkata Knight Riders, who confirmed the top spot in the table after RR's defeat on Wednesday.

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan reacted to RR's loss against the Punjab Kings following the game, taking to X, formerly Twitter, to express his rather strong opinion on key players departing right before the fag end of the season.

“Either be available for full season or don’t come!” Irfan wrote.

RR and PBKS aren't the only sides bearing the loss of their star players. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, which made a remarkable comeback to the playoffs race in the second half of the season, will also lose their star batter, Will Jacks, ahead of their last match of the group stage against the Chennai Super Kings.

The playoffs race

Following PBKS' win, second place remains up for grabs, with Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad in contention. The second-placed team will play in the first playoff, with the winner of the game securing a direct route to the tournament's final.

Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants also have an outside chance to make into the playoffs.

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