Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) keep their dream alive in the ongoing 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as they beat Delhi Capitals by an emphatic margin of 47 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to remain in the hunt for qualification for the playoffs. Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) moved closer to the knockouts after inflicting a third-consecutive loss for Rajasthan Royals at the Chepauk on Sunday.

The target of 188 was not insurmountable, but the Capitals’ chase descended into disarray once they lost four wickets inside four overs upfront, eventually finishing at 140, with stand-in skipper Axar Patel (57 off 39) playing a lone hand. Earlier, RCB could not exploit Patidar's quick fifty to the optimum, settling for an underwhelming 187 for nine. Patidar (52 of 32) and Will Jacks (41 of 29b) added 88 runs off 53 balls for the third wicket as RCB overcame the early departures of skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli.

In the first match on Sunday, Chennai prevailed in the low-scoring match courtesy of captain Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 41-ball 42 not out in his team's successful chase. Pacers Simarjeet Singh and Tushar Deshpande had shared five wickets to restrict Rajasthan to 141-5 on a slow-paced wicket. Chennai chased that down in 18.2 overs, finishing on 145-5, to seal its first win over the Rajasthan Royals in five games.

IPL 2024 updated points table after CSK vs RR and RCB vs DC:

RCB, who moved to the fifth spot in the points table, now have 12 points from 13 matches – same as the Capitals , who slipped to the sixth place. The three-time runner-up need a win against Chennai Super Kings in the last league match in Bengaluru on May 18 to push their case for a playoff berth. The Capitals also need a win in their final league game against Lucknow Super Giants on May 14 to stay in the hunt.

With its seventh win in 13 games, Chennai climbed to third in the IPL table on 14 points, the same as Sunrisers Hyderabad but ahead on net run-rate. Rajasthan are still second with 16 points from 12 games after its third straight loss and needs a solitary win in the remaining two games to confirm its last-four spot.

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