Sanju Samson, Rahul Dravid have little to no chance

The effects of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction have been hurting the Rajasthan Royals (RR) massively. They lost the likes of Jos Buttler, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Trent Boult, among many other key players, and are now reeling in the bottom half of the IPL 2025 points table. Well, the Sanju Samson-led side technically have around a 10% chance of qualifying for the IPL 2025 playoffs after RR’s loss to Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 16.

RR’s run at IPL 2025 so far

Rajasthan dealt a huge blow when they lost Sanju Samson, the captain for the first three games. Riyan Parag was made the captain, and he led RR to their first win, against CSK, in the third game. The winning run continued when Samson came back as captain in a high-scoring game against the Punjab Kings. But that was it. The next two games saw them lose by comprehensive margins of 58 runs and 9 wickets against GT & RCB, respectively.

Now, against the Delhi Capitals, RR succumbed to their third consecutive defeat in an absolutely thrilling Super Over clash. That nail-biting loss to DC put RR’s qualification chances in a mud as they now need basically a spotless second half of the tournament.

RRPlayoff chances, If they win 6 out of 7

Much like Chennai, the Rajasthan Royals’ road to the IPL 2025 playoffs is steep, but mathematically, it is still very possible. With only 2 wins from their first 7 matches, Sanju Samson’s side needs a serious turnaround. The simplest route? Win all of their remaining 7 matches. That will push them to 18 points — a guaranteed ticket to the playoffs. But to expect a perfect streak from a team battling inconsistency is more hopeful than practical.

Here’s how their path to the playoffs shapes up:

Sanju Samson has difficult path ahead

Since the IPL’s expansion to 10 teams, 16 points have almost always ensured playoff qualification. If RR can manage 6 wins from their remaining 7 games, they’ll finish with 16 points — enough to stay ahead of the mid-table clutter. The margin for error is razor-thin.

A 5-2 finish from here will bring them to 14 points, but that drags them into the net run rate tangle. A strong NRR might help, but it’s a lottery at that stage. Anything less, and RR can pack their bags early, again. Since 2020, teams with 14 points have qualified in three different seasons, including IPL 2024, when RCB managed with 14 points on the board. Needless to say, RR need to pull their socks up and would have to play their best cricket in order to remain in contention for the playoffs.

Remaining IPL 2025 matches for Rajasthan Royals