Rajasthan secure play-off spot

The Rajasthan Royals confirmed their place in the IPL play-offs with a convincing eight-wicket win over the Kings XI Punjab in Mohali on Thursday, with Ajinkya Rahane leading the way in their chase of 146.

The Rajasthan Royals confirmed their place in the IPL play-offs with a convincing eight-wicket win over the Kings XI Punjab in Mohali on Thursday, with Ajinkya Rahane leading the way in their chase of 146.

The Kings batted first and made a below-par 145 for six, before Rahane made 59 not out and Sanju Samson 47 not out, and they won the game with six balls to spare. The Kings must now win all four of their remaining games to reach the next stage.

the Kings got off to a poor start, losing Mandeep Singh without a run on the board, in the first over, but then Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh combined for a century stand, putting on 102 together.

One would have thought such a base would have resulted in a big score, but they lost their six wickets in quick succession. Gilchrist was out for 42, and just three runs later David Hussey was sent packing for just a single.

Marsh continued to add some runs, but no-one below him could get into double figures, with Kevon Cooper striking three times to rock the order. Marsh was eventually out for 77in the 19th over.

Rajasthan had little trouble with the chase, with only Rahul Dravid failing to make an impression. He was out for four early on, but Shane Watson, Rahane and Samson all went at strike rates over 120 to score the runs.

Watson made 31 off 25 balls before being bowled by Piyush Chawla, while was bowled by Bipul Sharma. The win put the Royals in second place behind Chennai, while the Kings were in sixth.

Kings XI Punjab: A Gilchrist, Mandeep Singh, S Marsh, D Hussey, D Miller, Bipul Sharma, R Sathish, P Chawla, P Kumar, M Gony, P Awana

Rajasthan Royals: R Dravid, A Rahane, S Watson, B Hodge, S Samson, D Yagnik, K Cooper, J Faulkner, A Chandila, S Sreesanth, S Trivedi