"One by one everything is going in favor of RCB" - Aakash Chopra on Faf du Plessis and Co. facing Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024 Eliminator

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) finished third after the IPL 2024 league phase and will face the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Eliminator in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, May 22. Aakash Chopra reckons it is a favorable result for Faf du Plessis and company.

The SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) defeated the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the season's penultimate league game in Hyderabad on Sunday (May 19) to climb above RR into second position on the points table. With the Royals' clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) later in the day getting washed out, Pat Cummins and company retained the second spot based on net run rate.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that Sunday's results have worked in RCB's favor and that they should beat RR in the Eliminator.

"It's RCB vs RR - a royal encounter. I feel one by one everything is going in favor of RCB because Hyderabad are a dangerous team. Not that RCB can't beat them, they have done that once at their (SRH's) own home. However, the truth is - that day the game can go anywhere. I feel they will catch and seize the Rajasthan Royals," he said (1:35).

However, the former India opener acknowledged that IPL history suggests it won't be easy for RCB to go all the way.

"So RCB are in a happy place playing the Eliminator. It is difficult because it is also true that in the 11-year history of the Eliminator, only once a team that finished third or fourth has won. That was 2016 - SunRisers Hyderabad," Chopra explained.

Even if RCB beat RR in the Eliminator, they will face the loser of the Qualifier 1 clash between SRH and KKR in Qualifier 2. They will also subsequently have to beat the winner of Qualifier 1 in the final to bag their maiden IPL trophy.

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"People clear UPSC in four tries and they couldn't win one match" - Aakash Chopra on Rajasthan Royals' poor recent run in IPL 2024

The Rajasthan Royals seemed headed to a top-of-the-table finish after nine league games. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra noted that the Rajasthan Royals have endured a dismal run nearing the business end of IPL 2024.

"The match was washed out and because of that Rajasthan lost the chance they had to reach 18 points. The truth remains that this team hasn't won even a single match in May. Eight wins in the first nine games and after that not even one. They got four tries. People clear UPSC in four tries and they couldn't win one match," he said (0:50).

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Sanju Samson and company can't blame the washed-out game against KKR for their failure to finish in the top two.

"You can see the one point they got in the end with two viewpoints. You can say your time was bad as a point was snatched from you or else you would have reached No. 2. The second view is that it was good you came after qualifying. Imagine if your qualification had not been confirmed and this one point had sent you out," Chopra elaborated.

The Rajasthan Royals beat the Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets in the only league-phase clash between the two teams in IPL 2024.

However, the inaugural IPL champions will be without Jos Buttler, who scored a match-winning century in that game, in the Eliminator.