Let's circle back to about 10 days ago, when Riyan Parag borrowed the angst of every discontented parent watching their kid flunk test after test. "If we keep playing like this, we shouldn't be in contention for the top four," he bluntly declared after Rajasthan Royals's third straight loss. This IPL has seen too many teensy cracks turn into glacial crevasses. Placed sixth at that point, RR ran the grave risk of sinking into a quagmire at the worst possible time. But they prevailed, lapping up two timely wins against the two worst teams of this season. They might feel like the weakest link in the top four and have a skewed track record staring at them: in the 15 years since the format was introduced, only one team has won the IPL after featuring in the Eliminator. That team was Sunrisers Hyderabad, victors in 2016, and RR's opponents in Mullanpur. SRH would hope "2026 is the new 2016" isn't merely a social media catchphrase. Barring a penultimate ball finish against Lucknow Super Giants, none of their other four defeats have come through close margins. On their bad days, they have been comfortably outmatched. And for a team whose biggest strength is their batting, their 86 all out against Gujarat Titans was ultimately the minute net run-rate difference that saw them miss out on the top two spot. If it matters, they are on a six-match winning streak against RR since 2022.