Rajasthan Royals - Neither here, nor there

Hot and cold. Seven wins and seven losses after the league stage. Some inspired changes in the batting order and some more insipid ones. Exceptional individual performances but a collective failure. Rajasthan Royals had a season that was frustrating in parts, but in the end, it seemed to have worked better than expected. Getting to the playoffs never seemed a possibility given the number of key players out of form or not performing, but some lesser fancied players stepped up at important moments, and a few other teams faltered at the end of the league stage to pave the way for the Royals to remain as one of the last four standing.

But it came as no surprise that they were the first ones knocked out of the last four, particularly after they lost their