Eoin Morgan played the finest innings of his IPL career to give Kolkata Knight Riders a chance of making the playoffs, and sent his three England World Cup-winning colleagues who play for Rajasthan Royals crashing out in the process.
The Kolkata captain blazed 68 in 35 balls to lift his side to 191-7 at the Dubai International Stadium.
Despite the presence of Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler in their line up, Rajasthan could not get close, as they fell to 60-run loss.
Kolkata had started the game in last place in the points table, but the win vaulted them back into the fourth playoff place.
They must now wait to see whether they will stay in that position, dependent on how the two remaining matches in the league play out.
The vast margin of victory also boosted their net run-rate. That means a hefty loss for either of Royal Challengers Bangalore or Delhi Capitals, who meet on Monday night, could yet cause that side to shuffle below Kolkata in the table.
Even if that does not happen, Kolkata will advance to the eliminator match if Mumbai Indians beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final league match on Tuesday.
“Rajasthan are a fantastic side, as are the majority of teams in this competition, as the table shows at the moment,” Morgan said.
“We wanted to maximise everything we have done, and I don’t think we could have done anymore today.”
Steve Smith, the Rajasthan captain, said his side had played good cricket at points during the competition, but had paid for inconsistency.
“The matches where you win out of nowhere make your season, but you need to win the ones you should win as well,” Smith said.
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“Unfortunately we didn’t do that on enough occasions this year. It is a disappointing way for us to bow out.”
Kings XI Punjab’s resurgence in the second half of the season ultimately proved futile when the lost to Chennai Super Kings in the afternoon match in Abu Dhabi.
They had been bottom of the table halfway through the campaign before a rousing run of wins put them firmly in contention for a playoff spot.
Two defeats in their last two matches counted them out, though, and they were outplayed by a Chennai side who had started the day in last place.
KL Rahul, the Punjab captain, said his side need to learn from this season’s mistakes if they are to become contenders in the future.
“It would have been great if we could have got one more victory and qualified tonight, but nevertheless I think we did really, really well as a team to give ourselves a chance,” Rahul said.
“It hurts a little bit, and will hurt for a little while, but we need to take the learnings and come back stronger next year.”
The nine-wicket win at Zayed Cricket Stadium was an uplifting way to sign off for a Chennai side who are preparing to rebuild after missing the playoffs for the first time in their history.
“It just didn’t quite click,” Stephen Fleming, Chennai’s coach, said.
“Tactically, some of the decisions as to dew or no dew, at the start of the tournament were incredibly frustrating.
“But we stuck together really well, which I was proud of. The focus was for us to keep getting better.
“We are too proud to just whimper out, and that is reflected in the three games we have played now.
“We were a lot more settled, and able to play young players in the right spots, and give them a good run.
“We are proud of how we stuck together, but disappointed that we couldn’t put it together earlier.”
Although Chennai are preparing to overhaul their ageing side, MS Dhoni confirmed he will not be retiring, saying he would be back next season.
The captain is looking forward to help build a side that can be as successful over the next decade as they have been over the past 12 years.
“A lot depends on what BCCI decides about the auction,” Dhoni said.
“We need to slightly change our core group and looks for the next 10 years."
