11.56 pm: That’s it from us tonight. Do join us again on Wednesday for what promises to be a blockbuster match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians. Good night!

11.54 pm: Jos Buttler is the Man of the Match for his 82 off 58 balls.

11.52 pm: The winning captain Ajinkya Rahane says that Rajasthan’s intention was to keep an attacking field and pick wickets. He called his bowling unit “fantastic” but said that his team needs to forget this victory soon and move forward. The Royals still need to win their next four matches to stay alive in the competition.

11.43 pm: R Ashwin admits his teams “have limitations, but we’re trying to counter it with different combinations. Hopefully, it’ll all settle through.” He isn’t worried with this defeat, saying he would have taken six wins from 10 matches at the start of the tournament.

11.38 pm: Two standout performers with the bat tonight, but only one could end up on the winning side.

11.35 pm: KL Rahul ends on 95 not out off 70 balls. Normally, such innings should guarantee a win but the Indian did not get any support from the rest of the Punjab batsmen tonight. Punjab therefore fail to seal a playoffs spot but should get there in their four remaining matches. Rajasthan, meanwhile, have kept themselves alive with this win.

KXIP 143/7 after 20 overs

Stoinis holes out to deep point off the first ball of the final over, bowled by Unadkat. And that’s the final nail in the coffin. Rahul crunches him for six over long-off off a free hit and then two reverse hits for four down fine leg, but it’s not enough as Punjab fall short by 15 runs.

KXIP 127/6 after 19 overs

Jofra Archer is back for his final over and he bowls a couple of great yorkers to keep the Punjab batsmen quiet the first three balls. KL Rahul then innovates and finds the long-off and fine-leg boundaries with some rare unorthodox shots off his bat. Three boundaries back-to-back to end the over but it’s too little too late for Punjab. Surely? They need 32 off the last over.

KXIP 111/6 after 18 overs

Unadkat is back for his third and he does well again. Rahul pulls him for four off the first ball but Unadkat recovers well and keeps it tight. KXIP need 48 from the last two overs.

KXIP 102/6 after 17 overs

Jofra Archer bowls a brilliant 17th over as Kings XI Punjab’s required rate has now touched 19. They need 57 from the last three overs and there still seems to be no urgency in their batting.

KXIP 98/6 after 16 overs

Jaydev Unadkat is back for a second over and bowls it well, giving away only six runs. KXIP have given up here, it seems. They need 61 from the last four overs.

KXIP 92/6 after 15 overs

Ish Sodhi comes back for his final over and completes a brilliant spell of 1/14 as Punjab’s crawl continues. They need 67 from the last five overs and that looks very unlikely given the way things are moving along, unless KL goes berserk.

KXIP 86/6 after 14 overs – Axar run out!

Stuart Binny makes up for missing a run-out opportunity earlier with a brilliant throw from long-on to the keeper to send Axar Patel packing. The writing is almost on the wall in Jaipur. Rajasthan are on course for a win that will keep them alive in the tournament. That brings Marcus Stoinis to the middle to join Rahul, who brings up his fifty with another cracking shot that bisects long-on and deep mid-wicket. KXIP need 73 from the last six overs.

KXIP 74/5 after 13 overs

K Gowtham is back for another over and his first ball goes for four byes after the ball spins sharply and beats everything. Lucky boundary for KXIP but they need many more. They need 85 from the last seven overs.

KXIP 66/5 after 12 overs – Tiwary does not hang around either

Stokes is back and Manoj Tiwary gifts him his wicket off a delivery that really did not deserve a wicket. It was bowled at length around off and Tiwary manages to find a leading edge and send a looping catch towards Rahane at cover, who makes no mistake. Kings XI are crumbling!

KXIP 61/4 after 11 overs

Ish Sodhi is back for a third over and it is tight as ever, leaking only six runs. He really has been brilliant tonight. Kings XI’s required run-rate is now almost 11. They need 98 from the last nine overs.

KXIP 55/4 after 10 overs

Lomror is back for a second. He bowls short to Rahul first ball and the elegant right-hander does not miss out as he gives himself room and whacks it through mid-wicket, bisecting the fielders in the deep. Manoj Tiwary, who has joined Rahul in the middle, needs to stick with him if Punjab are to mount a comeback. They need 104 from the last 10 overs.

KXIP 45/4 after 9 overs – Nath departs as well

Ish Sodhi bowls a brilliant second over as well and the pressure gets to Akshdeep Nath in the end as he goes for a big heave down the ground but does not connect well and finds the fielder. Kings XI are in real trouble here. No one seems to want to stick around with Rahul!

KXIP 44/3 after 8 overs

Lomror is in for his first over. Nath hits him inside out through the covers for a welcome boundary. Otherwise a tidy over from the spinner.

KXIP 35/3 after 7 overs

Ish Sodhi comes into the attack and almost gets Nath leg-before first ball but the umpire rules not out. Rajasthan decide to review it and replays show the ball hit pad first but would have bounced over the stumps. Review wasted by RR early. They’ll hope it doesn’t come back and bite them. Otherwise a brilliant first over from Sodhi. The pressure is still on the Punjab batsmen.

KXIP 33/3 after 6 overs

Ben Stokes is into the attack and KL Rahul welcomes him with two boundaries, one of them a glorious cover drive. There’s almost a run-out on the final ball but Stuart Binny’s throw does not hit the stumps. If it had, Rahul was gone! A good end to the Powerplay for Punjab, but the first six overs still totally belonged to Rajasthan.

KXIP 25/3 after 5 overs

Akshdeep Nath joins KL Rahul in the middle and almost edges Jaydev Unadkat to third man but the ball just falls short of the fielder. This is turning out to be an excellent Powerplay for Rajasthan.

KXIP 19/3 after 3.4 overs

Jofra Archer bowls his second over against a wobbling Punjab and sends Karun Nair packing! Went for the big pull off a short delivery but does not connect well and finds the fielder! Rajasthan are well on top here!

KXIP 15/2 after 2.2 overs – Short stay for Ashwin
Ashwin also goes as he is beaten through the gate by Gowtham. That one had vicious turn and the ploy from Punjab to deploy a pinch-hitter backfires.
Ashwin b Gowtham 0 (2)

KXIP 14/1 after 2 overs – Chris Gayle goes

Huge blow and Gowtham removes Chris Gayle from a wide. The West Indian was out of his crease and Buttler took off the bails in a flash. Smart work from the bowler and the keeper.
C Gayle st Buttler b Gowtham 1 (1)

KXIP 4/0 after 1 Over
It’s a nervy start for Punjab. Gowtham bowls the first over and has a big shout for lbw. Umpire Erasmus turns it down – the ball pitched way outside off stump. Rahul then skips and goes over the top and gets his first runs with a boundary. Overall, though, it was a tidy start from the off-spinner.


9.39 pm: Kings XI will be thrilled with their effort in the second half of this innings. Rajasthan are at least 20 runs short of what they would have targeted after the start that Buttler provided. Join us in a bit for the chase.

RR 158/8 after 20 overs

Andrew Tye bowls the final over and he gets Ben Stokes first ball! The English all-rounder mistimes a low full toss outside off and gives an easy catch to Ashwin at extra cover. Jofra Archer then does not read the slower one and gives another easy high catch to Manoj Tiwary at long-off! Lomror then scores a welcome boundary with a sweep-scoop down fine-leg off a low full toss. Tye gets his third wicket of the over off the final ball of the innings as Unadkat holes out.

RR 152/5 after 19 overs

Mahipal Lomror joins Ben Stokes in the middle. Mohit Sharma is back for his third over and he does quite well against the two left-handers. If KXIP can keep RR below 165, they’ll be really pleased given how this innings had begun.

RR 147/5 after 18 overs

Andrew Tye is back for his third over. Stuart Binny, the new batsman, picks up his knuckle ball and lofts him straight down the ground for a six. That was a sweet hit! Binny, however, has to walk back at the end of the over as Karun Nair sends in a dart of a throw from long-on right into Tye’s hands who takes out the stumps with the batsman just short of the crease.

RR 133/4 after 17 overs – Buttler gone for 82

Mujeeb does a huge favour to Akshdeep Nath as he dismisses Buttler first ball of his final over! Buttler Buttler comes down the track, but misses his shot and is stumped. He’s gone for a well-made 82 off 58 balls. Mujeeb’s been superb as he ends his spell with figures of 2/21.

RR 131/3 after 16 overs

Rajasthan continue to target Ashwin as Stokes slaps him straight down the ground for four. Buttler then mistimes a straight loft and sends the ball high up in the air towards long-off but Akshdeep Nath makes an absolute meal of it. Horrible, horrible fielding from Punjab! When will it stop?!

RR 120/3 after 15 overs – Mujeeb gets Samson

Mujeeb is back for his third over and he finally gets his first wicket as Sanju Samson mistimes his slog and finds Manoj Tiwary at long-on. He’s gone for 22 off 18 balls. That brings Ben Stokes to the crease, who gets off the mark straight away but via an inside edge that just misses the stumps. Rajasthan need to get a move on here as we enter the last five overs of the innings.

RR 115/2 after 14 overs

R Ashwin is back for his third over as he continues with a spin onslaught against Rajasthan. Sanju Samson decides to let loose and hits him for a gorgeous six down the ground and then a boundary past mid-wicket. This also brings up the 50-partnership between Samson and Buttler.

RR 102/2 after 13 overs

Mujeeb is back for his third over and he is tight as ever, giving away only six runs. Kings XI have turned down the flow of boundaries for Rajasthan in these middle overs, since the spinners have come on.

RR 96/2 after 12 overs

Ashwin is back for a second over and it’s a tidy one again. Like his first over, Ashwin gives away only five runs.

RR 91/2 after 11 overs

Axar Patel zips through another over but concedes nine runs, although at least three of them were down to some poor fielding from Andrew Tye and Mujeeb. Kings XI really need to fix their fielding ahead of the playoffs.

RR 82/2 after 10 overs

Mujeeb is finally given the ball in the 10th over of the innings and he does well, but for one loose delivery down the leg that Buttler just about manages to hit to the fence beating short fine-leg.

RR 73/2 after 9 overs

Axar Patel’s second over is, well, over in no time as he zips through his six balls, giving away just one single.

RR 72/2 after 8 overs

R Ashwin finally decides to bring himself into the attack, even as Buttler brings up his fifty in just 27 balls. He’s been excellent so far but Rajasthan need him to stay on and score a big one. A tidy first over from Ashwin – just five runs conceded.

RR 67/2 after 7 overs – Gowtham experiment fails

Marcus Stoinis is back for another over and he strikes, getting rid of Gowtham, who tries to clear long-on with a heave but finds the fielder. The experiment to promote him has failed for Rajasthan. Sanju Samson walks in at No 4.

RR 63/1 after 6 overs

Rajasthan end a great Powerplay with two Jos Buttler boundaries off the bowling of Andrew Tye, who has been Punjab’s best bowler so far. The loss of Rahane does not seem to have mattered much to the hosts. Great batting so far!

RR 52/1 after 5 overs

Krishnappa Gowtham is promoted up the order and he does not disappoint as he hits Mohit Sharma for a gorgeous six straight down the ground off the last ball. Earlier in the over, Buttler found the gap in the point region for a boundary. Mohit continues to struggle.

RR 38/1 after 4 overs – Rahane falls

Andrew Tye is the fourth bowler used by Ashwin in the first four overs and he puts a temporary stop to the carnage with some god variations. And he gets the big wicket of Rahane, who does not read the knuckle ball that is bowled short and gives an easy catch to Akshdeep Nath! Rahane falls for 9.

RR 35/0 after 3 overs

Mohit Sharma comes in for the third over but the result is no different as both Buttler and Rahane score a boundary each off him to continue with Rajasthan’s flying start.

RR 25/0 after 2 overs
Buttler is in red-hot form and he hammers Axar Patel for a four and a six. On both occasions, the Englishman showed a straight bat and didn’t try to go across the line. The intentions are clear from the in-form Buttler.

RR 11/0 after 1 over
Buttler has taken no time to hit the ground running. Stoinis, who opened the bowling, was punished for two boundaries – one behind square and one down the ground from consecutive deliveries. Dream start fo Rajasthan.

7.48 pm: A confirmation of the two line-ups:

Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (c), Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Stuart Binny, Mahipal Lomror, Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jaydev Unadkat, Ish Sodhi, Anureet Singh.

Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul (wk), Chris Gayle, Karun Nair, Manoj Tiwary, Akshdeep Nath, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, R Ashwin (c), Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

7.38 pm: Graeme Smith, who is at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, reckons a total of 160-170 should be a very defendable one on this pitch.

7.35 pm: A few changes for both teams:

Kings XI Punjab: Akshdeep Nath is in for the out-of-form Mayank Agarwal, and Mohit Sharma replaces the in-form Ankit Rajpoot. Hmm.....

Rajasthan Royals: Stuart Binny, Mahipal Lomror, Ish Sodhi are in.

7.30 pm: Rahane has finally won the toss! But, but, he has opted to bat first! That’s just the fourth time in 40 matches so far this season that the captain who has won the toss has chosen to bat first! Rahane says it’s a great wicket for batting.

7.25 pm: Rajasthan Royals captain Ajinkya Rahane has won only two tosses out of nine so far this season. In this must-win match, he must be surely hoping for some luck with the coin. Toss coming up in five minutes.

7.20 pm: The average first innings total in four matches played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium this season is 158.

7 pm: Good evening and welcome to The Field’s live blog for match No 40 of the 11th season of the Indian Premier League between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab.

The two teams are facing each other for the second time in three days, with Kings XI Punjab beating Rajasthan Royals by six wickets on Sunday.

Rajasthan need to win all five of their remaining matches and hope for favourable results in other games in order to qualify for the playoffs.

Punjab are back winning ways after an emphatic triumph over the Royals and would look to consolidate their position in the top four. Punjab can even take the second place if they win on Tuesday, provided they improve their net run rate.