Five defeats in their last six games had almost ruined Rajasthan Royals’ playoffs chances, but a record fastest IPL fifty, which led to a resounding away win against Kolkata Knight Riders, has brought them back in contention for the knockouts.

Th Royals would hope to keep the winning streak going against an inconsistent Royal Challengers Bangalore contingent in Jaipur on Sunday.

Both sides had contrasting results in their previous matches. The Royals defeated KKR by 9 wickets courtesy Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 98 not out, whereas RCB were handed a thumping by Mumbai Indians, who chased down a 200-run target with 21 balls to spare.

The Royals have a healthy net run-rate which could come in handy in case they are tied on points in their bid to advance. They need to win both their remaining matches.

RCB, on the other hand, are still suffering from their over-reliance on their top-3 batters — Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell — who have done the bulk of scoring for the team throughout the season. They will look to avoid a hat-trick of defeats, having suffered losses against Mumbai Indians and laggards Delhi Capitals in their last two games.

Besides one knock of significance from Mahipal Lomror, RCB’s runs have mostly come from their right-handers. Yuzvendra Chahal’s form could come in handy when up against his former franchise.

Mohammed Siraj has been the spearhead for RCB’s bowling and has emerged as the most successful bowler for the team with 15 wickets from 11 games.

But Siraj needs support from the likes of Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel and Vijaykumar Vyshak to contain the likes of Sanju Samson and Jaiswal.

RCB lead 14-12 in the overall record of 28 games against the Royals (2 no-results) while in Jaipur both teams have won four times each.

Today’s match

■ Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 3.30pm, Jaipur, live on Star Sports & Jio Cinema