No longer in the race for the playoffs, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals face each other in a match of no consequence as far as IPL 2025 is concerned. There are no prizes for it, but not finishing as the last team on the points table does bring with it some mental satisfaction and so that could be their motivation for the game.

Both the teams are on 6 points, but the Royals have played a game more.

For the Royals, this will be their last game of the season. They have lost some close matches, but that's no excuse for their poor show in this edition. It's the bowling which has hurt them the most, with Jofra Archer not being as productive as expected. The others too failed to put up meaningful shows and overall it has been a poor season for the Royals' bowling line-up.

Chennai's story has been equally disappointing. Their players have lacked the spark that is required in such a high-pressure tournament. As a team, Chennai have seemed short on ideas, or even when they had some, it was mostly outdated. Once they fell out of the playoffs race, they decided to blood young guns like Ayush Mhatre, Shaik Rasheed and Urvil Patel. The youngsters have done well, but it's too late in the season.

For both Rajasthan and Chennai, it's now all about planning for the next season. Yes, it's too early, but that's how it is and they are left with no other option.

Stephen Fleming, the Chennai head coach, said he is a "fan of experience" as "experience wins tournaments". But this season showed that it's not that simple anymore. To win tournaments, it requires a whole lot of things to click together. So a lot is to be done and the job can well begin on Tuesday.