May 24, 2025; What looked like a routine run chase turned into a stunning collapse on Friday night as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) went from a solid 173/3 to a shocking 189 all out, handing a spirited Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) a 42-run victory at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
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Social Media Goes Wild
While RCB have already qualified for the playoffs, their chaotic defeat reignited the internet’s favourite IPL tradition — “calculator memes.” The franchise, long mocked for relying on other teams’ outcomes to progress, once again found itself at the mercy of permutations and combinations to secure a more favourable second-place finish.
Fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to flood timelines with jokes, sarcastic equations, and classic memes featuring calculators, referencing RCB’s often complicated journey in the IPL points table.
What’s at Stake?
RCB’s loss hasn’t sealed their fate just yet. They still have a chance to finish second — a position that offers a massive advantage in the playoffs. Finishing in the top two gives a team two chances to qualify for the final, unlike the do-or-die scenario faced by the third and fourth-placed teams.
To clinch that second spot, RCB must beat Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 27, and hope that Punjab Kings lose both of their upcoming matches — against Delhi Capitals on May 24 and Mumbai Indians on May 26. Alternatively, they’ll need a combination of results involving wins for Chennai Super Kings and losses for Punjab.
The Bigger Picture
Despite the heartbreak, RCB are still in the race. Their fate may no longer be entirely in their hands, but in the IPL — where chaos is a constant — anything can happen. For now, fans will continue refreshing points tables and whipping out their calculators.
And as always, the memes will flow.