The Rajasthan Royals faced a heartbreaking end to their Indian Premier League (IPL) season after a loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second qualifier on Friday. Team director Kumar Sangakkara attributed the defeat to "a little bit of panic" during their chase.

Trent Boult led Rajasthan's efforts early in the match, claiming three crucial wickets and helping to restrict Hyderabad to 175-9. Despite a promising start, the Royals stumbled in their chase, ending their innings at 139-7.

The loss dashed the hopes of the inaugural 2008 champions, who were aiming for their first title since their victory under the late Shane Warne. Despite holding a top-two position in the table for most of the season, Rajasthan's campaign faltered with four consecutive losses, causing them to slip to third place.

The Royals managed to defeat Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the play-offs but fell short against Hyderabad, who will now face Kolkata Knight Riders in the final on Sunday.

Sangakkara highlighted that losing wickets in clusters was a critical factor in their defeat. "The wicket turned a little bit probably, but I think a little bit of panic and not building enough partnerships past that first wicket," he said.

Rajasthan's captain, Sanju Samson, led the team to a strong start with eight wins in their first nine matches. However, they struggled towards the end, losing four of their last five games, with one match abandoned due to rain.

Despite the disappointing end, Sangakkara praised his team's overall performance. "All we can do is put ourselves in positions of play-offs and vying for finals, which we did," he told reporters. "All the guys, throughout the season, played really phenomenal cricket."

The team also missed the presence of their star opener, Jos Buttler, who returned home with other England players ahead of the play-offs to prepare for the T20 World Cup in June. Buttler had been a significant force for Rajasthan, scoring two centuries and playing a key role in their chases.

Buttler's replacement, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, struggled to make an impact, scoring 10 runs in the do-or-die match after previous scores of 18 and 20. "We always say that the best ability is availability and unfortunately we lost Jos," said Sangakkara. "He is a big loss without a doubt. When you're in a playoff like this and you've got that start without Jos, we expect the other batters to also step up."

As the Royals reflect on a season of highs and lows, their focus will now shift to building on their successes and addressing the areas that led to their downfall.