Delhi Capital now face Chennai Super Kings in the second Qualifier in their bid to make it to the maiden IPL final against Mumbai Indians.
After making just 27 runs in Powerplay overs, the hosts eventually put on board a fighting 179 for four and dismissed Capitals for just 99 in 16.2 over to snatch the top spot from the visitors.
It was Delhi's eighth win in 12 games, giving them the 16 points needed to seal a top-four berth. Chennai Super Kings were the first team to quality for the play-offs.
Shane Watson smashed a belligerent 96 as Chennai Super Kings zoomed back to the top of the table with a commanding six-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
With this win, Delhi Capitals now lead the points table with 14 points while Rajasthan Royals lie at the seventh spot.
Chasing a target of 162, Royals won the game with five balls to spare as the former Australia captain anchored the innings with an unbeaten 59 off 48 balls.
In desperate need of a win to keep their slim playoff chances alive, Kohli took 58 balls to bring up his fifth ton of the IPL and first this season with the help of nine fours and four sixes.
Buttler first conjured a 60-run opening stand with skipper Ajinkya Rahane (37 off 21 balls, 6x 4; 1x6) to lay the foundation and then added 87 runs for the second wicket with Sanju Samson (31 off 26 balls; 2x4, 1x6).
Chasing 140 for a win, Narine (47) and Lynn (50) shared 91 runs for the opening stand in 8.3 overs to take the game away from Rajasthan Royals as KKR reached the target with 6.1 overs to spare.
Hardik Pandya was characteristically quirky as well as breathtaking and the highlight was the helicopter shot in front of its synonym, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as Mumbai Indians humbled Chennai Super Kings by 37 runs in the IPL.
Jonny Bairstow and David Warner smashed sensational centuries to guide Sunrisers Hyderabad to a comprehensive 118-run win over struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore in an Indian Premier League match.
SRH needed the quick start if they fancy their chances of eclipsing RR's imposing 198 for two and Warner and Bairstow just provided that to give the impetus for the rest of the batsmen to follow as the hosts chased down the target in 19 overs.
Chasing the stiff target of 185, Jos Buttler (69) and skipper Ajinkya Rahane (27) got Rajasthan off to a brisk start, dealing in boundaries and sixes to pile up 64 runs in the first six overs of powerplay.
Needing 53 runs from last three overs, the powerful Jamaican changed the course of the match with his big-hitting against Siddharth Kaul, creaming off 19 runs from that over.
On a tricky pitch that assisted slow bowlers, RCB were shot out for 70 in 17.1 overs, a target that CSK achieved in 17.4 overs.
Chennai Super Kings hunted down a competitive 179-run target against Sunrisers Hyderabad to lift their third IPL trophy with the help of Shane Watson's hundred.
Chennai Super Kings turned around a lost cause as Faf du Plessis' stellar innings powered the MS Dhoni-led team to reach the IPL finals for the seventh time after a two-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Set a target of 175, Mumbai Indians crumbled against quality leg-spin bowling by Sandeep (3/36), Amit Mishra (3/19) and medium pace of Patel (3/28).
Mumbai Indians registered their sixth win to joined Kings XI and Rajasthan Royals at 12 points in the table.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav starred with an impressive four-wicket spell as he set up Kolkata Knight Riders to a comfortable six-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League encounter at Eden Gardens on Tuesday.
