IPL Qualification Scenarios: How each team stands in the race for playoffs

Mumbai Indians took a step closer to the IPL Playoffs with a 27-run win over Gujarat Titans at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday. The win took them to 14 points, from 12 matches, for a third place. It also meant GT suffered their fourth loss of the season and are still not confirmed for the next stage despite leading the standings with 16 points.

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Action continues in the IPL race for the playoffs on 13 May with Sunrisers Hyderabad taking on Lucknow Super Giants in the afternoon fixture and Delhi Capitals face Punjab Kings in the evening.

A look at how the all 10 teams are placed in the IPL playoff qualification race:

Gujarat Titans (12 matches, 16 points)

Remaining matches: vs SRH (15 May in Ahmedabad), vs RCB (21 May in Bengaluru)

Despite the defeat at the Wankhede, GT are still in pole position and will secure the playoff spot with a win from their two remaining matches against SunRisers and Royal Challengers Bangalore. If they do win one of the two, they can clinch a top-two place thanks to better NRR than MI who are the other team that can get to 18 points. If they win both, 20 points could well see them top the table. Defeats in both games could still see them book the playoff spot but would need results to go their way in that case.

Chennai Super Kings (12 matches, 15 points)

Remaining matches: vs KKR (14 May in Chennai), vs DC (20 May in Delhi)

CSK are the other team who can do as well as GT if they win both their matches. Win over DC at home on Wednesday put them a step away from the playoff spot (again). The four-time champions will be through with a win in either of their matches against KKR and DC which come at Chepauk and Feroz Shah Kotla respectively. If they win one game, 17 points would be enough for a top-four finish. If they lose both, they may still progress but would need other results to go their way.

Mumbai Indians (12 matches, 14 points)

Remaining matches: vs LSG (16 May in Lucknow), vs SRH (21 May in Mumbai)

With back-to-back wins over RCB and GT, MI have stepped away from the mid-table chaos. If they win both their remaining matches, against LSG and SRH, they will take their points tally to 18 points for a playoff spot. It could even see them clinch a top-two spot if CSK lose one or GT loses both or gets one win but has an inferior NRR vs MI by the end. As it stands, GT are on +0.761 and MI on -0.117 so they would need GT to lose by a significant margin and win by significant margins themselves.

Rohit Sharma-captained side can qualify with 14 points as well but would need results elsewhere to help them out. Defeats in both matches would further affect their NRR which would not help their case out one bit.

Rajasthan Royals (12 matches, 12 points)

Remaining matches: vs RCB (14 May in Jaipur), vs PBKS (19 May in Dharamsala)

RR had slid from top spot to fifth in the standings with five defeats in six matches. That run was brought to a halt with a resounding nine-wicket win over the Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday. They now occupy the third spot with 12 points and a positive NRR of +0.633.

With two games remaining, against two fellow playoff chasing contenders, it is all to play for for the Sanju Samson-led team. Wins in both and RR will move to 16 points which won’t guarantee a top-four finish since it can be matched by GT, CSK, MI, LSG and SRH. However, wins over RCB and PBKS will mean they can only muster a maximum of 14 points.

RR could finish in the top-two as well provided either or both GT and CSK lose their remaining matches. And, LSG lose at least one of the three they have in hand.

One win from two matches, taking them to 14 points, would not spell doom but they’d have to rely on other results to go their way. The strong NRR does help their chances in case of a potential tie.

Lucknow Super Giants (11 matches, 11 points)

Remaining matches: vs SRH (13 May in Hyderabad), vs MI (16 May in Lucknow), vs KKR (20 May in Kolkata)

Sitting in fifth place, LSG have not won their last three matches. They lost two and one was abandoned with rain. Go back five games, they’ve collected three points. Yet, with three matches in the bag, LSG still harbour playoff chances but will have to look over their shoulders throughout.

By winning all three of their matches, LSG will get to 17 points which could see them finish in the top-two. One loss, however, will put their fate in another team’s hands. It would mean they can do as best as 15 points which is lesser than the 16 points that up to five other teams can manage. If LSG slip up, they’d have to hope either of RCB and PBKS don’t win all their matches.

Interestingly, LSG can progress with one win, and 13 points, also provided GT, CSK and MI win most of their games to restrict the others on 12 points.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (11 matches, 10 points)

Remaining matches: vs RR (14 May in Jaipur), vs SRH (18 May in Hyderabad), vs GT (21 May in Bengaluru)

RCB are on a two match losing streak after going down to DC and MI after exceptional knocks by Phil Salt and Suryakumar Yadav respectively. They get back to things against Royals in Jaipur on Sunday. If RCB win all three of their matches, they will move to 16 points and ensure RR can do as best as 14 points. If RCB win one of the three, they will get to 14 points which would lead to chaos in the middle depending on who they take down.

Kolkata Knight Riders (12 matches, 10 points)

Remaining matches: vs CSK (14 May in Chennai), vs LSG (20 May in Kolkata)

It has been a season where KKR have blown hot and cold. They’ve won two in a row twice but have also lost four in a row. In their most recent outing, KKR were swept aside convincingly by the Royals in a nine wicket defeat at the Eden Gardens. With two games to go, KKR have to win both to stand any chance of making the playoffs. With a NRR of -0.357, their chances are not helped in case of a tie either.

Punjab Kings (11 matches, 10 points)

Remaining matches: vs DC (13 May in Delhi), vs DC (17 May in Dharamsala), vs RR (19 May in Dharamsala)

Shikhar Dhawan-led PBKS can put Delhi completely out of playoff reckoning on Saturday and then push the knife further four days later in Dharamsala. They would need to beat RR in their last league game to move to 16 points and ensure Rajasthan can do as best as 14 points.

Two wins of three, taking them to 14 points, could well be enough for a top-four finish provided they win big to help their current NRR of -0.441 a push.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (10 matches, 8 points)

Remaining matches: vs LSG (13 May in Hyderabad), vs GT (15 May in Ahmedabad), vs RCB (18 may in Hyderabad), vs MI (21 May in Mumbai)

SRH have played the fewest matches of the 10 teams in the competition. It means they have a busy calendar between now and the last day of league competition (21 May). In nine days, they will play four matches – two at home (against LSG and RCB) and two away (against GT and MI).

Win all four of their remaining matches and they could double their tally in a week. It would take them to 16 points and in all likelihood assure them of a playoff spot. NRR could come into the picture then to break a tie as five teams can potentially reach 16 points from this point.

However, if they don’t win all four, their hopes could be dashed by one of six teams who can get to 16-plus points.

Another challenge for SRH is their dismal home record: one win in five matches this season. They’ve won three in the other five matches but their two remaining away games are with teams who have been better than them in their own backyard. GT have won three and lost three in Ahmedabad while MI have won four of six at the Wankhede.

Delhi Capitals (11 matches, 8 points)

Remaining matches: vs PBKS (13 May in Delhi), vs PBKS (17 May in Dharamsala), vs CSK (20 May in Delhi)

After five straight defeats at the start of the season, DC were all but ruled out of IPL playoff contention. Thereafter, they won four in next five matches to revive hopes of an unlikely miracle. Defeat against CSK the last time around means the quest is still challenging even if mathematically possible.

With three matches remaining, they can get to a maximum of 14 points and that would only be enough if multiple results go their way. To begin with, they’d want CSK to beat KKR and GT to win all their three remaining matches against MI, SRH and RCB respectively. By winning their home-and-away matches against PBKS, they would have restricted them to a maximum of 12 points.

Even if multiple teams end up on 14 points, Delhi’s NRR of -0.645 doesn’t help their chances. So, besides wanting others to help them out, Delhi need to win big to up this net run rate.

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