IPL 2019: What the play-offs race looks like after KKR's win vs MI
IPL Schedule[3] | IPL Points Table[4]
The sad news for six of the eight teams is that two slots in the top four have already been sealed. The good news is that out of the remaining six teams, two will have to be extremely lucky to get through. So it could be that four teams realistically contest for the last two play-off spots.
Within the top four, there will also be a fight to finish among the top two, since that gives them a second chance of making the final, even if they lose Qualifier 1 (match between teams that finish first and second after the league stage).
The team that wins Qualifier 1 goes straight through to the final. The team that loses Qualifier 1 meanwhile will play the winner of the Eliminator (match between teams that finish third and fourth) in Qualifier 2 and have another chance of trying to make the final. The team that loses the Eliminator is eliminated.
TimesofIndia.com takes a look at these qualifying scenarios.
* Till after Match 47
Delhi Capitals (DC): Scripting a turnaround from being wooden spoon holders last season to current table toppers, Delhi Capitals now await a fairytale ending. Sitting pretty with 16 points from eight wins in 12 matches, the team coached by Ricky Ponting have already qualified for the playoffs. But they will need to win one of their last two matches -- against Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals -- to finish in top two.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK): The Chennai ship ran into some choppy waters towards the latter stage of the round-robin phase, but managed to bag the eight wins teams need to enter the top-four bracket. But a net run-rate (NRR) inferior to DC keeps them at No. 2 currently. They play DC and Kings XI Punjab in their last two matches and need to win at least one to finish in the top two.
Mumbai Indians (MI): With 14 points from 12 games, Mumbai are just one win away from reaching the playoffs. With both of their remaining matches being home games, against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, MI will be more than confident of finishing in the top four.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): After the kind of start they got to the season -- winning three of their first four matches, SRH would not have envisaged being in a situation where they would need to win all their last three matches to progress to the knockouts. That's what they need now, with 10 points from 11 matches. However, they can also scrape through with two wins (14 points) based on their healthy NRR, but it may also depend on results in some of the other games going in their favour. Their remaining matches are against Kings XI Punjab at home and MI and Royal Challengers Bangalore away.
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP): They are in the same situation as SRH and have the same number of wins. But KXIP find themselves in sixth position due to a poor NRR, which puts them behind SRH and Kolkata Knight Riders despite being equal on points (10). However, the advantage SRH and KXIP have over others is that both have one extra game in hand. They visit Hyderabad next, followed by matches at home against Kolkata Knight Riders and CSK.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Two-time champions Kolkata, with 10 points from 12 matches, are number 5 currently but will rue the fact that they lost their way almost completely after losing 6 straight matches. They will be on the road to finish their league fixtures, first visiting KXIP and then MI. And even if they win both those games, they will have to depend on other results going their way if they are to make the final four.
Rajasthan Royals (RR): For the Royals, who have faced a torrid time this season, two wins in their remaining two games will take them to 14 points, but with a very poor Net Run Rate (NRR), they need to win in Bengaluru and Delhi with big margins and also hope other results work out in their favour.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB): More or less out of the playoffs race with just four wins in 12 matches, Virat Kohli & Co are relying on nothing but sheer mathematics and two wins in their last two games.
[1][2]
References
- ^ Indian Premier League (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
- ^ IPL (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
- ^ IPL Schedule (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
- ^ IPL Points Table (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
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