The IPL race to the playoffs continues to enthrall entering the last week of competition in the league stages. Kolkata Knight Riders pull off a big upset against Gujarat Titans to shake up the top two race, while simultaneously continuing to stake their case in the fight for the top four – right after Chennai Super Kings lost a great chance to push ahead with their loss to Lucknow Super Giants.
Even with 10 matches left in the season, only two teams have been eliminated and no team has certified their places in the top four. Here is the situation for the playoffs heading into Sunday, 17th May.
Teams with fate in their hands
Royal Challengers Bengaluru sit atop the table with 16 points. Only two other teams can reach that mark, which needs another win will be enough to seal both qualification and top two in one fell swoop for the team as they face PBKS in Dharamsala in the afternoon game.
GT saw their winning streak snapped, but with one last match against CSK, still have a chance to reach 18 points. That will be enough to seal their progress, but might find themselves in a net run-rate race to finish in the top two race against SRH and RCB. However, if they lose both their matches and PBKS win both of theirs, plus RR win all three of theirs, they could miss playoffs altogether.
SRH are in a solid position too with two matches to spare. They have a crucial match against CSK, in which the team in yellow could jump up to match them; two losses would likely see SRH crash out unless other results go their way, and even then it would likely be an NRR battle.
Rajasthan Royals in fifth place, with three games in hand, might be in the best position, but need to win at least two of their subsequent three games to get to 16 points to stay in the conversation – winning all three will guarantee their progress. The good news is that they are facing the entirety of the bottom three in their remaining games.
Teams depending on results
Punjab Kings are on 13 points, which means NRR is only a concern if they tie on points with KKR. If they get to 17 points, it should be enough – but at the moment, four teams could get to 18, so even that might not be enough. They need a result or two to go their way, and reverse their losing run.
CSK on 12 points with two matches to go are certainly in a spot of bother – 14 points might be enough to get to the playoffs if results go their way, but in the same breath, 16 might not be. Their best hope if to win both their matches, which would include results against SRH and GT, placing them on par with the two teams on 16 points. From there, it would be a race to beat out their NRR, where CSK are now struggling.
KKR stay alive in the hunt, but making out on 15 points, need results to go their way: with six teams still capable of reaching 16, it is unlikely, but their win over GT keeps them in the chase. Their best hope is that PBKS lose their last two matches, while CSK and RR win no more than one each to stop at 14. KKR still need to win both.
Lastly, DC are still in the race, but it’s as tough as can be for them: their’s is a similar situation to KKR, but their horrendous NRR means they need to hope all three of PBKS, RR, and CSK remain winless and stuck short of 14 points. If that is the unlikely situation, it is likely that the last match of the season, DC vs KKR in Kolkata, would be a straight shootout for fourth place.