Who needs to do what in order to qualify for IPL playoffs

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    As the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League heads towards its final stages, the four playoff spots are still far from decided.

    With Rising Pune Supergiants and Kings XI Punjab out of the running, six franchises remain, each vying for one of four playoff places.

    It is still incredibly tight, with only four points separating Sunrisers Hyderabad in first and the Delhi Daredevils in sixth.

    In between those two the other four franchises are tied on fourteen points apiece.

    Here, Sport360.com looks at what each franchise needs to do and where they might end up.

    SUNRISERS HYDERABAD

    Top of the table with sixteen points from twelve games and a net run rate of +0.400, the Sunrisers are virtually assured of a place in the playoffs. One more win from their remaining two games will confirm their berth, and there remains an excellent chance they could finish top of the table given their current two-point lead. Barring two defeats and a huge swing in the net run rate, the Sunrisers will finish in the top three at the very least.

    ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE

    Fourteen points from thirteen games and the best net run-rate of any franchise this season, a win for the Royal Challengers in their last game against Delhi Daredevils on 22 May would give them sixteen points, the cushion of a huge net run-rate and a decent shot at second place. Only one of Kolkata Knight Riders or Gujarat Lions (who play each other on 19 May) can go above them on points, meaning RCB would likely finish third if one of those sides win both their remaining matches. Should the winner of that encounter suffer defeat in their final game, Royal Challengers would finish second.

    Should RCB lose their final game and remain on fourteen points, qualification is less straightforward but still attainable. It would require the Mumbai Indians and the loser of the Knight Riders-Lions encounter to not win their remaining games, as well as for the Daredevils to fall to the Sunrisers.

    KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS

    The Knight Riders’ healthy net run-rate of +0.280 could prove to be the difference. On fourteen points from twelve games, the Knight Riders need to win both their remaining matches – against the Lions and the Sunrisers – to qualify on points scored. However, it is mathematically possible for the Knight Riders to lose both games but still scrape through on a net run-rate markedly superior to that of the Mumbai Indians, the Lions and the Daredevils. A single victory could also take them through.

    First place is not out of the question for the Knight Riders, but it requires them to defeat the Sunrisers and hope the team from Hyderabad lose to the Daredevils as well. On the same points as the Royal Challengers but having played a game less, second place looks more likely. One win from their final two games could see them qualify in third, while two defeats and qualification on net run-rate would most likely mean they finish fourth.

    MUMBAI INDIANS

    For the Mumbai Indians, the task is simple. With fourteen points and a net run-rate of -0.082, their only hope is to defeat the Lions in their final game and hope other results work in their favour. They need Gujarat to fall to defeat against KKR, to then beat the Lions themselves and that the Daredevils win no more than one of their remaining two games. Should the latter side win both, Mumbai must hope they do not come by large margins if they are to sneak into fourth place.

    GUJARAT LIONS

    The Lions’ net run-rate took a sound beating in as many games this week. Now at -0.747, the Lions must make best use of their remaining two games to bolster their tally of fourteen points. Winning both those games would unequivocally send them through to the playoffs, but mathematically one win could also do it, depending on other results.

    Two wins would see the Lions finish second or perhaps even first should the Sunrisers lose both their remaining games.

    DELHI DAREDEVILS

    Although the last of the six prospective qualifiers for the playoff spots, the Daredevils still have their fate mostly in their own hands. Twelve points from twelve games and a net run rate of -0.125 means they need to win both games – against the Sunrisers and the Royal Challengers – to qualify.

    Two wins would most likely see the Daredevils qualify in fourth, unless the Lions win both their remaining games. In that case, the Daredevils would finish third. All these permutations are flexible depending on the outcome of the Lions-Knight Riders encounter. One win is wholly impractical for the Daredevils’ play-off hopes; it would put them above the Lions, but would need them to overhaul the Royal Challengers’ mammoth net run-rate to qualify via the same metric.

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