The race for the 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) playoff spots remains as hot as ever with as many as five teams vying for two remaining berths.
With Royal Challengers Bangalore’s clash against Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday being washed out due to rain, the former have become the first team to officially be ruled out of the running for the play-offs.
So far, defending champions Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals are the two teams which have confirmed their qualification.
As the business end of IPL 2019 approaches, we look at how the five other teams are placed with regards to their playoff ambitions.
MUMBAI INDIANS (14 POINTS FROM 12 GAMES)
Remaining fixtures
Mumbai Indians v Sunrisers Hyderabad (Wednesday, May 1)
Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders (Sunday, May 5)
Of the five remaining teams, Mumbai are best-placed to advance to the playoffs with Rohit Sharma and his men requiring just one more victory in their remaining two league fixtures to finish in the top-four.
Both their games are at home and this should hold them in good stead. If Mumbai win both matches, they will likely finish in the top-two and qualify for Qualifier 1. Even if they lose both their matches, Mumbai can still advance to the play-offs but then it will come down to net run-rate.
Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma. Image – BCCI/SPORTZPICS.
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD (12 POINTS FROM 12 GAMES)
Remaining fixtures
Mumbai Indians v Sunrisers Hyderabad (Wednesday, May 1)
Royal Challengers Bangalore v Sunrisers Hyderabad (Saturday, May 4)
After Mumbai, it is Sunrisers Hyderabad who are in prime position to make the play-offs. With two games remaining, two victories will guarantee Sunrisers a place in the play-offs although both their clashes are away.
Even if they manage just the one win from two games, Hyderabad will qualify for the play-offs should KKR and KXIP fail to win each of their remaining clashes.
Such is their superior net run-rate (0.709) compared to the other seven teams in the competition that SRH might sneak into the top-four even if they lose both their remaining games. In that case, however, Rajasthan will need to lose their final fixture while KKR and KXIP will need to lose at least one game each from the remainder of their campaigns.
David Warner has played his final IPL 2019 innings.
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS (10 POINTS FROM 12 GAMES)
Remaining fixtures
Kings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders (Friday, May 3)
Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders (Sunday, May 5)
KKR and the KXIP are the two teams who have it all to do. With two games remaining for Kolkata, Dinesh Karthik and his men will need to win both and even then, qualification will not be assured.
Their saving grace is a positive net run-rate and should they find themselves tied on 14 points with another team, it could come in handy. What KKR want is for SRH and KXIP to lose both their remaining fixtures and for Rajasthan to suffer a defeat against Delhi. In that case, two wins for Kolkata will guarantee a top-four finish.
Should they win just the one match from their two away clashes, Kolkata can still hope to qualify should SRH, KXIP and Rajasthan fail to register any more wins in the competition. In that case too, they will be tied with SRH on points but their net run-rate (0.10) is inferior to the Hyderabad side.
The only way KKR can qualify without depending on the net run-rate is for Mumbai to defeat SRH and for KXIP to taste one defeat at least in their two remaining games. In that case, two victories will assure KKR of progression.
Russell (r) is in scorching form. Image – BCCI/SPORTZPICS.
KINGS XI PUNJAB (10 POINTS ROM 12 GAMES)
Remaining fixtures
Kings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders (Friday, May 3)
Kings XI Punjab v Chennai Super Kings (Sunday, May 5)
King XI are in the same boat as Kolkata but are further handicapped by a negative net run-rate (-0.296). They too, need to win both their remaining fixtures but that would be moot should SRH record at least one more victory.
In that case, SRH and KXIP will be tied on points but such is the difference in their respective net run-rates that the latter will still crash out.
Hence, what Ravi Ashwin and his men need is two victories in the upcoming matches while Hyderabad taste as many defeats. Should they win just one of their remaining two games, Punjab will require SRH and KKR to lose both their games along with Rajasthan going down to Delhi.
In that case too, KXIP will be fighting an uphill battle against SRH when it comes to net run-rate.
KXIP openers Gayle and Rahul. Image – BCCI/SPORTZPICS.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS (11 POINTS FROM 13 GAMES)
Remaining fixtures
Delhi Capitals v Rajasthan Royals (Saturday, May 4)
While the washed out clash against RCB might have ended all hopes for Virat Kohli and his men, it also took the winds out of the sails of Rajasthan’s campaign.
The Jaipur-based franchise desperately needed the win at Bangalore but the shared point has done little to help them in their play-off aspirations.
Should SRH beat Mumbai on Thursday, then Rajasthan are out of the running even before they have played their last match.
The equation for Rajasthan now is pretty simple. They need to win at any cost against Delhi and then hope that SRH lose both their encounters while KKR and KXIP taste one defeat each at least in their remaining fixtures.
In that case, the Royals will sneak into the play-offs with just 13 points.
Rajasthan Royals leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal. Image – BCCI/SPORTZPICS.
