IPL play-offs race: GT and RCB on course for top-two finish

A late revival by the likes of Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders means there are as many as eight teams in contention for the four play-off berths with 10 days left for the league stage to wind up in the Indian Premier League.

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the consistent Gujarat Titans were expected to make the play-offs before the start of the tournament. Now, SunRisers Hyderabad too are a part of the leading pack after making a slow start to the competition.

What has been most unexpected is the rapid slide of Punjab Kings, who have lost four games in a row to be precariously placed after dominating the first half of the league. Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants are the two teams which have been eliminated. PTI looks at the qualifying scenarios for the eight teams in contention.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru:

The Rajat Patidar-led side has managed to retain the consistency that resulted in its first ever IPL title last year following a rather long wait.

They play KKR on Wednesday night and a win would ensure that they have one foot in the play-offs. RCB would need another win to secure a last four spot with 18 points being the safer number compared to 16. Only Mumbai Indians qualified with 16 points last season.

With 14 points from seven wins in 11 games, RCB have the best net run rate among the teams in contention. After KKR, they play Punjab Kings and SunRisers Hyderabad in their last two league fixtures.

Punjab Kings:

Poor bowling and fielding have resulted in four straight losses for Punjab Kings who remain in the top four owing to their stellar run in the first half of IPL.

Thanks to their in form line-up, their net run rate remains healthy and two wins out of their remaining three games against Mumbai Indians, RCB and SRH should be enough to advance in the competition.

They have 13 points from 11 matches with one point coming from a washout against KKR. The game against Mumbai Indians in Dharamsala is a must win one for them, else they will be under enormous pressure going into the final two matches.

Gujarat Titans:

Since their debut in 2022, Gujarat Titans have not made the play-offs only once. With a bowling line up firing on all cylinders and a solid top three, the Shubman Gill-led side is on course to secure a top two qualification.

They have 16 points from eight wins in 12 games, almost sealing a play-off berth. Their last two matches are against KKR and Chennai Super Kings.

Sunrisers Hyderabad:

With six wins in their last eight games, SRH is another team that seems to be peaking at the right time. The belligerent batting line-up has done the job and has been supported well by bowlers led by Pat Cummins.

They are on 14 points with two games to go against CSK and RCB. SRH would need at least two more points if not four to make the play-offs with their net run rate of 0.031 also in their favour. Their fifth loss in 12 games came against Gujarat Titans on Tuesday night.

Chennai Super Kings:

Having lost their first three games, CSK bounced back with six wins in their last eight matches. They would back themselves to collect two points against Lucknow Super Giants on May 15 before taking on SRH and Gujarat Titans in their final two league games.

Only 18 points will ensure qualification with teams in contention playing each other over the course of the next 10 days, leaving CSK to win all their remaining games.

Kolkata Knight Riders:

The Ajinkya Rahane-led team had a disastrous first half but managed to stay alive with wins in last four games after losing six in a row.

They still have a game in hand compared to other teams and can reach a maximum of 17 points which may be enough for qualification. KKR are playing their last three games at home.

Rajasthan Royals:

Despite the individual brilliance of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel, Royals have failed to find consistency. They started with four wins on the trot but lost their way after that, losing five of their last seven games. Bowling has been an issue for them just like Punjab Kings. With 12 points from 11 games, Royals too need to win at least a couple of games out of three and hope the other results go their way.

They face Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians in their remaining games, something that would give them added confidence considering the performance of those opposition teams.

Delhi Capitals:

Delhi’s hopes hang by a thread, though the Axar Patel-led side has already started planning for the next season. Despite the win over Punjab Kings, they have too much to do to make the play-offs. They sit on 10 points from 12 games and can reach a maximum of 14 points. Even wins with big margins may not be enough.