IPL 2021 Points Table: Updated standings and qualifying scenarios after KKR beat DC

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have leapfrogged arguably the toughest hurdle in their qualification journey by defeating Delhi Capitals (DC) by four wickets on Tuesday.

In a match that had everything from comedy, heated drama and the buzz of a low-scoring thriller, Eoin Morgan's men did brilliantly to keep their wits about themselves. They first kept DC down to a total of 127, with Sunil Narine (2-18) and Lockie Ferguson (2-10) showing masterful skills under pressure.

Venkatesh Iyer, who also contributed two wickets with his medium pace, once again got his team off to a flier alongside Shubman Gill in the second innings. DC's top-class bowling attack tried its best to maintain the pressure, but KKR's Nitish Rana (36 not out off 27) held the batting order together to take his team home with 10 balls to spare.

A look at the updated IPL 2021 Points Table

KKR and DC retain their spots in the points table. (PC: IPLT20.com)

What it means for KKR?

With five wins from 11 matches, KKR have pulled slightly ahead of Mumbai Indians (MI), Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the points table. And while their position didn't change after today's win, their net run rate (NRR) got a mini-fillip of 0.041 points which could come in handy if the season progresses as it has so far.

KKR still need to win their remaining three matches - against PBKS, SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and RR - to get to 16 points. Even a single loss might force them to depend on other results to qualify.

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Speaking of other results, the KKR camp will have its eyes on tonight's second match between MI and PBKS, the winner of which will tie with them for 10 points while likely being in fifth position due to the gulf in NRR.

What it means for DC?

DC's performances this season have been so consistent that a loss here and there won't matter much, least in a game which could have gone either way. 16 points should be enough to qualify for them, but a win here would have sealed the deal. So DC are still placed second, with 16 points and a NRR of +0.562.

Rishabh Pant and co. will now have two things to be careful about. Firstly, they would like to win as many games as possible to get that top-two finish. They will also want to avoid letting this one defeat turn into a streak that could give third-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) a chance to take second spot.

Impact on other teams in the Points Table?

KKR's win has made the MI versus PBKS match even more important for both teams. RR, who'll play against the RCB tomorrow, would now have to be extra sharp in their approach as well. The IPL 2021 mid-table battle is just getting started.