IPL 2021 Points Table: Updated standings after KKR blast away RCB

The routine combination of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) scoring low and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) easily chasing down a target continued in emphatic fashion in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Monday. The Eoin Morgan-led franchise produced a magnificent performance to get their team to a nine-wicket win in Abu Dhabi, giving them a new lease of life in the points table.

It all started with Prasidh Krishna's wicket of Virat Kohli - playing his 200th match for the franchise - in just the second over. The rest of the RCB batters fell like a pack of cards as Andre Russell (3/9), Varun Chakravarthy (3/13) and Lockie Ferguson (2/24) exposed every inch of their weakness on a pitch that was a bit two-paced in the first innings.

In reply, the latest opening duo of Shubman Gill (48 off 34) and Venkatesh Iyer (41 off 27) batted like mirror-images, showing off sixes on the up, crunching drives and reverse sweeps for fun. Their aggressive 82-run partnership sealed the deal for KKR, with Iyer providing the rubber-stamp by thumping Yuzvendra Chahal for the final boundary towards mid-wicket in just the 10th over.

A quick look at the updated IPL 2021 points table

KKR are now placed 5th in the points table.

What it means for KKR?

Not only did KKR score two vital points in the tournament with the win, but they also gifted themselves a whopping 0.544 points net run rate (NRR) boost. Morgan and co. will breathe easy seeing the team placed in the fifth spot in the table, a much more cozy position than the no.7 position they were in before the game.

But this is just one win and it will require a lot more of such performances if the franchise have to make it to the playoffs. From the remaining six games, KKR need at least four victories to have a hit at the top four and five wins to qualify directly.

KKR's next match is against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Thursday and considering their awful record against the two-time defending champions, it could prove to be a tournament-defining litmus test for the Kolkata-based franchise.

What it means for RCB?

"Bit of a wake-up call" is how Virat Kohli described the defeat after the match, and he couldn't be more right.

RCB are still placed in third position in the points table, a testimony to their brilliant performances in the first half of IPL 2021. Moreover, given MI's defeat last night, RCB still have a lead of two points over Rohit Sharma's team.

However, their net run rate has plummeted to -0.706, the worst for any team in the tournament at the moment. This could be a major issue going forward, unless they shrug off the rust and pull ahead towards the table-toppers with some quick wins.

Kohli's boys need to win just half of their next six matches to qualify. It shouldn't be too difficult and there's no reason to panic. But their success rate in the coming games will depend on how well they can put this massive defeat behind them. Like KKR, RCB's next clash against high-flying Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be decisive.

Impact on the other teams in the points table

KKR's win will trouble the two teams the most - the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR). Both sides will lock horns tomorrow in Dubai, with the winner going on par with MI for eight points and the loser leveling with KKR with six points in the table. Either way, it will only heat-up the battle for third and fourth spots, which looks highly likely to come down to net run rate equations.