IPL 2021: Predicting what the final points table would have looked like

#4 Royal Challengers Bangalore - currently 3rd in IPL 2021

Virat Kohli

RCB were one of the surprise packages in the first half of IPL 2021. New acquisitions Glenn Maxwell, Kyle Jamieson and Harshal Patel powered them to the summit of the points table early on, before the return of Devdutt Padikkal improved matters for the three-time finalists.

But although RCB were among the more impressive teams in the first half of IPL 2021, there's reason to believe that they wouldn't have been able to finish in the top two. Captain Virat Kohli wasn't in good touch by his lofty standards and the franchise's leading wicket-taker Yuzvendra Chahal was dreadful even in Chennai.

Washington Sundar lost his place in the side, while Harshal Patel couldn't adjust to the relatively fast-paced wicket in Delhi. The No. 3 spot in the batting lineup was a source of great worry, while the playing XI didn't have any all-rounders to beef up the lower-middle order.

RCB probably would've scraped through to the playoffs like they did in IPL 2020, which followed a similar pattern.

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#3 Mumbai Indians - currently 4th in IPL 2021

Rohit Sharma

After a slow start, MI were gaining momentum with two wins on the trot before IPL 2021 was suspended. The defending champions were all at sea in Chennai, where the slowish surface impeded the strokeplay of their attacking batsmen.

Ishan Kishan was dropped from the playing XI after a number of horrific performances, while Suryakumar Yadav failed to build on the starts he got in almost every game. The big-hitting middle order delivered in Delhi, and probably would've been able to continue their good form.

But MI's lineup didn't have the balance it usually does during their title-winning campaigns. Rohit Sharma used every overseas player in the squad over the first seven games, and the absence of Kishan in the XI meant that there wasn't a great deal of depth in the batting department. Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult weren't all that impressive, with the supporting pacers too far from consistent.

The five-time champions would've certainly qualified for the playoffs, but a top-two spot might have proved to be out of their reach.

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#2 Delhi Capitals - currently 1st in IPL 2021

Shikhar Dhawan

DC have ensured that the absence of regular captain Shreyas Iyer hasn't been felt at all. Under new skipper Rishabh Pant, the 2020 finalists were one of the best teams on display in IPL 2021 and were at the top of the points table when the league was shut down (they had played one game more than CSK).

Driven by their prolific opening combination of Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan, DC gave the best teams in the competition a run for their money. In the bowling department, Avesh Khan was the standout performer and was ably supported by a number of different players over the course of the tournament.

With Kagiso Rabada returning to form against the Punjab Kings and the middle order getting some time to spend in the middle, DC would've, in all likelihood, continued their stay among the top two of the IPL 2021 points table.

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#1 Chennai Super Kings - currently 2nd in IPL 2021

MS Dhoni

By far the most impressive team in the first half of IPL 2021, MS Dhoni's CSK went on a five-game winning streak after losing their opening encounter to the Delhi Capitals.

CSK brushed aside oppositions despite playing at unfamiliar, batting-friendly venues, with all five of their wins having a different Man of the Match award winner. The Men in Yellow narrowly fell short against the Mumbai Indians because of a horrow show from their pace attack, which was probably their only weak link in IPL 2021.

With almost all of the batting lineup in exceptional form, a plethora of all-rounders in the playing XI and an astute captain at the helm, CSK would've been able to ride their early momentum and finish at the top of the points table.