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With only four games left for the conclusion of the league stage in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, six teams are still in contention for three playoff spots.
While defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) have already sealed their berth and are assured of a top-two finish, Punjab Kings (PBKS) were eliminated from the playoff race following their four-wicket defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Friday, May 19.
PBKS ended their IPL 2023 campaign with a disappointing 12 points from 14 matches. They joined Delhi Capitals (DC) and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) who were the first two teams to be eliminated ahead of the playoffs. While Delhi have 10 points from 13 games, Hyderabad are last with eight points from 13 matches.
The six teams that are still in contention for a place in the IPL 2023 playoffs ahead of Saturday’s double-header are - Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Mumbai Indians (MI), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Let’s take a look at the qualification scenario for each of the teams.
IPL 2023 playoffs qualification: Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians
Following their triumph over PBKS, RR ended the league stage with 14 points and a net run rate (NRR) of +0.148. But their path to playoffs is not in their hands.
Rajasthan need RCB, who have a run rate of +0.180, to lose their last match by a margin that ensures they finish with a better NRR than Bangalore. According to ESPNcricinfo, if RCB lose by six or more runs, chasing 181, then RR will move ahead on the NRR.
RR, however, will also need Mumbai Indians (MI) to lose their last match to SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). Rajasthan are well above MI on the run rate front as the five-time champions have a poor run rate of -0.128.
KKR can also finish with 14 points. However, given their NRR of -0.256, they will need to win their last game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by a massive margin to go ahead of RR on the net run rate. The chances of the same happening are very slim.
If MI and RCB lose their last league games, RR stand a strong chance of qualifying. But if Mumbai and Bangalore win, Rajasthan will be out. RCB will be well-placed to reach the playoffs in such a scenario, given their superior net run rate.
Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings
Both LSG and CSK are on 15 points each. Chennai are ahead of Lucknow due to a slightly better net run rate - +0.381 in comparison to +0.304. If both teams win their respective matches on Saturday, they will be through to the IPL 2023 playoffs, with 17 points each.
If only one of LSG and CSK win, then the winning side will be assured of a top-two finish. The losing side will then have to hope for at least one of Bangalore or Mumbai to lose their last league game. If that happens, the losing team will end on 14 points, and LSG, with 15, will be ahead of them.
On the other hand, if both MI and RCB win, then the team stuck on 15 points will be out of the playoff race.
If both CSK and LSG win on Saturday, they will finish the league stage with 17 points each. The team with the better run rate will claim the second spot in the IPL 2023 points table. MI, RCB, RR, and KKR will then have to slug it out for fourth place.
KKR only have a mathematical chance due to their low net run rate. As mentioned earlier, RR will need MI and RCB to lose to have a chance of finishing in the top four.
If both Mumbai and Bangalore win their respective last league games, the fourth spot will be taken by the team which has a superior net run rate. Bangalore stand the best chance to qualify for the IPL 2023 playoffs in this scenario.
Which are the remaining league games in IPL 2023?
May 20: Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings, 67th Match, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 3:30 PM (IST)
May 20: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants, 68th Match, Eden Gardens, Kolkata, 7:30 PM (IST)
May 21: Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 69th Match, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, 3:30 PM (IST)
May 21: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Titans, 70th Match, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, 7:30 PM (IST)
