IPL 2024 Qualification scenarios: How can SRH qualify for playoffs after their 78-run loss to CSK?

The SunRisers Hyderabad's (SRH) 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign has been hit by a slight wobble, courtesy of a 78-run defeat to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, April 28.

This marked a second consecutive defeat for SRH after their 35-run loss at the hands of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The Pat Cummins-led side were cruising through the middle phase of the tournament with four successive wins under their belt.

However, the twin defeats have dragged SRH into the mid-table muddle along with four other teams. All of these five teams have 10 points, with only the net run rate separating them at the moment.

SRH have dropped down to the fourth position as the mammoth loss took a heavy toll on their net run rate, which now reads +0.075, marginally above the fifth-placed Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) +0.059. If recent history is an indication, teams need at least 16 points to secure a berth in the playoffs.

Based on that, SRH will need to win at least three of their last five matches, or even more to be on the safer side. If they manage to win the bare minimum of three matches, their fate may be decided by how their net run rate fares when compared to the rest of the teams vying for the same spot.

SRH have a tricky set of fixtures coming up, which complicate their ambitions of making it to the knockouts. The Pat Cummins-led side will next face the league leaders Rajasthan Royals (RR), and then a trip to the Wankhede Stadium to face the Mumbai Indians (MI) is scheduled.

However, three of SRH's final league stage matches (against Lucknow Super Giants, Gujarat Titans, and Punjab Kings) will all take place at their home venue — the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, giving them a slight boost.

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SRH have failed to qualify for the playoffs three years running now

SRH last qualified for the playoffs in the 2020 season, back when they had their star trio of David Warner, Kane Williamson, and Rashid Khan. However, things have spiralled ever since and the rebuild under Aiden Markram did not pan out as hoped.

SRH finished at the bottom of the table in the 2021 and 2023 editions, and finished eighth in the 2022 season. Ahead of the ongoing season, the Orange Army completed a revamp of their entire structure, roping in Daniel Vettori as the new head coach and appointing Pat Cummins as the new captain.