NEW DELHI: An unexpected turn of events in the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs scenarios occurred when the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Gujarat Titans (GT) match was washed out on Thursday. Surprisingly, SRH entered the playoffs and DC raced to finish.
The focus now shifts to Saturday’s game between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), which has now become a knockout game of epic proportions.One thing that is clear for RCB is they must achieve a victory with an 18-run margin or chase down a target set by opponents who batted first at least 200 within 18.1 overs. This scenario presents an explosive contest where both teams are desperate to prolong their campaigns.
At the same time, RR’s fate lies in their hands should they manage to beat KKR; this will secure not only their playoff spot but also second-place finish thereby giving them two chances of reaching the finals. On top of that, SRH could overtake RR into second position if they win against PBKS and RR lose against KKR in their respective matches.
Despite having earned 12 points with one more left to play, Lucknow Super Giants are facing a tough journey to reach playoffs. The only issue is that this poor Net Run Rate (NRR) is currently at -0.787.
- SRH into playoffs; DC eliminated
- RCB-CSK knockout – win by 18 runs or within 18.1 overs (assuming a first innings score of 200)
- KKR win will confirm RR’s second finish
- RR will come second if they beat KKR while PBKS lose to SRH on Sunday
If RCB loses its last match against CSK, then wins both games against each other team in league phase then CSK would have finished as runners up leaving RCB behind
On another hand CSK can rise up if results go in their favor and find themselves second. A win over RCB combined with losses in their final matches for RR and SRH would be enough for the Super Kings to make it to the playoffs.
In the ongoing phase of the league, IPL playoff scenarios have never been so confused.
When teams are fighting for limited slots and cricket’s unpredictability, there can be no definite outcome. Only one thing is obvious about winning the IPL trophy; it is full of ups and downs that will create a fascinating climax at the end of this year.
