IPL 2019 | How your favourite teams can qualify for playoffs
While Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings have already qualified for the playoffs, the contest for the remaining spots is at a fever pitch now. The remaining six teams can make it to the playoffs with even Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore possessing outside chances.
© BCCIDelhi Capitals
The perennial bridesmaid in the last eight years, Delhi have finally managed to qualify for the final four for the first time since 2012. With a young Indian core and a management team consisting of two of the best brains in the sport, they, with a series of strong performances, eventually managed to cross the barrier this time and are ideally primed for a top-two spot.
While the Shreyas Iyer-led team has already qualified for the playoffs, the Capitals will target a top-two finish but for that to happen, then they will have to win the last couple of matches they are slated to play - against CSK and RR. The easiest way to ensure at least two games in the playoffs is to beat CSK who have an inferior Net Run Rate than DC. A win against RR and a loss to CSK could put them in a precarious position as Mumbai Indians hold a superior NRR (+0.347) over them.
However, it is not that the doors for a top-two finish will close for them if they lose their two remaining games. In such a scenario, though, they would have to hope that MI manage to match their results and gift them one of the two coveted spots.
Chennai Super Kings
With 8 wins in 12 matches, the Chennai-based franchise, like Delhi, has already confirmed their playoff spot. However, to be among the top two - which will afford the team to get a chance to have a bad day in the playoffs - Chennai can win both their remaining games. The “Men in Yellow” will host Delhi Capitals before travelling to the far north to play Kings XI Punjab. If the three time Champions win one of the two games, they will need MI to match the same so as to keep their contention for the top two alive or for Delhi to lose both their games.
Even if the team loses both games, then they will still qualify in the prime spots but only if Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians lose one and both of their respective remaining games.
Mumbai Indians
While Mumbai Indians still have a chance of qualifying for the top-two, they will first target a place in the playoffs. The good news for them is that they have both of their matches at home - KKR and SRH - and a couple of wins there will ensure that they finish in one of the top two spots unless the DC and CSK share the points in their head to head game.
Even if Mumbai don't want to aim for one of the top two places, one win will guarantee them a place in the final four. Losses in both games, though, will make things interesting going into the fag end of the league phase. All the Mumbai-based franchise will want is for KKR, RR, and KXIP to lose one their two remaining games to book a place in the playoffs.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad needed to beat Kings XI Punjab desperately last night and after a David Warner-inspired win, SRH have put themselves in a comfortable position to make the playoffs. The easiest way for the 2016 Champions to book a place in the playoffs would be to secure one win in their last two games because of their monstrous NRR of +0.709.
On the other hand, if last year’s finalists ended up with 12 points, losing both their matches, they can still qualify for the playoffs. But for that to happen, they need Kolkata, Punjab and Rajasthan to lose one of their remaining games. In that scenario, as many as five sides can end with 12 points each and Hyderabad's NRR will help them get through.
Kolkata Knight Riders
With five wins and seven losses from their 12 matches, KKR have ensured that they remained afloat in the league, and for that, they need to thank Andre Russell for orchestrating a fine win against Mumbai Indians a couple of nights ago. Now they can go to a maximum of 14 points and might be tied with one or more teams. However, they have a current NRR of +0.100 and an extra two wins will obviously bolster it. The ideal scenario for the Dinesh Karthik-led franchise would be to beat both Punjab and Mumbai Indians and that to with big margins and wait for other results, most importantly SRH losing both games, to go their way.
However, it is still possible for KKR to qualify with 12 points, but for that to happen, they would require SRH to lose to both Mumbai and RCB, and RR lose to at least one of RCB or DC while CSK beat KXIP. If these results go in their favour, KKR will be tied on 12 points with more than one team and a positive NRR will help them into the playoffs.
Kings XI Punjab
The situation for Punjab is even trickier after their loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad and now, even if they win both their remaining games, but SRH win both their matches left and MI beat KKR, they will be eliminated on points.
However, if they win both, and Sunrisers lose both their remaining two matches against Mumbai and Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively while Rajasthan Royals couldn’t get the better of at least one of their remaining two against Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Ravichandran Ashwin will secretly smiling at everyone under him. Because these results will ensure that none of the other teams who are on 12 or fewer points gets to 14 and Punjab will secure the third or fourth spot on the table.
If the outright situation doesn’t help them, then the qualification with 14 points will be difficult for them based on NRR as it is very lackadaisical now. Still, their hopes will be pinned on tying with Rajasthan Royals because the Royals’ NRR of -0.321 is worse than theirs currently. Mathematically, they can tie with Hyderabad or Mumbai but that would bring more problems for them as they are going to lose out on those NRR battles.
Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan have two away games remaining - Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals. They have managed to turn around their fortunes in the last few days with regular wins, but their dire performances in the first one month has ensured that qualification has become the hardest, if not impossible, for them. So I will examine the elimination route first.
If Hyderabad win both their matches while Mumbai beat KKR, then RR stand eliminated and in that scenario, they can be tied on 14 points with one or more sides, but a poor NRR of -0.321 will mean they will be out of the top four.
If you are wondering there is a 12-point scenario for them, yes, there is one. For that to happen though, Hyderabad should lose both their remaining games and both KXIP and KKR should lose at least one of theirs, by huge margins, and NRR will come into play. They have a negative NRR, as I mentioned above, and they need a miraculous team performance to get them through.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Okay. In a practical approach, no team has qualified for the play-offs with 12 points in the first 11 editions of the Indian Premier League, but Royal Challengers Bangalore, if the lady luck favours them, may finally make it to the play-offs with 12 points. In front of them are Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad and their first job is to beat both of them by huge, and I mean HUGE, margins.
The life of an RCB fan is also dependent now on sitting in front of the damn box and wish every other result in the league to go their way. RCB would Mumbai to beat SRH and wish that both KKR and KXIP not win more than one match in the league. However, they have the worst NRR among all teams and have to wish that every ally of them secure big-big wins. Improbable, impractical, yet they are mathematically in.
But their hopes will be a dampener if SRH win at least one of their remaining matches and either of KKR, KXIP or RR win both their remaining matches.
