IPL 2023 | How Royal Challengers Bangalore can qualify for Indian Premier League playoffs

ByNishad Bapat, SportsCafe Editor

05/15/2023

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Royal Challengers Bangalore have been a consistent franchise in the last three years making it to the playoffs every single time. This season also they have maintained their consistency and have bright chances of making it to the playoffs by putting in their best efforts in the remaining games.

Royal Challengers Bangalore enjoyed an impressive campaign last season as they reached the Qualifier 2 only to be outplayed by Rajasthan Royals who were runner-up of the season. It was a decent campaign for the team and they would like to improve their performance with a title-winning run this time around but entering the playoffs would be the first step in that direction.

Having won six games and lost as many, the franchise have a mixed bag of results in the IPL 2023 so far this season. Arguably, the most hurtful above everything is they failed to make full use of home conditions, having won three out of six matches at Chinnaswamy. The star trio of Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, and Glenn Maxwell have improved upon their run tally from the previous season with the South African veteran impressing the most by being the top-run scorer of the tournament. Side by side, they are building a strong foundation to capitalize on for the following batters.

Although Kohli, du Plessis, and Maxwell have been scoring a bulk of runs, their inexperienced middle order, consisting of Mahipal Lomror, Anuj Rawat, and Shahbaz Ahmed, haven’t complimented them in the way they deserve. On top of that, the absence of Rajat Patidar, who scored with an average of 55.5 last year, has hit them hard like no other. To make matters worse, they have been missing the explosive finish from Dinesh Karthik, who made it look like a walk in the park during the last season.

Turning attention toward the bowling unit, Mohammed Siraj has been wreaking havoc with the new ball. The amount of impact that he made during the first half the season was exceptional, leading RCB to become one of the better bowling units in the Powerplay overs among all. With the likes of Karn Sharma, Wayne Parnell, and Harshal Patel also chipping in with handy contributions, they, unlike in the past, seem like a potent bowling unit this time.

As the competition enters its business end and RCB have only two fixtures to deal with, the stakes are high for the Red and Gold Brigade. But the best part is they have the option of writing their own fate by winning both of them or else another mixed bag of results can give an opportunity for other teams to have a say in their journey ahead.

If Royal Challengers Bangalore lose both their remaining fixtures

RCB will be knocked out of the race to the playoffs straight away as there are four other teams who have already accumulated more than 12 points in the league stage.

If Royal Challengers Bangalore win both their remaining fixtures

With victories against SRH and GT in the upcoming fixtures, the franchise will reach the 16-point mark. In such a case, they are likely to enter the playoffs as a superior net run rate would work in their favour. Apart from them, only three teams, MI, LSG, and PBKS can reach the same number of points. However, RCB have a far better net run rate than MI and PBKS and so even if they manage to earn 16 points by the end of the tournament, the metric will see du Plessis and Co. advancing into the playoffs.

Therefore, it is highly likely that they occupy the third or fourth spot on the points table after scripting a winning spree. In fact, they can even aim for a finish in the top two if DC manage to pull off a victory against CSK.

If Royal Challengers Bangalore win one and lose one match

In this case, RCB’s fate will rely on others’ results. They will get a maximum of 14 points by the end of the tournament, making the equation for the team to enter the playoffs complicated. Firstly, they will require Rajasthan Royals to suffer a defeat against PBKS, which will keep the Royals to 12 points, leading RCB to qualify directly without worrying about NRR.

At the same time, RCB will need LSG to lose both their remaining matches as one victory will take them to 15 points, one point ahead of them. This will allow MI to have one win against LSG, and the five-time champions will be on 16 points by the end of the competition. A triumph over LSG will also take KKR to 14 points. PBKS, meanwhile, are at 12 points at present and RCB would definitely need them not to register two back-to-back wins to keep them on 14 points only. All these results are based on one reason: PBKS will remain with 14 points with a victory over RR.

In this situation, three teams – RCB, KKR, and PBKS – would end on 14 points but RCB, thanks to a better NRR than the other two, will finish ahead of them. However, RCB must ensure that they do not lose by a big margin to keep their lofty net run rate intact.