IPL 2024: 17th IPL (Indian Premier League – 2024) The T20 cricket festival has been going on in India since March 22. In this series, the match played in Ahmedabad on Monday was delayed due to heavy rain.
As the game scheduled to start at 7.30 was not decided until the end, the game was declared abandoned without even a toss. And both teams were awarded 1 point each. Due to the abandonment of this match, Gujarat Titans are the 3rd team out of the playoffs for the current season.
With only 7 matches remaining in the IPL 2024 league round, only one team (Kolkata Knight Riders) has officially qualified for the play-offs. There are 6 teams left in the play-off race. Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians are all three teams out of the play-off race.
So, here’s a look at what each of the 6 teams in the BOTA competition have to do to make it to the play-offs this season.
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Matches Played: 12, Points: 16, Net Run Rate: 0.349 | Remaining matches: Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders
The remaining 2 matches between Rajasthan Royals against Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders will be played at Parsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
Currently, Rajasthan team is at the 2nd position in the points table with 16 points. Among the other three teams Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Supergiants can get 16 points respectively by winning the remaining matches. Only Hyderabad can reach 18 points with 2 matches remaining.
Rajasthan are in a very good position going into the play-offs so far. Rajasthan will qualify if Lucknow loses against Delhi on Tuesday. But if Lucknow win, Rajasthan must win one of the remaining 2 matches. A win in both the matches would help them finish in the top-two. Also, even if they win one and have a higher net run rate than Hyderabad, they will take the top two spots.
Although Rajasthan lost both their matches, they are likely to be in a safe place. Lucknow Supergiants face a considerable challenge as their net run rate stands at -0.769. Even with two wins in the remaining matches, they will need a big win to improve their net run rate and overtake Rajasthan (0.349). However, Rajasthan cannot afford to be complacent and should aim for wins in both the matches.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Matches Played: 13, Points: 14, Net Run Rate: 0.528 | Remaining Match: RCB
The Chennai team has played 13 matches and has 14 points and a net run rate of 0.528. Their last match against Royal Challengers Bangalore is scheduled to take place on May 18 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. In this match, Chennai will enter the play offs if they beat RCB with a strong net run rate.
However, if Chennai fails to win against RCB, they will have to wait for the results of other teams. Sunrisers should lose to either Hyderabad or Lucknow Supergiants to improve their chances to stay below 16 points.
Additionally, if Chennai lose, they will have to ensure that their net run rate does not drop during their defeat to keep themselves above RCB in terms of net run rate. Also, if either Hyderabad or Lucknow finish with 14 points or less, it creates a chance for both Chennai and RCB to qualify with 14 points each.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Matches Played: 12, Points: 14, Net Run Rate: 0.406 | Remaining matches: Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings
Hyderabad have two remaining matches against Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings. Both are scheduled to be held on May 16 and 19 at the team’s home ground, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
As of now, Hyderabad are targeting wins in these matches to qualify for the playoffs. Hyderabad’s superior net run rate compared to Lucknow gives them a considerable advantage. And just one win in their remaining two games should be enough to ensure their qualification for the IPL playoffs.
Two wins could help Hyderabad finish in the top-two on the points table. However, if they lose both matches, their playoff chances could be set back. Both Chennai and Bengaluru teams can advance on points based on net run rate.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Matches Played: 13, Points: 12, Net Run Rate: 0.387 | Remaining match: Chennai Super Kings
RCB have one more match against Chennai Super Kings. The match will be held on May 18 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the home ground of the Bengaluru team.
This match is a must win for RCB. Even if they win this, they will have to wait for the results of the other teams. They will expect Hyderabad and Lucknow to lose at least one of their remaining 2 matches. In any case, they will struggle to beat Chennai (0.528) with a good net run rate margin.
If the results of the other teams go their way, RCB will have a good chance of qualifying for the IPL play-offs with a better net run rate than Chennai.
Delhi Capitals (DC)
Matches Played: 13, Points: 12, Net Runrate: -0.482 | Remaining match: Lucknow Supergiants
Delhi have one more game against Lucknow Supergiants. The match will be played at Delhi’s home ground, Arun Jaitley Stadium, on Tuesday. All Delhi will be thinking of is that Hyderabad should lose the remaining 2 matches. Also, Chennai team should win the match against Bengaluru team. Also, Lucknow should win only one of the remaining 2 matches and stay ahead of Delhi in net run rate.
Delhi’s play-off chances look bleak as they depend on a number of difficult and complex permutations, combinations and calculations.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
Matches Played: 12, Points: 12, Net Runrate: -0.769 | Remaining matches: Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians
Lucknow Supergiants have two remaining matches against Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians. Both will be held on May 14 and 17 at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium and Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
Lucknow’s low net run rate puts them in a challenging position. Apart from that, even after reaching 16 points, they still find themselves trailing Chennai and Hyderabad, who have a better net run rate.
Even if Rajasthan Royals lose both the matches, chances of Lucknow surpassing them in terms of run rate are very low. As a result, Lucknow’s chances of qualifying for the playoffs will be slim.
