‘Itna twist to kisi bollywood movie me nahi hota’- Fans react to playoff scenario for teams in IPL 2023

The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League has almost reached its final stage with 64 matches played so far. The defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) are the first team to confirm their spot in the knockout stages of the tournament. However, the other three teams who will reach the playoffs are still to be decided with only six matches remaining in the league stage.

The teams like Delhi Capitals (DC) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are already out of the playoff race, while there are still seven teams left that are still in contention to make it into the top four. Despite getting knocked out of the tournament early, DC spoiled the party for Punjab Kings (PBKS) after they defeated them by 15 runs in match number 64 of the tournament in Dharamshala on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders also added more twist in the tale with a 6-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday. They still have a 4% chance to qualify.

With this loss, the qualification chances for PBKS have been reduced to 3% as they still remain in the eighth position at the points table after winning six out of 13 matches with a net run rate (NRR) of -0.308. PBKS will now lock horns with Rajasthan Royals (RR) for their last league match of the season on Friday. It will be a crucial encounter for both teams in order to provide them a slender chance to make it into the top four.

RR lost momentum in second half, CSK and LSG can qualify with 15 points

Talking about RR, the runners-up of the preceding season had a dramatic fall in the second half of the ongoing tournament. The inaugural champions were looking as one of the strong contenders to finish in the top four after winning four out of their first five matches. After that, RR lost momentum and went on to lose six out of their next eight matches. They lost also lost some close encounters including one where Mumbai Indians’ Tim David smashed Jason Holder for three consecutive sixes in the last over.

While in another game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) RR let the match go out of their hands after Sandeep Sharma bowled a no-ball on the final ball of the game, leading to a dramatic victory for SRH. However, RR are still in contention and have a 6 % chance to qualify for the playoffs with six wins from 13 matches with a positive NRR of 0.140.

Coming to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), they got a massive boost on their NRR with a 112-run win against RR in Jaipur. RCB still have a 36% chance to make it into the top four with two matches remaining against SRH and GT. They currently stand in the fifth position at the points table with six wins from 12 matches and an NRR of +0.166.

The five-time champions Mumbai Indians are currently standing in the fourth position with seven wins from 13 matches and have a 60% chance to qualify. Meanwhile, CSK and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are currently at 15-15 points each as a match between them was washed out due to rain. Both CSK and LSG have 96% and 95% chances respectively and SRH’s win over RCB will confirm the playoff qualification for both teams.