Delhi Capitals registered their last group match win against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday. The victory kept DCs hopes alive for a place in the top 4. However, their chances now depend on the results of the other contenders in the IPL points table. DC’s win over LSG paved the way for the Rajasthan Royals to qualify for the playoffs. The Royals joined the Kolkata Knight Riders in the list of qualifiers, leaving only two qualifying spots in the table.
The qualification scenario for DC requires the other teams to push the team’s 14-point envelope. Currently, the Rishabh Pant-led side has a net run rate of -0.377. The other contenders alongside them are Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru who are in a much favourable position to finish in the top 4 as they flaunt a much healthier NRR. While CSK can add to DC’s hopes with a win in their last match against RCB, the side would still want SRH to do the inevitable for them if they want to qualify.
The Orange Army is at no.4 with 14 points as well but they are still left with two matches and a win in both will propel them to 18 points. However, the Capitals would want the former champions to lose both their encounters and that too by a huge margin. SRH’s remaining two opponents, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans must score more than 200 runs on the board and defeat them by 100 runs or more. This will mean that the NRR of the former champions will fall below DC’s -0.377, opening the playoffs doors for the latter.
However, the situation may not be very likely as Hyderabad haven’t lost a game by such a huge deficit this season. With two games still left for them, the Orange Army will try and win both to strengthen their contention in the top 2. Additionally, they will also require the Rajasthan Royals to lose their remaining two matches and finish at 16 points.
As for CSK, they’ll need to register a win against RCB to be safely through to the top-4. However, even if they lose against the latter, they should ensure that is not by a margin greater than 17 runs. The five-time former champions can also finish in top-2 if SRH and RR lose their remaining matches.
SRH have two more matches to go. If they win at least one or there is a washout, then RCB’s road will be simple. They need to beat CSK by a minimum margin of 18 runs if they set a target of 200. In the case of chasing a target of 200, they must achieve victory within approximately 18.1 overs, which may vary slightly depending on the runs scored from the winning shot. However, if RCB’s victory margin is less, their qualification depends on SRH losing both their remaining matches, regardless of the margin, and staying at 14 points. Failing to win or a washout in the match against CSK would eliminate RCB from the tournament.
With the playoffs chances for all the teams being seemingly tight, CSK’s clash against RCB will be the showdown to decide the final four in the league.
