After a fiercely competitive group stage fixtures, the 12th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is reaching its business end. Sunrisers Hyderabad qualified for the playoffs last night after Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a heavy defeat to Mumbai Indians in the final league game of the season.
Mumbai Indians finished at the top of the table, while Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings stood at second. Delhi Capitals finally performed true to their capabilities as the side finished in top-4 for the first time since 2012.
As we enter the final stages of the IPL, here’s your guide to everything you need to know for the upcoming playoffs and the final.
Qualifier 1:
The qualifier will be played between the top-2 teams of the league phase i.e., Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. While Rohit Sharma’s men picked up pace after a shaky start to the season, Chennai were given a reality-check in yesterday’s game against Kings XI Punjab.
Super Kings’ bowling attack took a hefty pounding as Kings XI chased down 171 with two overs to spare. The side’s record against Mumbai Indians doesn’t inspire confidence either, as CSK are yet to beat MI this season.
The losing side in the Qualifier 1 will get another shot at making it to the final as the team will take on the winners of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2.
Here are the full details about where and when to watch the Qualifier 1:
- Date – May 7, 2019
- Time: 7:30 PM IST
- Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
- TV broadcast: Star Sports network
- Online streaming: Hotstar
Eliminator:
Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad will take each other on in the eliminator of IPL 2019.
Capitals - A rebranded franchise, with a new name, new players and new additions to the coaching staff impressed the fans and experts alike with their performances this season. The side finished with same points as MI and CSK but fell behind on NRR.
Sunrisers, meanwhile, have had a scratchy season and the departure of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow has further weakened the side. While Delhi Capitals look stronger on paper, their inexperience in playing high-pressure games may come back to bite them.
Here are the full details about where and when to watch the Eliminator.
- Date: May 8
- Time: 7:30 PM IST
- Venue: VDCA Cricket Stadium, Vishakhapatnam
- TV Broadcast: Star Sports Network
- Online streaming: Hotstar
Qualifier 2:
The second qualifier will be played between the loser of Qualifier 1 and the winner of Eliminator. The match will decide the second finalist of the IPL 2019.
Here are the full details about where and when to watch the Qualifier 2.
- Date: May 10
- Time: 7:30 PM IST
- Venue: VDCA Cricket Stadium, Vishakhapatnam
- TV Broadcast: Star Sports Network
- Online streaming: Hotstar
