Kolkata Knight Riders
It was a sheer downfall for Kolkata Knight Riders in the points table as the number of defeats piled up for them in the season. They were fifth after October 29 and slipped by a position until they hit rock bottom at the start of their must-win game against Rajasthan Royals in Dubai on Sunday. But an emphatic win by 60 runs helped them climb back to the fourth spot with a playoffs berth in the reckoning. Yet there would be some level of disappointment in the dugout.
Pat Cummins' new-ball burst that reduced Rajasthan to four down single-handedly ensured that they would get all the way to the second spot had they won by a margin of 82 runs or more with an NRR better than that of second-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore (NRR of -0.145) and third-placed Delhi Capitals (NRR of -0.159). But some late resistance from Rahul Tewatia and Jos Buttler ensured that the Royals would not allow them that pleasure despite going down in the battle.
KKR now stand fourth in the table with seven wins from 14 games. But their NRR of -0.214 means they still can be eliminated from the race to the playoffs. How?
RCB and DC face each other in Abu Dhabi on Monday in what has been termed as a virtual quarterfinal. The winner of the game will take the second spot irrespective of the NRR to stand a chance to play against Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 1.
For KKR to qualify, RCB need to lose to Delhi by 22 runs or more, or the Capitals need to beat Virat Kohli's men by 18 runs or more for Eoin Morgan's side to have a chance to sneak past the losing team and occupy the third spot.
KKR also need to ensure that Sunrisers Hyderabad, who stand fifth with six wins in 13 games and a healthy NRR of +0.555, lose to Mumbai Indians in the final league game of IPL 2020.
If SRH beat Mumbai, the battle for the fourth spot will be down to NRR to decide between KKR and the Capitals.
