Gujarat Titans' (GT) below-average campaign continued in Ahmedabad on Sunday, April 28 as the Shubman Gill-led side suffered its sixth loss in the 2024 edition of the IPL and is now on the brink of early elimination after two consecutive seasons of making it to the final in the cash-rich league. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) swatted the Titans aside like a fly out of coffee, chasing down 201 runs in just 16 overs in a brutal display of hitting by Will Jacks and Virat Kohli, which helped them notch up their third win of the competition.
So how does the race for the playoffs look like with four teams already on the brink of an elimination with just 46 games into the tournament? Rajasthan Royals have all but qualified for the playoffs, a 'Q' of formality is only left to be put against their name. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Delhi Capitals have accumulated 10 points each. However, KKR have played one less game and Delhi have already lost five.
Hence, the Capitals have the least room to play with while all four of KKR, CSK, SRH and LSG can breathe easy as of now. The remaining four teams are all in the must-win zone. The Titans, Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians all have lost six games and need to win all of their remaining matches to have a chance to qualify for the playoffs. Wins in the rest of the games will help them get to 16 points which should be enough for them to qualify for the playoffs.
However, the schedule isn't easy for any of the sides. Punjab are set to play CSK twice and the likes of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals too while Mumbai Indians too have to face the Orange Army once and the Kolkata Knight Riders apart from a couple of games against the Lucknow Super Giants. The Titans too play three of the top four teams currently except the table-toppers RR.
Hence, none of GT, PBKS or MI can afford to drop even a single game, otherwise, they will most likely be out of the race. RCB, who have already alive in the tournament by the skin of their teeth, have to keep winning to be in with a mathematical chance but for all practical purposes, they are already eliminated given they can only reach 14 points.
