IPL 2024 Points Table: The race is on. A month and 20 days gone, but we still have several stakeholders looking to stake their claims for those spots that take one into the tournament's business end - the Playoffs.
With Kolkata Knight Riders officially qualified and Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians officially eliminated, there are still seven teams in the reckoning for three remaining places even though we have only eight league games left (including the Gujarat Titans vs KKR clash on May 13).
Rajasthan Royals: RR sit healthily in the second place and have come very close to officially getting that 'Q' against their name, only to fall short at the end. RR have 16 points in 12 games and need only one win to confirm their place. If they win it, they stand a good chance of confirming a top-two finish too.
Chennai Super Kings: The win over Rajasthan Royals has come as a big relief for the defending champions. CSK now have 14 points in 13 matches and a win in their last game vs RCB on May 18 will almost confirm their place.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: The batting butchers of SRH have the luxury of an extra game over CSK with 14 points in 12 matches. If they win both - vs GT and PBKS - they will not only confirm their place but also be strong contenders for that top-two finish.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: RCB have made it five out of five wins in their second half of the tournament. They now have 12 points in 13 matches and their dream is looking a bit more realistic. But they still are not self-dependent. Even if they beat CSK in their last league game, RCB would not want any more than three teams to go over 14 points, which is out of their reach. The best case would be that only one of SRH, LSG or DC go beyond 14 points to sail through on NRR.
Delhi Capitals: A loss to RCB in Bengaluru has dented DC's chances to qualify. Plus their negative NRR of 0.482 is doing no better for them. DC have 12 points in 13 matches. They need to beat LSG by a big margin and hope no more than three teams go beyond 14.
Lucknow Super Giants: LSG are better placed than RCB and DC as they have 12 points in 12 games but their NRR of -0.769 is likely to hurt them. LSG can still reach 16 but if CSK would be there (if they beat RCB) and SRH win one of their two, LSG will find it very tough to reach the playoffs on NRR.
Gujarat Titans: The thinnest thread that a team is hanging by in the race for the playoffs is Gujarat Titans. GT have 10 points in 12 matches and even if they win their next two games - vs KKR and SRH - their NRR of -1.063 is set to haunt them. They have hopes to qualify on 14 (like RCB) but they need huge wins and pray for other results to fall their way to stand a chance to qualify.
