While none of them are eliminated yet, the Chennai Super Kings have the greatest leeway, and the Rajasthan Royals’ route is rather clear.
Royals of Rajasthan
12, Points 12, Played 12, NRR 0.633
Rem mat: PBKS (a), RCB (h)
After five losses in their previous six games, the Rajasthan Royals put on a fantastic display against the Kolkata Knight Riders to get back on track, but they still have a ways to go before they can rest easy. The most points they can finish with if they lose to Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday is 14, so they will need a few of favorable outcomes to advance to the postseason.
Without the benefit of net run rates (NRR), they can still finish with 14, but five other teams might finish with 15 or more points, eliminating the Royals. However, the Royals now have an exceptional NRR of 0.633, second only to the Gujarat Titans, which might be useful if points start to run short.
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However, the Royals will virtually definitely qualify if they win both games. This is due to the fact that both of their games are against teams who must also win every game in order to finish in the top 16. If Titans, Chennai Super Kings, and Lucknow Super Giants finish with more than 16, it’s feasible that Royals and Mumbai Indians would battle for the fourth slot; nevertheless, in that scenario, Royals’ NRR (which is currently -0.117) will undoubtedly prevail over Mumbai Indians’.
Bangalore’s Royal Challengers
11, Played, 10 Points, -0.345 NRR
Rem mat: GT (h), RR (a), and SRH (a)
Although the Royal Challengers and the Royals both need to win all of their remaining games in order to finish on 16, there are two important distinctions: the former must win three straight games rather than two, and the latter’s net run rate is a pitiful -0.345.
Even if Royal Challengers win their next two games and finish with 14 points, they will most likely be eliminated if they lose on Sunday. This is due to the fact that three teams—the Titans, Super Kings, and at least one of the Mumbai Indians or Super Giants—will end with more than 14 points, and the Royals’ NRR will guarantee that they finish higher as well.
Six teams might finish with 16 or more points: Titans, Super Kings, Super Giants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers, and Punjab Kings. This means that even if Royal Challengers win all three, the outcome could still depend on NRRs.
Chennai Premier League
12, Played, 15, Points, 0.493 NRR
Rem mat: DC (a), KKR (h).
Chennai Super Kings will definitely make the playoffs if they defeat the Knight Riders, but a victory over them won’t guarantee a top-two finish as the Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians, and Lucknow Super Giants can all finish with 17 or more points.
Even if they fall short on Sunday, Super Kings will have another opportunity to reach 17 on May 20 when they play their last game in Delhi against the Delhi Capitals. But since four teams can finish with 16 or more points, they will be at the mercy of other outcomes if they lose both of these games.
Knight Riders of Kolkata
Points 10, Played 12, NRR -0.357
Remaining mat: LSG (h), CSK (a)
Knight Riders will still need other outcomes if they win their next two games to move their record to 14. In their ideal scenario, the Titans would triumph in their next two games, the Royal Challengers would defeat the Royals and then drop their next two, the Super Giants and Royals would lose their next two, and Punjab Kings would fall to the Delhi Capitals in their rematch on Wednesday. Following the qualification of Titans, Super Kings, and Mumbai Indians, Knight Riders and Punjab Kings will square off for the fourth berth with 14 points. As there is now little difference between their NRRs (-0.357 for KKR and -0.268 for Punjab Kings), Knight Riders will still need to win handily in order to increase their NRR.
