OPINION
Follow UsOne of the most riveting franchise leagues in world cricket, the Indian Premier League, is heading into the business end, and the teams are fighting hard for a place in the final four.
After 48 games filled with ebbs and flows, we take a look at the qualification scenarios for each franchise and provide you with a detailed analysis on the way ahead for each team in the tournament.
We have not taken the Net Run Rate into consideration and will only analyse how the results of each game can affect the fortunes of the side and have an impact on their qualification.
Gujarat Titans
Matches - 10 | Wins - 8 | Losses - 2 | Points - 16 | Qualification probability - 99%
Historically, for a team to secure their place in the playoffs, they need to get to a minimum of 16 points, and the Hardik Pandya-led franchise has achieved the same after edging past the Royal Challengers Bangalore on 30th April at the Brabourne Stadium.
However, the Titans were handed a comprehensive eight-wicket defeat by the Punjab Kings in their last game. With four games remaining, the Titans will aim to get a couple of wins and consolidate their position on top of the points table, which will allow them two opportunities to get to the final.
Lucknow Super Giants
Matches - 10 | Wins - 7 | Losses - 3 | Points - 14 | Qualification probability - 96%
The newly-introduced franchise, the Lucknow Super Giants, have an all-around squad filled with match-winners, and the team has reaped massive dividends by winning seven out of their 10 league matches.
With KL Rahul at the helm, Lucknow recorded a six-run win against Delhi in a nail-biting encounter and will look to continue the momentum in the upcoming matches. Lucknow lock horns against the Knight Riders twice in their four remaining fixtures and will need a solitary win to reach 16 points and secure their place in the playoffs.
Rajasthan Royals
Matches - 10 | Wins - 6 | Losses - 4 | Points - 14 | Qualification probability - 63%
After starting the season in a commanding fashion, Rajasthan Royals endured heart-wrenching losses against the Mumbai Indians and the Kolkata Knight Riders in their last two matches.
With 12 points in 10 games, the Royals will need to win two out of their remaining four matches to progress to the last four. The Royals will look to make amends for their below-par performance in the last two games and get back to winning ways against the Punjab Kings in their upcoming clash.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Matches - 9 | Wins - 5 | Losses - 4 | Points - 10 | Qualification probability - 62%
The Orange Army have been the surprise package in this edition and won five out of their nine matches played thus far. Sunrisers are currently number four on the points table and need to win three out of their last five games to stand a chance of getting through to the playoffs.
Under the leadership of Kane Williamson, the Sunrisers won five consecutive games before losing to Gujarat Titans and the Chennai Super Kings. With the batting unit in sublime form ahead of their high-voltage clash against the Capitals, Hyderabad will be keen to maximise this in order to get over the line and inch closer to the playoffs.
Punjab Kings
Matches - 10 | Wins - 5 | Losses - 5 | Points - 10 | Qualification probability - 25%
With five wins in 10 matches, the fortunes of Punjab Kings are hanging by a thread as they need to win three out of the four games.
The Kings produced an all-around performance in their last game against the Gujarat Titans and recorded a commanding eight-wicket win at the DY Patil Stadium.
While their approach in the first half of the competition raised plenty of eyebrows, they tweaked their style of play in the second half of the tournament, which yielded massive results.
However, the team faces an uphill task of making it to the playoffs and will need their senior players to guide the team over the line in at least three out of the four matches.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Matches - 10 | Wins - 5 | Losses - 5 | Points - 10 | Qualification probability - 12%
Despite having a change of guard ahead of the season, Royal Challengers Bangalore have failed to perform to their potential and lost five out of the 10 league matches.
The Challengers face an uphill task of qualifying for the final four and need to win three out of their four remaining fixtures. The Faf du Plessis-led outfit endured a dismal outing and were bundled out for 68 runs against Sunrisers, which has also dented their Net Run Rate.
In case of multiple teams finishing on 16 points, the Red Army will need to also work on their Net Run Rate since it can boil down to the fine margins in deciding the final four.
Delhi Capitals
Matches - 9 | Wins - 4 | Losses - 5 | Points - 8 | Qualification probability - 35%
Delhi Capitals have blown hot and cold in the competition and will aim to get their campaign back on track in the upcoming five matches starting against Hyderabad. After losing to Lucknow in their last game, Delhi have eight points from nine matches and will need to win four out of the five games to stay in contention for the playoffs.
One of the positives for Rishabh Pant and the Delhi side is that the team have a Net Run Rate of +0.58, which is the best in the tournament, and they will only need to win matches and reach 16 points to stake a claim for themselves.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Matches - 10 | Wins - 4 | Losses - 6 | Points - 8 | Qualification probability - 4%
After five successive defeats, the Kolkata Knight Riders have finally managed to get out of the rut and registered a comprehensive seven-wicket win against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium.
The equation for the Knight Riders is simple as the boys in Purple and Gold need to win all their four remaining fixtures to stay alive in the tournament. Kolkata lock horns against the in-form Super Giants twice along with a game against Mumbai and Sunrisers and will need to win all four of these encounters to progress to the final four.
Chennai Super Kings
Matches - 9 | Wins - 3 | Losses - 6 | Points - 6 | Qualification probability - 2%
Defending champions, Chennai Super Kings, are languishing close to the bottom of the table with six points in nine matches. While they struggled to find the right combination all through the tournament, Chennai managed to produce a clinical performance against Sunrisers in their last game.
With MS Dhoni back at the helm, Chennai must win all their five matches to qualify for the playoffs. While it is not impossible to stage a turnaround, the Super Kings have plenty of challenges as they face Bangalore and Delhi in their upcoming two fixtures.
Mumbai Indians
Matches - 9 | Wins - 1 | Losses - 8 | Points - 2 | Qualification probability - 0%
In their ninth attempt, Mumbai Indians finally managed to get off the mark after recording a win against the Rajasthan Royals at the DY Patil Stadium. However, with only a solitary win in nine matches, the Rohit Sharma-led franchise has endured a dismal season and will be keen to erase the painful memories.
While they are knocked out of the competition, the team will look to showcase their potential in the remaining five matches and end the tournament on a high.
