IPL : Playoffs race going down to the wire
As the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 nears its end, the stakes get higher.
Royal Challengers Bangalore's win against Titans has tightened the race Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans (GT) became the first team to qualify for the IPL 2022 playoffs, followed by KL Rahul's Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Four matches remain in the league stage, along with 16 possible result combinations. The statistics are siding with one team, and two more are trailing closely. However, three teams will not make it to the playoffs, leaving five teams still in the bid to capture the remaining two slots.
Gujarat Titans to advance to the playoffs with Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants.
As of now, Gujrat Titans is sure to advance to the playoffs, while Mumbai Indians (MI), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have exited the race. Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Punjab Kings (PBK) have a 12.5% chance of surviving the league stage. The winner of their last game against each other will determine the team that pulls through. If Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) lose their final match to GT and Delhi Capitals (DC) lose to MI, the winner of the SRH-PBKS game will finish with 14 points and be joint fourth with DC and RCB.
Royal Challengers Bangalore's win against Titans has tightened the race
DC might make it to the top four, and their chances will increase if they win their last game against MI. If RR and RCB lose their games against CSK and GT, DC will finish joint third on 16 points with RR and advance to the playoffs. Even if they lose their last match, they will finish joint fourth if GT beats RCB. Because of this, RCB needs to win their last game and hope that RR and DC will lose to CSK and MI, respectively. They will then finish at the third spot at 16 points with RR.
Even if they lose their last game, they could finish joint fourth with DC and the team that wins the SRH-PBKS match. Similarly, RR will secure the second or third on the points table. If they win against CSK, they will finish joint second on 18 points with LSG. Upon losing, they will still occupy the sole third spot or tie for the third spot with RCB, DC, or both. A three-way tie could demand a comparison between their net run rates. Furthermore, LSG will take the second spot if CSK beats RR or may finish joint second with RR if they defeat CSK.