Both Chennai and Lucknow will probably be praying that RCB lose against SRH: Aakash Chopra

The 65th game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 features a clash between the 2016 season champions Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Faf du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday, May 18.

The clash would be a must-win game for Royal Challengers Bangalore, as they are still looking to make their way into the knockout stages of the tournament. Bangalore currently sit in fifth place in the IPL points table with 12 points from 12 matches. However, if they do go on to win their next two games, they would finish the group stage with 16 points to their name, which could spell trouble for Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants.

Currently, Chennai and Lucknow occupy the second and third spots in the standings, respectively, with 15 points each to their names. Seeing such a tight battle in the points table, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra came forward and opined that both Chennai and Lucknow would be praying that Bangalore loses their forthcoming match.

"Both Chennai and Lucknow will probably be praying that Bangalore lose because as soon as they lose, the 'Q' will be put in front of their names because only one team will be able to reach 16 points, and that is Mumbai," Aakash Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel. 

Furthermore, Aakash Chopra also stated that Lucknow and Chennai would have nothing to worry about if Bangalore lose their clash against Hyderabad, as they would then finish with 14 points considering that they win their last game, and since both the second and third-placed teams on the table will have 15 points each, their qualification would be secured.

"Even if Bangalore win (their last game), they will be stopped at 14 only. Mumbai might also be stopped at 14. So a team on 14 might still qualify, but no one will be able to reach 15. Then Chennai's match against Delhi and Lucknow's match against Kolkata will become immaterial if Hyderabad win here," Aakash Chopra added.