IPL 2023: How can Sunrisers Hyderabad qualify for play-offs with just four games in hand?
SRH are placed ninth in the standings with eight points, courtesy of their four wins.
Aiden Markram-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) kickstarted their IPL 2023 campaign with two losses on the trot and then bounced back with two wins. Just when they seemed to be getting a hold of their season, winning back-to-back games, SRH lost four of their last six matches which now keeps them at the bottom half of the standings.
After a thrilling last-ball win against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Sunday, May 7, Markram and Co. are hanging by a slender thread with regards to the qualification for the play-offs. The underlying question remains- Can Sunrisers Hyderabad somehow manage to sneak in to find a spot in the IPL play-offs?
Much like Delhi, the orange outfit too has an outside chance of making it to the top-four. Though they are massively reliant on results of other teams’ fixtures, SRH must first win all of their remaining games to make a case for the play-offs.
SRH’s remaining fixtures:
May 13: vs Lucknow Super Giants (home)
May 15: vs Gujarat Titans (away)
May 18: vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (home)
May 21: vs Mumbai Indians (away)
After a win against the Royals, SRH are placed ninth in the standings with eight points, courtesy of their four wins and have dismal Net Run Rate (NRR) of -0.472. Mathematically speaking, if SRH win the remainder of their four games, they will conclude the season with 16 points off the 14 group matches.
Notably, Gujarat have virtually cemented their spot in the play-offs with 16 points and three games remaining. Moreover, CSK and LSG are placed in the second and third place with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Therefore, SRH will need to aim for the fourth place to if they are to sneak their way into the last four.
The worrisome aspect for SRH is that RR, RCB, MI, and PBKS share a 10-point traffic jam, ranging from the fourth to the seventh position, only differing by the NRR. In addition to this, the aforementioned teams have three to four fixtures in hand and are also eyeing for the third and fourth spot.
SRH will need to avoid losing even a single match from here-on and win their games with humongous margins if they want to keep their chances alive. Moreover, assuming any of the four teams between RR, RCB, MI, and PBKS win two or more games, SRH will be eliminated from the competition.
Click to read: IPL Points Table
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