Do you know? SRH is the only team to win IPL after playing Eliminator

Sunrisers Hyderabad will square off against Punjab Kings in the 70th and last league game of IPL 2022 on Sunday (May 22). The game is a dead rubber as both sides have been knocked out of the playoff contention and will be playing for pride. SRH, led by Kane Williamson, were in the driving seat with 10 points and needed three wins in their remaining seven games. But a woeful run that saw them lose five games on the bounce diminished their playoff hopes massively.

The current playoff format gives a deserved advantage to the sides finishing in the top 2 positions after the group stages. Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals will clash in qualifier 1 on Tuesday (24th May). The winner will book their place in the final, whereas the loser will get another shot at the finals as they will face the winner of the eliminator in qualifier 2.

Lucknow Supergiants and Royal challengers Bangalore finished in 3rd and 4th place respectively after the group stages. To lift the IPL 2022 trophy they will need to win three games on the trot, a feat achieved only once previously, by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016 under the able leadership of David Warner.

RCB and LSG will face off in the eliminator, and the winner will then face the loser of Qualifier 1 (Gujarat Titans or Rajasthan Royals) for a place in the final of IPL 2022. RCB and LSG have their work cut out as Gujarat and Rajasthan have looked in imperious form this year and they will need to bring their A-game if they want to make the finals.

Sunrisers’ insurmountable record

Coming back to SRH’s terrific run in IPL 2016, they defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Gujarat Lions (the now-defunct side) in the eliminator and qualifier 2 respectively. In the final, the Sunrisers posted a mammoth total of 208/7 in their 20 overs against Royal Challengers Bangalore and entrusted their bowlers to do the job for them. RCB gave it a proper go but fell short by eight runs as Sunrisers Hyderabad triumphed in the final.

SRH’s win meant that they became the first team ever to win the tournament after playing the eliminators, a record that still holds. IPL 2021 saw Kolkata Knight Riders take a similar route to that of SRH as they managed to win the eliminator and qualifier 2 after finishing fourth in the group stages of the tournament. But KKR failed to emulate SRH’s path as they fell short against MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings in the final.