The eleventh edition of the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/category/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Premier League</a> (IPL) has reached the climax now. Fifty-one games have been played and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are topping the table at the moment with 18 points in 13 matches. They lost their last two games against Chennai Super King (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after qualifying for the playoffs.

CSK is the only other team to have qualified for the last-four stage although it is still not clear who will be finishing as the first, second, third and fourth teams, in that order before the playoffs begin. Till about midway, this year’s IPL was looking far too predictable with three teams rushing ahead while three others lagging behind but the last 10 days or so has seen the equations changing fast as all except Delhi Daredevils (DD) remained in the hunt for a place in the top four.

IPL 11 now has five matches remaining in the league stages and they will be played over this weekend. Supporters of seven teams except DD who have been knocked out will be keeping a close watch on their favourite side’s performances in their final game of the tournament (besides CSK, DD has two games among these last five and even their supporters will be expecting a couple of wins so that Shreyas Iyer’s side at least end the disappointing campaign with two-digit points).

Now, let’s have a look at the final five games and what would their outcomes mean for the teams – both for the playing ones and others since at this stage, one result can affect the chances of even teams not playing that very game.

1. Delhi Daredevils vs Chennai Super Kings in Delhi on May 18

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-251197" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Chennai-Super-Kings-1.jpg" alt="Chennai Super Kings" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-251197" class="wp-caption-text">Chennai Super Kings&#8217; Shardul Thakur celebrates fall of Kane Williamson&#8217;s wicket. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption>

CSK had won their first game in Pune by 13 runs on April 30 after DD valiantly ran after the target of 212, thanks to Rishabh Pant’s 45-ball 79. This time, DD will be taking on MS Dhoni’s men at home with an aim of salvaging some pride. Though with 6 points, even a win will not change DD’s position (8th) in the points table.

A CSK win, on the other hand, will make their race with SRH for the top slot interesting. Both teams, in that case, will have 18 points from 13 games and with their net run-rate (NRR) difference also not much (CSK better by +0.064), it will go down to the last games of both CSK (against Kings XI Punjab) and SRH (against Kolkata Knight Riders) to decide the No.1 and No. 2 rank holders. Nevertheless, they both look favourites to take on each other in the first playoff at the Wankhede Stadium on May 22.

2. Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Jaipur on May 19 (1st game of the day)

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-252596" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Royal-Challenger-Bangalore.jpg" alt="Royal Challengers Bangalore" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-252596" class="wp-caption-text">Royal Challengers Bangalore&#8217;s Yuzuvendra Chahal celebrates fall of Shikhar Dhawan&#8217;s wicket. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption>

This will be one of the games to look forward to in the dying stages. Both the Royals raised their games towards the later stages to boost their chances for the playoffs after an inconsistent first half. Now, with both teams tied at 12 points from 13 games, it is virtually a do-or-die for both teams.

Although the winner of this game will still have to wait for other match results to know their fate, the loser will certainly be eliminated. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have a better NRR (+0.264) than Rajasthan Royals (RR) (-0.399) and a win for them in Jaipur would keep them in the real hunt for the playoffs. For Ajinkya Rahane’s side, the absence of Jos Buttler who has returned to England to carry out national duty will be a blow. In their previous game in Bengaluru on April 15, RR won by 19 runs, thanks to a brilliant 92 not out off 45 balls by Sanju Samson.

3. Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Hyderabad on May 19 (2nd game of the day)

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-251996" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Chris-Lynn-Sunil-Narine.jpg" alt="Chris Lynn" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-251996" class="wp-caption-text">Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn of Kolkata Knight Riders. (Photo by Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS)</figcaption>

They last met in this tournament more than a month ago and it was SRH’s bowling prowess which had choked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in front of their home crowd. Dinesh Karthik’s side did well to return to the reckoning for the playoffs after the heavy hammering they received from Mumbai Indians (MI) recently but they would have to clinch an outright win to make the playoffs, probably as the third team. They have 14 points from 13 games at the moment.

A loss would still keep them in the hunt pointwise but their NRR is still poor (-0.09) because of that thumping and KKR are less likely to qualify on basis of that. For SRH, a loss would not mean anything in terms of points but they would look to return to the winning ways before taking the field for the playoffs.

Kolkata and Hyderabad have a unique rivalry in the dying stages of the IPL. In 2016, SRH beat KKR by 22 runs in the eliminator to proceed to the next stage. In 2017, KKR thumped them by 7 wickets in the same eliminator to advance to the second qualifier.

4. Delhi vs Mumbai in Delhi on May 20 (1st game of the day)

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-252312" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mumbai-Indians-3.jpg" alt="Mumbai Indians" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-252312" class="wp-caption-text">Mumbai Indians celebrate fall of Chris Gayle&#8217;s wicket. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption>

MI had a horrible start to their defending campaign this year but somehow clung on to it and are still in the hunt for the playoffs. MI have 12 points from 13 games at the moment and a win against DD would make them a strong contender for the playoffs, all the more because they have a better NRR, in fact, the best in the tournament (+0.384). Rohit Sharma’s side will be a lucky one to go through if a lot of teams end up with 14 points in their pursuit of the playoffs.

But if DD win it (they beat MI by 7 wickets in their previous encounter in Mumbai on April 14), then it’s all over for MI’s title defence bid. A Delhi win though will not make any difference for the home team apart from scuttling Mumbai’s chances.

5. Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings  in Pune on May 20 (2nd game of the day)

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-252326" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Andrew-Tye-3.jpg" alt="Andrew Tye" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-252326" class="wp-caption-text">Kings XI Punjab&#8217;s Andrew Tye celebrates fall of Evin Lewis&#8217; wicket. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption>

MS Dhoni will be eager to avenge the 4-run loss against KXIP in Mohali on April 14 for it was him who was left stranded at the wicket, something unusual for the master of this format. CSK’s advantage is that they can see the result of the SRH-KKR game a day earlier to decide their final game’s strategy.

Though it doesn’t make much of a difference if a team finishes either first or second for in either case, they will get the chance of playing the second qualifier in case they lose the first, but Dhoni’s men in yellow will still be striving for that first slot in the tournament in which they are playing again after two years.

For Punjab, however, it has been a downhill slide from the middle phase. Till about the sixth game, Ravichandran Ashwin’s side was among the top two teams (the other being CSK) but then they lost six of their next seven games and are languishing at No. 7 with 12 points in 13 games with the worst NRR of -0.490 (even DD’s NRR is -0.478). Punjab have made the last four stage only twice in 10 attempts and they would have to win really, really big against a strong CSK if they fancy their third qualification for the next round.

Stay updated on &#8216;<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">today&#8217;s cricket news</a>&#8216; with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CricTracker.com</a>.

The eleventh edition of the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/category/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Premier League</a> (IPL) has reached the climax now. Fifty-one games have been played and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are topping the table at the moment with 18 points in 13 matches. They lost their last two games against Chennai Super King (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after qualifying for the playoffs. 
CSK is the only other team to have qualified for the last-four stage although it is still not clear who will be finishing as the first, second, third and fourth teams, in that order before the playoffs begin. Till about midway, this year’s IPL was looking far too predictable with three teams rushing ahead while three others lagging behind but the last 10 days or so has seen the equations changing fast as all except Delhi Daredevils (DD) remained in the hunt for a place in the top four.
IPL 11 now has five matches remaining in the league stages and they will be played over this weekend. Supporters of seven teams except DD who have been knocked out will be keeping a close watch on their favourite side’s performances in their final game of the tournament (besides CSK, DD has two games among these last five and even their supporters will be expecting a couple of wins so that Shreyas Iyer’s side at least end the disappointing campaign with two-digit points).
Now, let’s have a look at the final five games and what would their outcomes mean for the teams – both for the playing ones and others since at this stage, one result can affect the chances of even teams not playing that very game.
<h3>1. Delhi Daredevils vs Chennai Super Kings in Delhi on May 18</h3>
<figure id="attachment_251197" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-251197" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-251197" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Chennai-Super-Kings-1.jpg" alt="Chennai Super Kings" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-251197" class="wp-caption-text">Chennai Super Kings’ Shardul Thakur celebrates fall of Kane Williamson’s wicket. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
CSK had won their first game in Pune by 13 runs on April 30 after DD valiantly ran after the target of 212, thanks to Rishabh Pant’s 45-ball 79. This time, DD will be taking on MS Dhoni’s men at home with an aim of salvaging some pride. Though with 6 points, even a win will not change DD’s position (8th) in the points table. 
A CSK win, on the other hand, will make their race with SRH for the top slot interesting. Both teams, in that case, will have 18 points from 13 games and with their net run-rate (NRR) difference also not much (CSK better by +0.064), it will go down to the last games of both CSK (against Kings XI Punjab) and SRH (against Kolkata Knight Riders) to decide the No.1 and No. 2 rank holders. Nevertheless, they both look favourites to take on each other in the first playoff at the Wankhede Stadium on May 22.

<h3>2. Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Jaipur on May 19 (1st game of the day)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_252596" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-252596" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-252596" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Royal-Challenger-Bangalore.jpg" alt="Royal Challengers Bangalore" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-252596" class="wp-caption-text">Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Yuzuvendra Chahal celebrates fall of Shikhar Dhawan’s wicket. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
This will be one of the games to look forward to in the dying stages. Both the Royals raised their games towards the later stages to boost their chances for the playoffs after an inconsistent first half. Now, with both teams tied at 12 points from 13 games, it is virtually a do-or-die for both teams. 
Although the winner of this game will still have to wait for other match results to know their fate, the loser will certainly be eliminated. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have a better NRR (+0.264) than Rajasthan Royals (RR) (-0.399) and a win for them in Jaipur would keep them in the real hunt for the playoffs. For Ajinkya Rahane’s side, the absence of Jos Buttler who has returned to England to carry out national duty will be a blow. In their previous game in Bengaluru on April 15, RR won by 19 runs, thanks to a brilliant 92 not out off 45 balls by Sanju Samson.

<h3>3. Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Hyderabad on May 19 (2nd game of the day)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_251996" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-251996" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-251996" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Chris-Lynn-Sunil-Narine.jpg" alt="Chris Lynn" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-251996" class="wp-caption-text">Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn of Kolkata Knight Riders. (Photo by Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS)</figcaption></figure>
They last met in this tournament more than a month ago and it was SRH’s bowling prowess which had choked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in front of their home crowd. Dinesh Karthik’s side did well to return to the reckoning for the playoffs after the heavy hammering they received from Mumbai Indians (MI) recently but they would have to clinch an outright win to make the playoffs, probably as the third team. They have 14 points from 13 games at the moment.
A loss would still keep them in the hunt pointwise but their NRR is still poor (-0.09) because of that thumping and KKR are less likely to qualify on basis of that. For SRH, a loss would not mean anything in terms of points but they would look to return to the winning ways before taking the field for the playoffs.
Kolkata and Hyderabad have a unique rivalry in the dying stages of the IPL. In 2016, SRH beat KKR by 22 runs in the eliminator to proceed to the next stage. In 2017, KKR thumped them by 7 wickets in the same eliminator to advance to the second qualifier.

<h3>4. Delhi vs Mumbai in Delhi on May 20&nbsp;(1st game of the day)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_252312" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-252312" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-252312" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mumbai-Indians-3.jpg" alt="Mumbai Indians" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-252312" class="wp-caption-text">Mumbai Indians celebrate fall of Chris Gayle’s wicket. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
MI had a horrible start to their defending campaign this year but somehow clung on to it and are still in the hunt for the playoffs. MI have 12 points from 13 games at the moment and a win against DD would make them a strong contender for the playoffs, all the more because they have a better NRR, in fact, the best in the tournament (+0.384). Rohit Sharma’s side will be a lucky one to go through if a lot of teams end up with 14 points in their pursuit of the playoffs. 
But if DD win it (they beat MI by 7 wickets in their previous encounter in Mumbai on April 14), then it’s all over for MI’s title defence bid. A Delhi win though will not make any difference for the home team apart from scuttling Mumbai’s chances.

<h3>5. Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings&nbsp; in Pune on May 20&nbsp;(2nd game of the day)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_252326" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-252326" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-252326" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Andrew-Tye-3.jpg" alt="Andrew Tye" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-252326" class="wp-caption-text">Kings XI Punjab’s Andrew Tye celebrates fall of Evin Lewis’ wicket. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
MS Dhoni will be eager to avenge the 4-run loss against KXIP in Mohali on April 14 for it was him who was left stranded at the wicket, something unusual for the master of this format. CSK’s advantage is that they can see the result of the SRH-KKR game a day earlier to decide their final game’s strategy. 
Though it doesn’t make much of a difference if a team finishes either first or second for in either case, they will get the chance of playing the second qualifier in case they lose the first, but Dhoni’s men in yellow will still be striving for that first slot in the tournament in which they are playing again after two years. 
For Punjab, however, it has been a downhill slide from the middle phase. Till about the sixth game, Ravichandran Ashwin’s side was among the top two teams (the other being CSK) but then they lost six of their next seven games and are languishing at No. 7 with 12 points in 13 games with the worst NRR of -0.490 (even DD’s NRR is -0.478). Punjab have made the last four stage only twice in 10 attempts and they would have to win really, really big against a strong CSK if they fancy their third qualification for the next round.
Stay updated on ‘<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">today’s cricket news</a>‘ with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CricTracker.com</a>.

The eleventh edition of the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/category/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Premier League</a> (IPL) has reached the climax now. Fifty-one games have been played and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are topping the table at the moment with 18 points in 13 matches. They lost their last two games against Chennai Super King (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after qualifying for the playoffs. 
CSK is the only other team to have qualified for the last-four stage although it is still not clear who will be finishing as the first, second, third and fourth teams, in that order before the playoffs begin. Till about midway, this year’s IPL was looking far too predictable with three teams rushing ahead while three others lagging behind but the last 10 days or so has seen the equations changing fast as all except Delhi Daredevils (DD) remained in the hunt for a place in the top four.
IPL 11 now has five matches remaining in the league stages and they will be played over this weekend. Supporters of seven teams except DD who have been knocked out will be keeping a close watch on their favourite side’s performances in their final game of the tournament (besides CSK, DD has two games among these last five and even their supporters will be expecting a couple of wins so that Shreyas Iyer’s side at least end the disappointing campaign with two-digit points).
Now, let’s have a look at the final five games and what would their outcomes mean for the teams – both for the playing ones and others since at this stage, one result can affect the chances of even teams not playing that very game.
<h3>1. Delhi Daredevils vs Chennai Super Kings in Delhi on May 18</h3>
<figure id="attachment_251197" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-251197" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-251197" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Chennai-Super-Kings-1.jpg" alt="Chennai Super Kings" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-251197" class="wp-caption-text">Chennai Super Kings&#8217; Shardul Thakur celebrates fall of Kane Williamson&#8217;s wicket. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
CSK had won their first game in Pune by 13 runs on April 30 after DD valiantly ran after the target of 212, thanks to Rishabh Pant’s 45-ball 79. This time, DD will be taking on MS Dhoni’s men at home with an aim of salvaging some pride. Though with 6 points, even a win will not change DD’s position (8th) in the points table. 
A CSK win, on the other hand, will make their race with SRH for the top slot interesting. Both teams, in that case, will have 18 points from 13 games and with their net run-rate (NRR) difference also not much (CSK better by +0.064), it will go down to the last games of both CSK (against Kings XI Punjab) and SRH (against Kolkata Knight Riders) to decide the No.1 and No. 2 rank holders. Nevertheless, they both look favourites to take on each other in the first playoff at the Wankhede Stadium on May 22.

<h3>2. Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Jaipur on May 19 (1st game of the day)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_252596" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-252596" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-252596" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Royal-Challenger-Bangalore.jpg" alt="Royal Challengers Bangalore" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-252596" class="wp-caption-text">Royal Challengers Bangalore&#8217;s Yuzuvendra Chahal celebrates fall of Shikhar Dhawan&#8217;s wicket. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
This will be one of the games to look forward to in the dying stages. Both the Royals raised their games towards the later stages to boost their chances for the playoffs after an inconsistent first half. Now, with both teams tied at 12 points from 13 games, it is virtually a do-or-die for both teams. 
Although the winner of this game will still have to wait for other match results to know their fate, the loser will certainly be eliminated. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have a better NRR (+0.264) than Rajasthan Royals (RR) (-0.399) and a win for them in Jaipur would keep them in the real hunt for the playoffs. For Ajinkya Rahane’s side, the absence of Jos Buttler who has returned to England to carry out national duty will be a blow. In their previous game in Bengaluru on April 15, RR won by 19 runs, thanks to a brilliant 92 not out off 45 balls by Sanju Samson.

<h3>3. Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Hyderabad on May 19 (2nd game of the day)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_251996" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-251996" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-251996" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Chris-Lynn-Sunil-Narine.jpg" alt="Chris Lynn" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-251996" class="wp-caption-text">Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn of Kolkata Knight Riders. (Photo by Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS)</figcaption></figure>
They last met in this tournament more than a month ago and it was SRH’s bowling prowess which had choked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in front of their home crowd. Dinesh Karthik’s side did well to return to the reckoning for the playoffs after the heavy hammering they received from Mumbai Indians (MI) recently but they would have to clinch an outright win to make the playoffs, probably as the third team. They have 14 points from 13 games at the moment.
A loss would still keep them in the hunt pointwise but their NRR is still poor (-0.09) because of that thumping and KKR are less likely to qualify on basis of that. For SRH, a loss would not mean anything in terms of points but they would look to return to the winning ways before taking the field for the playoffs.
Kolkata and Hyderabad have a unique rivalry in the dying stages of the IPL. In 2016, SRH beat KKR by 22 runs in the eliminator to proceed to the next stage. In 2017, KKR thumped them by 7 wickets in the same eliminator to advance to the second qualifier.

<h3>4. Delhi vs Mumbai in Delhi on May 20 (1st game of the day)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_252312" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-252312" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-252312" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mumbai-Indians-3.jpg" alt="Mumbai Indians" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-252312" class="wp-caption-text">Mumbai Indians celebrate fall of Chris Gayle&#8217;s wicket. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
MI had a horrible start to their defending campaign this year but somehow clung on to it and are still in the hunt for the playoffs. MI have 12 points from 13 games at the moment and a win against DD would make them a strong contender for the playoffs, all the more because they have a better NRR, in fact, the best in the tournament (+0.384). Rohit Sharma’s side will be a lucky one to go through if a lot of teams end up with 14 points in their pursuit of the playoffs. 
But if DD win it (they beat MI by 7 wickets in their previous encounter in Mumbai on April 14), then it’s all over for MI’s title defence bid. A Delhi win though will not make any difference for the home team apart from scuttling Mumbai’s chances.

<h3>5. Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings  in Pune on May 20 (2nd game of the day)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_252326" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-252326" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-252326" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Andrew-Tye-3.jpg" alt="Andrew Tye" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-252326" class="wp-caption-text">Kings XI Punjab&#8217;s Andrew Tye celebrates fall of Evin Lewis&#8217; wicket. (Photo by IANS)</figcaption></figure>
MS Dhoni will be eager to avenge the 4-run loss against KXIP in Mohali on April 14 for it was him who was left stranded at the wicket, something unusual for the master of this format. CSK’s advantage is that they can see the result of the SRH-KKR game a day earlier to decide their final game’s strategy. 
Though it doesn’t make much of a difference if a team finishes either first or second for in either case, they will get the chance of playing the second qualifier in case they lose the first, but Dhoni’s men in yellow will still be striving for that first slot in the tournament in which they are playing again after two years. 
For Punjab, however, it has been a downhill slide from the middle phase. Till about the sixth game, Ravichandran Ashwin’s side was among the top two teams (the other being CSK) but then they lost six of their next seven games and are languishing at No. 7 with 12 points in 13 games with the worst NRR of -0.490 (even DD’s NRR is -0.478). Punjab have made the last four stage only twice in 10 attempts and they would have to win really, really big against a strong CSK if they fancy their third qualification for the next round.
Stay updated on &#8216;<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">today&#8217;s cricket news</a>&#8216; with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CricTracker.com</a>.

While KXIP’s chances look slim, MI and RCB could make the last four, thanks to their good net run-rates.

IPL 2018 reaches climax: An overview of final 5 league matches

The eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has reached the climax now. Fifty-one games have been played and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are top..