IPL 2020: Playoff scenarios for the team ahead of the final round of league phase

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is set for a blockbuster finish as only Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are sure of their future in the tournament at the end of 52nd match. As many as six teams will be fighting for three spots in the playoffs across the remaining four matches. The fate of four teams will get decided by the end of Monday’s game but the No.3 and No.4 ranked teams will be decided only after the last league game on Tuesday.

Here are the scenarios to be looked out ahead of the last four league matches in IPL 2020:

Match No.53 – CSK vs KXIP

Kings XI Punjab would only need to defeat Chennai Super Kings to enter the top four in the points table. KXIP not being in the playoffs will be possible only if Sunrisers win against MI and one of Kolkata and Rajasthan secure a huge victory. To be on the safe side, KXIP can win by 20-30 runs which will make things even tougher for the RR and KKR. Chennai Super Kings, on the other hand, will be hoping to avoid finishing at the bottom of the points table.

Super Kings, who failed to finish in final four for the first time in their IPL history, are likely to finish at the bottom position even if they beat Kings XI Punjab. However, a win by 32+ runs or 23+ balls can confirm their finish at No.7. CSK thus will be able to go ahead in the net run-rate of RR and KKR which will be enough for them to avoid finishing at No.8 for the first time ever.

Match No.54 – KKR vs RR:

A lot of mathematical calculations will be required during the match on Sunday night between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals. Both the teams are in a situation where a win won’t be enough to break into the final four. Currently, Rajasthan is about 56 runs behind the net run-rate of Delhi and Bangalore while Kolkata is about 80 runs behind. To be sure of their spot in the playoffs irrespective of the results of DC-RCB and SRH-MI, both the teams have to win by a very huge margin.

For Rajasthan, it will be 56+ runs and plus the margin KXIP will be defeating CSK. On the other hand, the equation for Kolkata will be 80+ runs and plus KXIP’s winning margin over CSK. If both KXIP and SRH lose their respective last matches, a win will be enough for RR and KKR to finish in top four. The two teams will be benefited even if only one of KXIP and SRH lose their last match and the one of DC and RCB go down by a huge margin on Monday.

Match No.55 – DC vs RCB:

The Monday’s game between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore will be an interesting clash. The winning team will not only seal their playoff berth but also will be playing the first qualifier against Mumbai Indians. The losing team, on the other hand, could well be knocked out of the tournament if KXIP and SRH secure wins against CSK and MI respectively.

Hence, they need at least one of those two teams to lose their last game and at the same time, hope either of Rajasthan and Kolkata secures a big win on Sunday. Currently, net run-rate of both DC and RCB is nearly the same but behind that of KXIP and SRH. If both the teams lose their respective last matches, the losing side of DC-RCB will be directly making it to the playoffs.

Match No.56 – SRH vs MI:

The equation in the final league match is quite simple for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. A win will put them in the playoffs while a defeat will see them on the flight with empty hands. Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, have confirmed their finishing as the table-toppers. However, they can aim to break their own record of highest net run-rate achieved in the league phase by any team in IPL history (+1.085 in 2010). For that to happen, Mumbai should not lose by more than 30 runs or 3.4 overs to spare.