The IPL points table is wide open with all 10 teams in the fray to secure a playoff place. While defending champions Gujarat Titans & Chennai Super Kings look comfortable, all other teams will have an intense fight for a top-four finish.
Let's look at the teams individually-
Gujarat Titans
Placed atop the IPL table
The Hardik Pandya-led side has 16 points after 11 games. They have won 8 and lost 3. While they are sitting in a comfortable position, a loss in all their games might pull them down to the 4th spot with their net run rate coming into play then.
Chennai Super Kings
Placed 2nd in the IPL table
Chennai have played 12 games- won 7 and lost 4. Their LSG game was washed out and both teams were awarded a point each. The MS Dhoni-led side has 15 points and apparently, one win from their remaining 2 games against Kolkata Knight Riders or Delhi Capitals will easily take them through.
Rajasthan Royals
Placed 3rd in the IPL table
Yashasvi Jaiswal with his sizzling 98 not only helped his side win by 9 wickets but also reshuffled the IPL points table. The Sanju Samson-led side now sit in 3rd spot with 6 wins and 6 losses. While they have 12 points, they'll need to win both their games aginst Bangalore and Punjab to make it to 16 points and ensure a top-four finish.
Mumbai Indians
Placed 4th in the IPL table
5-time champions Mumbai were pushed down by a spot to 4th by RR on the basis of NRR, which for Mumbai is -0.255 and Rajasthan's NRR after the prolific win became +0.634. Mumbai has won 6 out of the 11 games they have played. They, though have 12 points in hand, their negative net run rate might come to haunt them later in the tournament. Rohit Sharma's side still has 3 games in hand and a win by big margins in 2 of them will easily see them secure a top-four spot.
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Lucknow Super Giants
Placed 5th in the IPL points table
Lucknow have 11 points. 5 wins and as many losses, one of their games was washed out. After 11 matches, they have 3 games remaining and they cant afford to lose any game from hereon to qualify comfortably. The team has a +NRR ( 0.294) which would come handy for them in the fight for the fourth spot if in case they lose a match out of the remaining 3.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Placed 6th in the IPL points table
With 5 wins and 6 losses, the team has 10 points (NRR is -0.345). Faf du Plessis' team too needs to win all 3 of their remaining games to at least make their case for final four. Winning from huge margins can however help them better in securing the 3rd and 4th place in the points table.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Placed 7th in the IPL points table
The 9-wicket defeat against Rajasthan Royals knocked down Nitish Rana's team to the 7th spot. KKR have 5 wins and 7 losses. The team has only 2 games remaining and they need to buckle and win both the games with huge margins to at least make their claims on the 4th spot.
Punjab Kings
Placed 8th in the IPL points table
Punjab Kings have almost the same scenario as Kolkata, but the positive part to this is they have an extra game in hand. With 10 games in hand, after 5 wins and 6 losses Punjab have 10 points and a win in all four games will see them reach top 4.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Placed 9th in the IPl points table
With 8 points from 10 games, the road is tough for Sunrisers. The team has 4 games remaining and need to win all 4 games to reach the top 4.
Delhi Capitals
Placed 10th in the IPL points table
With just 4 wins from 11 games and a woefully low NRR, DC is heavily dependent on other teams. Apart from winning all their remaining game, 2 against Punjab and one against Chennai, they'll have to pray all results go their way.