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 12 games. GT who have 8 wins and 4 losses now will not suffer much because of the 27-run loss that they faced in their previous game against Mumbai. They are sitting in a comfortable position, but a loss in all their games might certainly 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.
Mumbai Indians
Placed 3rd in the IPL table
5-time champions Mumbai claimed back their 3rd spot with the win against Gujarat. The 27-run win also improved their NRR from -0.255 to -0.117. Mumbai has won 7 out of the 12 games they have played. While they now have 14 points in hand, their negative net run rate might come to haunt them later in the tournament. Rohit Sharma's side still has 2 games in hand and a win by big margins in 1 of them will easily see them secure a top-four spot.
Lucknow Super Giants
Placed 4th in the IPL points table
A 7-wicket win against SRH helped Lucknow accumulate 13 points from 12 games and the victory also helped the team jump to the 4th position in IPL table. They now have 2 games remaining and they can't afford to lose any game from hereon to qualify comfortably. The team has a +NRR ( 0.309) which would come handy for them in the fight for the fourth spot if in case they lose a match out of the remaining 2.
Rajasthan Royals
Placed 4th in the IPL table
MI & LSG's win pushed RR back to the 5th spot with 6 wins and 6 losses. While they have 12 points, they'll need to win both their games against Bangalore and Punjab to make it to 16 points and ensure a top-four finish.
Punjab Kings
Placed 6th in the IPL points table
After their 31-run win against DC, PBKS leapfrogged to the 6th position in IPL table with 6 losses and as many wins. The team needs to win both their matches against DC and RR to make a strong case for the 4th spot in the IPL table. If the wins are not by huge margins their negative NRR( -0.268) might pose a problem.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Placed 7th in the IPL points table
The team was pushed back to 7th place by PBKS. 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 the 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 8th in the IPL points table
KKR after Punjab's win were further pushed back to the 8th 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.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Placed 9th in the IPl points table
With 8 points from 11 games, the road is tough for Sunrisers. Having lost against LSG, the team now has 3 games remaining and they need to win all 3 games by really huge margins to at least get in the fight for the top 4.
Delhi Capitals
Placed 10th in the IPL points table
DC are apparently out of the race and are only dependent on how other teams fare. With just 4 wins from 12 games and a woefully low NRR (-0.686). Apart from winning all their remaining game, 1 against Punjab and one against Chennai, they'll have to pray all results to go their way.