With Gujarat Titans, Chennai Super KIngs and Lucknow Super Giants confirming their place in the IPL 2023 playoffs let's which team-- MI or RCB have more chances of grabbing the 4th spot.
While MI play SRH today, RCB will play defending champions Gujarat Titans.
If RCB lose their last league game and MI register a huge win, the Rohit Sharma-led side may easily enter playoffs. However, if RCB & Mumbai both win or lose their respective games, RCB might have the upper hand due to the difference in their NRR. While RCB NRR is +0.180, MI's in negative at -0.128.
If both teams lose their games, RR have a fair chance for the fourth spot as they are sitting currently at the 5th point with a better NRR than Mumbai Indians.
On the other hand, if MI lose and RCB win, Faf du Plessis' team will confirm their playoff berth.
Here's how the table & playoff berths look ahead of the last league games of the season---
Gujarat Titans
First spot in the IPL table
CONFIRMED
Chennai Super Kings
2nd spot in the IPL table
CONFIRMED
Lucknow Super Giants
Placed 3rd in the IPL points table
CONFIRMED
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Placed 4th in the IPL points table
RCB jumped to the 4th spot on the points table with an emphatic 8-wicket win over SRH and kept their playoff hopes alive. With 2 back to back huge wins, RCB boosted their NRR.
RCB playoff qualification scenarios
RCB have resurged again and can ensure a top 4 finish if they manage to beat Gujarat Titans in their final league game.
RCB's remaining fixture in IPL 2023: vs GT on May 21
Rajasthan Royals
Placed 5th in the IPL table
Rajasthan Royals pushed Mumbai back and reached the 5th spot on IPL 2023 points table after a 4-wicket win against Punjab Kings in their last league game. While 14 points are not sufficient to reach the top 4, Sanju Samson will now hope for other results to go in their favour.
If RCB & MI lose their final league game, RR might have a chance at the fourth spot on the basis of NRR difference.
Mumbai Indians
Placed 6th in the IPL table
Mumbai have won 7 out of the 13 games they have played. While they now have 14 points in hand, their negative net run rate might haunt them later in the tournament. MI have a lower NRR (-0.128).
MI IPL 2023 playoffs qualification scenarios
Mumbai's 5-run loss against LSG have put them in an unlikely place. They need to win their final game by a huge margin otherwise, they might not qualify for the top 4. Mumbai's low NRR could result in their elimination from IPL 2023 if teams are tied on 16 points.
Mumbai remaining fixtures: vs SRH on May 21
Kolkata Knight Riders
Placed 7th in the IPL points table
Kolkata kept their playoff hopes alive after beating Chennai in their own den. KKR have 12 points in 13 games, and they need to win their last league game and hope the other results in their favour. Qualifying with a total of 14 points seems difficult, given more than two teams could have 14 points after all their league games.
Meanwhile, defending champions Gujarat Titans with 18 points have already qualified for the IPL playoff.
Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad & Delhi Capitals
Sitting in 8th, 9th and 10th position in the IPL table all teams are knocked out.