Just 8 days remain till the IPL playoffs get underway but only one team, KKR, has qualified so far. With one berth locked down, each passing moment, the decisive battle for the remaining three spots continues to get more and more aggressive.
Who will make it through and who will perish? Here is a quick breakdown of the seven contenders and how stubborn their final push needs to be.
For starters, this is what the points table currently looks like.
The Lucknow Super Giants had a golden chance of staying well and truly alive in the playoffs' race but Delhi Capitals beat them on Tuesday to move to the 5th spot with 14 points. They have played all of their games.
They leapfrogged the Royal Challengers Bengaluru who are now in the 6th spot but a win against the Chennai Super Kings on Saturday will give them the best chance of qualifying for the playoffs. They have 12 points from 13 games but have a very healthy net run rate.
LSG remained on the 7th position after a hat-trick of defeats. They have 12 points from 13 games and have a game in hand.
The Kolkata Knight Riders are at the top of the points table with just 3 losses in 13 games. They are guaranteed of a top 2 finish.
The Rajasthan Royals became the 2nd team to punch their ticket to the playoffs as DC beat LSG. They have 16 points and two games left.
CSK are in the 3rd spot with 14 points from 13 outings and need to win against RCB in order to qualify on their own.
4th-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad also have a bright chance to qualify as they are on 14 point with 2 games in hand.
The Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians and the Punjab Kings have been eliminated.
KKR and RR
KKR have guaranteed themselves of a top 2 finish with 19 points.
RR need a win to make the playoffs; if they lose last 2 games, they will make it on NRR-basis
CSK
The Chennai Super Kings took their points tally to 14 on Sunday and now need to win their last match against RCB to qualify.
SRH
The Sunrisers Hyderabad have 14 points and a win their remaining two games will seal their playoffs' spot.
RCB
RCB vs CSK game on Saturday becomes the most important clash of the season. The only way for RCB to qualify is by winning that fixture with a good margin. They would also have to hope that LSG don't win their 14th game handsomly.
DC
After 14 games DC are on 14 points and have an outside chance of finishing in top 4 if RCB lose their final game and SRH also go down in their last 2 games by huge margins.
LSG
LSG is hanging by a thread and need to win their final game by a huge margin to improve NRR and finish at 14 points.
They would also have to hope that RCB lose their 14th match and SRH have poor outings in their last 2 games.