In the first match of the doubleheader on Sunday, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by seven wickets at Chepauk to mathematically keep themselves in the running for the IPL 2023 play-offs. Since we haven’t yet identified the first team to advance to the next round of the competition, the battle for the final four has heated up.
The Gujarat Titans, captained by Hardik Pandya, are in the best position to go to the last four; a victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday at the Narendra Modi Stadium will seal their fate. In order to stay in the tournament, Sunrisers Hyderabad, who will face off against the reigning champions, will also be looking for success.
SRH still has three games left, and winning all three will keep the team in the running for a playoff spot. In addition to victories, the net run rate may also be important since it seems likely that a few teams will settle at 14 points after the league stage. In the opening match on Sunday, Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Rajasthan Royals by 112 runs.
The victory has improved RCB’s net run rate, moving them up to fifth place in the standings, but their prospects of making the playoffs hinge on their next two games. Nothing except a win for RCB against SRH and Gujarat Titans would increase their chances of being selected for the final four.
On the other side, Rajasthan Royals’ chances of making the playoffs have been jeopardized by the loss to RCB. The most points they can score is 14, which shouldn’t be enough as Lucknow Super Giants and RCB are both capable of scoring more. Mumbai Indians, on the other side, have two more games remaining and already have 14 points.
LSG has 13 points after 12 games, and their next two games are against KKR and Mumbai Indians. Gujarat, Chennai, and Mumbai are now in the top 3 spots, thus RCB and LSG are expected to engage in a fierce battle to determine the fourth team. The only team that has been eliminated from the playoff race so far is the David Warner-led Delhi Capitals.
