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IPL 2024 Playoffs: We are into the business end of the IPL 2024 and the race to reach the playoffs is getting interesting. Only KKR has officially qualified for the IPL 2024 playoffs. A few more teams are in the hunt and in a good position to make it to the playoffs. Out of those teams, two of the teams who can still make it to the playoffs are RCB and CSK. Both teams have only one league game left and will play against each other. Today, we will discuss all the scenarios regarding RCB’s and CSK’s qualification in IPL 2024 playoffs.
RCB vs CSK – A virtual eliminator for RCB
Currently, RCB is sitting at No. 5 in the IPL 2024 points table with 6 wins in 13 games. They made a strong comeback in the tournament by winning the last 5 back-to-back games. At one stage, they were at the bottom of the points table with only one win in 8 games.
Now, they have a game left against CSK in the league stage, which will be a virtual eliminator for them. If RCB loses that game, they will be out of the IPL 2024 playoffs race.
Not just a win, RCB needs to win by a fair margin so that they can better their net run rate (NRR) than CSK. The equations are not clear on how much margin is needed for RCB, but for example, if they bat first, they need to win by 18 runs or more. And if they bat second, they need to chase down a target with 2 overs to spare.
NOTE: This is just a fair idea of the margin equation for RCB and not a proper equation.
On the other hand, CSK currently is at No. 3 in the points table with 7 wins in 13 games. They also have only one game left which will be that game against RCB. Even if they lose that game, they can still qualify for the playoffs. Let us now discuss all the possible scenarios for both teams.
How RCB can qualify for the IPL 2024 playoffs?
Firstly, RCB needs to beat CSK by a fair margin in their last game so that they can reach 14 points. In that case, CSK will also finish with 14 points in the table.
RCB wants LSG to lose at least one game
After RCB wins, they would want Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to lose at least one of their remaining two games in the league stage.
In that case, RCB will finish with 14 points with a better NRR than CSK. Also, LSG will only be able to reach 14 points as well but their NRR is negative (-0.769).
If not LSG, RCB would want SRH to lose both their games
If RCB wins their last game and LSG also wins their last two games, RCB needs SRH to lose both of their remaining fixtures in the league stage. In that case, SRH’s NRR will also go down. And with 14 points and a better NRR than CSK and SRH, RCB will qualify for the IPL 2024 playoffs.
But this equation is quite hard to be possible as we can expect SRH to win at least one game, especially the way they are playing. But this is also a scenario for RCB to qualify.
How CSK can qualify for the playoffs?
CSK has more chances as they only need to win their last game and not depend on the other results. In that case, they will finish with 16 points and even if SRH and LSG won both games respectively, CSK will have a better NRR than LSG, whose NRR is negative.
Even if CSK loses against RCB, they can still qualify for the playoffs. But then they need to depend on other results as well. Let’s see how.
CSK would want LSG and SRH to lose games
If CSK loses against RCB by a fair margin, they would want LSG to lose at least one of their remaining two games and SRH to lose both of their games. So it would be a tough ask for CSK to qualify in that case.
CSK has to make sure even if they lose against RCB, they won’t lose by a big margin so that their NRR will not go down as much. They only need to keep their NRR up than RCB. In that case, they would only want LSG to lose one game and they will qualify for the playoffs.
Is there a possibility that both teams will reach the IPL 2024 playoffs?
Mathematically it’s still possible, but a lot of things have to go right. First, RCB needs to win their last game by a fair margin against CSK. Then, LSG needs to lose one of their game and SRH needs to lose both their games by a big margin. In that case, RCB, CSK, SRH, and LSG will finish with 14 points, and RCB and CSK will have a better NRR than the other two and they will qualify for the playoffs. But the chances of this thing are very bleak.
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Who will reach the top 4? RCB or CSK or both?
Right now, chances are that CSK will qualify because their fate is in their own hands. Also if we can see the history, CSK is one of those teams who knows how to make it to the big stages. But you can not discount a team like RCB. Especially a tournament like IPL has surprised us over the years.
IPL 2024 Points Table
| Position | Team | Mat | Won | Lost | NR | Points | NRR |
| 1. | Kolkata Knight (Q)Riders (Q) | 13 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 19 | +1.428 |
| 2. | Rajasthan Royals | 12 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 16 | +0.349 |
| 3. | Chennai Super Kings | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 14 | +0.528 |
| 4. | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 14 | +0.406 |
| 5. | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 12 | +0.387 |
| 6. | Delhi Capitals | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 12 | -0.482 |
| 7. | Lucknow Super Giants | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 12 | -0.769 |
| 8. | Gujarat Titans (E) | 13 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 11 | -1.063 |
| 9. | Mumbai Indians (E) | 13 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 8 | -0.271 |
| 10. | Punjab Kings (E) | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 8 | -0.423 |
FAQs:-
(1) Which team is at the bottom of the points table right now?
Punjab Kings, with only 4 wins in 12 games, found themselves at the last of the points table.
(2) How many teams are officially eliminated from the IPL 2024 playoffs race?
Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians, and Punjab Kings are the teams who are officially out of the playoff race.
