As the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season is heading towards the knockout stages, the race for the playoffs spot has begun. The Royal Challengers Bangalore, who made a decent start to the season, are finding themselves in a spot of bother, after losing momentum midway.
The Faf du Plessis-led team is placed fifth on the points table with 10 points from as many matches. They have lost their last three matches, and are keen to get back on track, ahead of the knockouts. However, Lucknow Super Giants defeating Delhi Capitals, and the Chennai Super Kings beat the Sunrisers, have helped Bangalore to a certain extent.
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Royal Challengers Bangalore need to win all of their remaining four matches, to stay alive in the competition. However, they also need to keep an eye on their Net Run Rate, which is -0.558 currently. The positive news for the team is that they have defeated all the opponents in their remaining matches, in the first phase of the league.
How Royal Challengers Bangalore can qualify for the playoffs
#Scenario 1: Royal Challengers Bangalore wins all their remaining matches
As mentioned earlier, the Royal Challengers Bangalore needs to win all of their remaining matches to secure a berth in the playoffs. This will take their points tally to 18. However, even after getting to 18, the Faf Du Plessis-led team has to keep an eye on other results.
A loss against the Kolkata Knight Riders last night means that the Rajasthan Royals can maximum get 20 points in the league stages. The same is the case with the Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, for the Royal Challengers Bangalore to qualify, they need either the Rajasthan Royals or the Sunrisers Hyderabad to lose two matches and end up on sixteen. Bangalore will qualify with 18 points, given they win all their remaining matches.
#Scenario 2: Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings lose at least one of their remaining match
The Delhi Capitals and the Punjab Kings have eight points for nine matches in the tournament. The maximum that both the teams can get to is 18 points, which will tie them up with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who will also be on 18 points if they win all their remaining matches.
Hence, Bangalore will want both Delhi and Punjab to lose at least one of their remaining five matches. However, winning all four matches should be the first and the foremost aim of the franchise. If they lose even one of their remaining four matches, their qualification will become tougher as NRR will come into play.
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