The league stages of the 2023 Indian Premier League are heading toward their business end. The defending champions Gujarat Titans became the first team to qualify for the playoff, and have secured a place in the top two. They will take on the Chennai Super King in the First Qualifier at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants also qualified for the playoff of the tournament. They defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders to secure a place in the Eliminator. With just two games remaining in IPL 2023 league stages, only one spot is up for grabs. Three teams, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians, and Rajasthan Royals are in contention for the fourth playoff place.
Let’s take a look at the 2023 IPL playoff qualification scenarios for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians, and Rajasthan Royals.
Playoff Qualification Scenario for 2023 IPL
Remaining fixtures:
Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Sunday, May 21, Mumbai
Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Titans, Sunday, May 21, Bangalore
Qualification scenario for Royal Challengers Bangalore:
The Royal Challengers Bangalore are fourth on the points table with 14 points and an NRR of 0.180. They need to win their final encounter against the Gujarat Titans. This will almost guarantee them a place in the playoff. They also need to maintain a higher NRR than Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals. If Royal Challengers Bangalore lose their match against Gujarat Titans, they should not lose by a margin of more than five runs. They would also want the Mumbai Indians to lose against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Qualification scenario for Mumbai Indians:
The Mumbai Indians have the worst NRR, of -0.128, among the three teams in the race. This is a huge disadvantage for the team, as a loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad means they will almost crash out of the tournament. Hence, they need to win their final game of the league stages. Along with a win, they would also want the Royal Challengers Bangalore to lose their last encounter. If the Royal Challengers Bangalore win their match against Gujarat, Mumbai Indians will most likely get eliminated given their poor NRR. They will need a huge win against Sunrisers to overcome that NRR, however, Royal Challengers Bangalore will have an advantage as they play after the Mumbai Indians.
Qualification scenario for Rajasthan Royals:
The Rajasthan Royals have finished the league stages with 14 points. They need both the Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bangalore to lose their final games. However, Royal Challengers Bangalore should lose by more than five runs, as that will make their NRR inferior to the Rajasthan Royals.
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