The sixteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is heading to a thrilling finish as two out of the four playoff berths are still up for grabs. While Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT) have almost solidified their position in the top two positions of the points table, the rest eight teams are still fighting for those two left spots. Delhi Capitals (DC) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are the two teams who have the least chances of qualifying for the IPL 2023 Playoffs, but the rest six teams are well alive in the race.
Amid these six teams, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) seem to have an upper hand at the moment. But considering how IPL 2023 has paned out so far, nothing can be said for sure.
Now, as the tournament moves towards its business end, we have a look at the playoff scenario for all ten teams.
Gujarat Titans (12 matches, 16 points)
The defending champions have two more games left to play in the league stage and they need one win to officially qualify for the IPL 2023 Playoffs. The Hardik Pandya-led team have been dominant like last season and it won’t be difficult for them to secure one win from the three games. So, GT are all but qualified for the knockout stage.
GT remaining games:
May 15: vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
May 21: vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Chennai Super Kings (12 matches, 15 points)
After a horrible outing in IPL 2022, MS Dhoni and Co. have turned things around in this edition as they sit at the second position in the points table. CSK have displayed great team effort to take down one team after the other and now are eyeing a top-two finish. The four-time champions have a great chance to book a spot in Qualifier 1 if they win one out of their two remaining games.
CSK remaining matches:
May 14: vs Kolkata Knight Riders
May 20: vs Delhi Capitals
How can Mumbai Indians (12 matches, 14 points) Qualify for IPL 2023 playoffs?
Having finished as wooden-spooners in IPL 2022 and losing three games on the trot in IPL 2023, Mumbai Indians’ campaign looked done and dusted. However, the Rohit Sharma-led team has scripted a great comeback by winning six matches in eleven games played so far. The five-team champions got a shot in the arm in regard to qualifying for the playoffs as they beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their last game. The Rohit Sharma-led team then pipped table toppers Gujarat Titans to further bolster their qualification chances.
MI remaining matches in IPL 2023:
May 16: vs Lucknow Super Giants
May 21: vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Lucknow Super Giants (12 matches, 13 points)
Lucknow Super Giants have had a hot and cold season, winning five out of eleven matches played so far. However, ever since KL Rahul’s departure due to injury, LSG’s campaign looks in jeopardy as they have failed to win a game since then. While they lost to RCB and Gujarat Titans, Lucknow were almost done against CSK too. However, they have kept their playoffs hopes alive be defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad. They need to win at least one game to stay in the race.
LSG remaining matches:
May 16: vs Mumbai Indians
May 20: vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Related: Why Gujarat Titans will wear lavender-colored kits during their last home match?
How Can RR (12 matches, 12 points) Qualify for IPL 2023 Playoffs?
MI defeating RCB did not only hurt the latter but also Rajasthan Royals who are placed at the fifth position in the points table. After a great start to the tournament, RR fumbled big time, losing four of their last six games played. However, a nine-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) with 41 balls to spare has massively boosted their qualification chances.
RR remaining matches:
May 14: vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
May 19: vs Punjab Kings
KKR (12 matches, 10 points) IPL 2023 Playoff chances
Kolkata Knight Riders (KRR), under Nitish Rana, have done a decent job so far, winning five out of twelve matches played so far. The two-time champions have kept themselves alive in the tournament by winning crucial games. However, the hammering at the hands of RR has massively dented KKR’s qualification chances as they now need to not only win both their games but also by big margins.
KKR remaining matches:
May 14: vs Chennai Super Kings
May 20: vs Lucknow Super Giants
Can RCB (11 matches, 10 points) still qualify for IPL 2023 playoffs?
RCB defeat against Mumbai Indians severely denoted their IPL 2023 Playoffs qualification chances. The Faf du Plessis-led team now stand at the seventh position in the points table with ten points and a Net Run Rate of -0.345. With three more games left, RCB need to win all of their matches and all by good margins to stay alive in the race to the playoffs.
RCB remaining matches:
May 14: vs Rajasthan Royals
May 18: vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
May 21: vs Gujarat Titans
Punjab Kings (12 matches, 12 points) IPL 2023 Playoff chances
Punjab Kings defeated Delhi Capitals by 31 runs on Saturday to move up in the points table and earn two crucial points. The team now needs to win rest of their games to stay in the hunt for the playoffs.
PBKS remaining matches:
May 17: vs Delhi Capitals
May 19: vs Rajasthan Royals
Sunrisers Hyderabad (11 matches, 8 points)
Sunrisers Hyderabad are struggling to get going in this edition of the tournament as well. A change of captaincy has made no difference for the 2016 champions as they continue to finish in the bottom half of the table season after season. A defeat at the hands of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) further dented their qualification chances. Despite three games left, SRH’s campaign is all but done in IPL 2023.
SRH remaining matches:
May 15: vs Gujarat Titans
May 18: vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
May 21: vs Mumbai Indians
Can DC (12 matches, 8 points) still qualify for IPL 2023 playoffs?
Delhi Capitals are all but out of the IPL 2023 Playoffs race. After losing to Punjab Kings on Saturday, the David Warner-led team has virtually knocked itself out of the tournament.
DC remaining matches
May 17: vs Punjab Kings
May 20: vs Chennai Super Kings
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