Gujarat Titans crashed out of IPL 2024 playoffs race after their match against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday was abandoned due to rain. As a result, GT can reach a maximum of 13 points even if they win their final league match – a tally that will not be enough to take them to the Top 4. On the other hand, KKR now have 19 points from 13 matches and they are guaranteed a Top 2 finish. With GT out of the race, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants still remain in contention and they have one less team to worry about. Here’s how the washout affected the IPL 2024 playoff race featuring Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants –
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
RCB are currently on a five-match winning streak and they will have to win their final game against Chennai Super Kings. A win will take them to 14 points and their playoff hopes will come down to the Net Run Rate (NRR). The best case scenario for RCB will be LSG and SRH winning one out of their two remaining matches or losing both of them. Losses in both games will mean that RCB can go through even if they beat CSK by a narrow margin. If SRH and LSG win one match each, the NRR will come into play and RCB will have to register a big win over CSK to book their playoff spot. if SRH lose both of their matches, RCB can qualify with a big win over CSK as both will have 14 points.
Chennai Super Kings
A win over RCB will take CSK directly into the playoffs but a loss may not be the end of the road for the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side. If LSG lose both of their remaining games, CSK will go through with 14 points. If LSG win one, CSK still will be favourites to go through due to a much superior NRR. If LSG win both of their matches and SRH lose both of theirs, a loss for CSK to RCB will mean that the final playoff spot will decided between CSK, SRH and RCB on Net Run Rate.
Lucknow Super Giants
LSG will have to win both of their remaining matches and that will take them to 16 points. If CSK beat RCB and SRH win one out of their remaining two matches, all 3 sides can end up with 16 points and LSG may not qualify due to their inferior NRR. If SRH win both of their matches and CSK lose to RCB, LSG will go through at No. 4. If SRH lose both of their matches, LSG can go through by winning their remaining matches irrespective of what happens in the clash between CSK and RCB.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Victories in the remaining two matches will guarantee a playoff spot for SRH. If they lose one of their matches and LSG win their two games, both teams will have 16 points but SRH will have the advantage due to a much superior NRR. If SRH lose both of their remaining matches and LSG win their two games, the Pat Cummins-led side will have to depend on the result of the game between RCB and CSK. If CSK win the match, SRH will crash out of the race. However, if CSK lose to RCB, the final playoff spot will be decided by NRR.