da dobrowin： Two teams are already there, five others have a good chance of making the cut, while the eighth side is also not out of the fray completely
da leao： S Rajesh29-Apr-2019Four-way race for the last-four spotsMumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians are reasonably well placed with 14 points and a healthy net run-rate (NRR); in addition, their last two games are at home. A win in either of the two games will be enough to put them into the last four. Even if they lose both, they will still have a chance to qualify if they lose narrowly and their NRR, which is currently 0.347, stays above teams that are currently in the bottom four.Mumbai will, however, have lofty ambitions – if they win their last two games, and depending on how other results go, they could be among the top two teams.Sunrisers Hyderabad
Their win against Kings XI – a handsome one at that – has done their chances of qualification a world of good. With this win, they are one of the four teams left that can still finish on 16 or more points, which would mean outright qualification for them on points. But if they do lose one of their two remaining games, their healthy NRR of 0.709 gives them a big advantage over other teams that could tie with them on 14 points.Kolkata Knight Riders
The win against Mumbai Indians means Kolkata Knight Riders are still in the hunt for the playoffs. The maximum they can finish with is 14, but even that might not be sufficient, as there is a possibility of as many as six teams finishing on 14 or more. That means not only do they need to win, but also win with healthy margins to push up their NRR, which is currently below those of Sunrisers and Mumbai.Knight Riders’ next match, against Kings XI, is virtually a must-win, though. A defeat there could see them slip behind Kings XI in the fight for fourth spot.Kings XI Punjab
Kings XI have not done their chances of qualifying for the playoffs any favours with their loss against Sunrisers. Kings XI will have to win their remaining two games and secure 14 points to retain any realistic chances of qualifying. They do have an outside chance of qualifying straight on points (without depending on their very poor NRR), but for that to happen a few results have to go their way. Sunrisers have to lose both their remaining two matches – against Mumbai and Royal Challengers Bangalore – and Rajasthan Royals have to lose at least one of their remaining two – against Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers. These results will ensure that none of the other teams on 12 or fewer points gets to 14.Qualification on 14 points based on NRR looks very difficult for them given their poor NRR of -0.296. They’ll hope they are not tied on 14 points with Sunrisers or Mumbai as they are going to lose out on those NRR battles. Their best chance would be to tie with Rajasthan Royals on 14 points since Royals’ NRR of -0.321 is worse than theirs currently.Shreyas Gopal takes off after another top order strike•BCCIOutsiders, but not quite out yetRajasthan Royals
Having already qualified for the playoffs, Capitals’ next target will be to finish in the top two. If they win their last two matches, they will achieve that goal, but if they lose one, things could get tricky. They have a better NRR than Super Kings, which will come in handy if the two teams have to battle for one place, but Mumbai are currently ahead, at 0.347 (though the gap is relatively small, and Capitals can go ahead on NRR if the results go their way).Even if they lose their two remaining games and finish on 16, Capitals could still make the top two if Mumbai lose both, and if other results go favourably for them.Chennai Super Kings
They were the first to qualify with 16 points, but by no means are they assured of a top-two spot, especially given their poor NRR. Even with 18 points, they may not be in the top two as Capitals and Mumbai could both finish on 18 or more points, with better NRRs.Winning Wednesday’s game against Capitals would be a good way to go, though even that result will not put a seal on the matter. However, if Super Kings win either of their last two matches and Mumbai lose one of theirs, then Super Kings are assured of finishing second at least.