IPL 2024 Playoff Race: Qualification Scenarios and Chances for remaining teams

The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 has almost reached the end of the league stages and two teams Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) are ruling on top of the table with 18 and 16 points respectively. Apart from them, four other teams will be eyeing the third and fourth spots for playoff qualification. 

This season's IPL was quite exciting and interesting as well since the scorers in numerous matches have gone past 250+. The tournament turned into a batting paradise and became the bowlers' worst nightmare. Moreover, since there are 3 to 4 teams who are in contention to qualify for the playoffs, we can take a look at the qualification scenarios of all the teams to have better knowledge about the upcoming two weeks. 

Check out the IPL 2024 playoff race with detailed qualification scenarios and chances for all 10 teams:

1. Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are currently on top of the points table with 18 points. They have won nine matches out of 12 played, including four away games. KKR's performance this season has been brilliant after shifting Sunil Narine to the top order. Narine and Phill Salt's duo has made KKR's dream to qualify for the playoffs successful. However, they will now look to remain at the top of the points table with the hope of winning both of their remaining games. 

2. Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals (RR) is another team which is sitting comfortably in the 2nd position with eight out of 12 games. Currently, they have 16 points and have played equal matches than KKR, hence, if RR don't lose any match, they will go straight up to the first position. The Royals have always unofficially qualified for the playoffs. Moreover, they will have to win at least one of their remaining matches. If they lose both, hope that only two of the teams that can still reach 16 points (SRH, CSK, LSG) do so. 

3. Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)'s IPL 2024 hasn't been consistent like other years. The change of captaincy in the camp hasn't affected the team much as they have managed to win seven out of 13 matches so far with a good NRR of 0.528. The only thing which bothers CSK is skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad's record at the toss as he has lost 10 tosses in 11 games. Other than that, CSK's chances of qualifying for the playoffs are high since the rest of the matches will be on slower pitches like Ahmedabad and Chennai. If Gaikwad can manage the team well, then CSK has a high chance of qualifying for the playoffs. 

4. Sunrisers Hyderabad

With six wins in 12 matches, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are fighting hard to secure the 3rd or 4th position to qualify for the playoffs. Since they have just two games left against GT and PBKS, their chances of qualification are quite high as all the games will be played in Hyderabad. Only a few teams were able to defeat them on their home ground which again was an advantage for the Orange Army. Moreover, the kind of team they have, they can easily qualify if they work on their bowling a bit. However, if they lose both, they'll have to hope that CSK beat RCB and LSG lose at least one of their remaining matches. 

5. Lucknow Super Giants

The Super Giants are having a good season as they are on 12 points with six wins in 12 games. Skipper KL Rahul is looking positive for a qualification but it's looking difficult since the last two games are away from home. Even though LSG has lost a few matches in their home ground, they played extremely well there which is why they could win more games. Now that they don't have the privilege of playing on their home ground, they will have to play some good games of cricket to defeat teams like SRH, DC, and MI in their backyard. Ideally, they'll have to win both matches to qualify. If they lose one, then they'll have to hope that CSK beat RCB, hope SRH lose both their remaining matches and drop their NRR below LSG. 

6. Delhi Capitals

The first half of Delhi Capitals (DC) wasn't that great but they picked up well and are currently on 12 points. They are yet to play their last league match against LSG which is their home game. However, DC has just 12 points in 13 games and if they manage to win the game, they'll reach 14 points. However, if they beat LSG, and hope SRH lose both remaining matches with enough margin to put their NRR below DC, hope CSK beats RCB, hope GT loses at least one remaining match, and hope LSG beats MI with a low margin, DC will qualify for the playoffs. 

7. Royal Challengers Bengaluru

The men in red have come back in form towards the end of the league stages which is not a good sign for the other teams. In 13 games, RCB has won six matches and if they manage to win the last game, they'll still be stuck with 14 points which might not be sufficient to qualify for the playoffs. They'll have to beat CSK by enough margin to overtake their NRR and hope that LSG loses at least one of their remaining matches to push their NRR further down. Also, they will have to hope GT don't take over their NRR even if they win both remaining games.  

8. Gujarat Titans

Gujarat Titans (GT) is in the eighth position of the table with five wins in 12 games. Unlike MI, GT is not out of the tournament yet and has to win both matches, and hope that CSK beats RCB, LSG beats DC but loses to MI, and then hope their NRR can be better than LSG. Moreover, they have two tough games coming their way which are against KKR and SRH. Nevertheless, all the teams have to be aware of GT since losing against them means losing the dream to qualify for the playoffs.