Hyderabad: As the tournament reaches midway through the season, and if the points table is anything to go by, five-time champions Mumbai Indians, thanks to their lackluster show, are languishing at the bottom with another champion team Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the penultimate position.
Can a winless Mumbai team still make it to the playoffs? Here is a team-by-team explainer of the possible scenarios for the sides, vying for the playoffs.
1) GUJARAT TITANS (GT)
Captain: Hardik Pandya
Wins/Matches: 6/7
Points: 12
Having exhibited fine form in the tournament with the numbers speaking for themselves along with the guile of Hardik Pandya's captaincy, Gujarat Titans are at the top of the table with six wins in seven matches.
The team now requires just two wins out of their seven matches remaining to make it to the playoffs. Currently, at the first place in the points table, Gujarat now needs just two wins out of their five fixtures to make 16 points, enough to find a place in the playoffs.
GT's upcoming fixtures: SRH, RCB, PBKS, MI, LSG, CSK, RCB
2) SUNRISERS HYDERABAD (SRH)
Captain - Kane Williamson
Wins/Matches: 5/7
Points: 10
SRH may not boast a star-studded team but is rallying around their skipper Kane Williamson to find themselves at the second sport in the 10-team standings. After initial hiccups, SRH have registered 5 matches on a row and have 10 points from 7 matches. With still seven matches remaining, the Hyderabad will need to win three more matches out of their remaining fixtures to be able to qualify for the playoffs.
SRH upcoming fixtures: GT, CSK, DC, RCB, KKR, MI, PBKS
3) RAJASTHAN ROYALS (RR)
Captain - Sanju Samson
Wins/Matches: 5/7
Points: 10
The team to watch out for has been Rajasthan Royals despite their third place in the points table. One of the strongest contenders with Yuzvendra Chahal's brilliance with the bowl and Jos Buttler's magic with the bat, RR has lost 2 games in their 7 matches. With five wins and 10 points, they require three more victories in the upcoming seven matches. Although, the team needs to keep an eye on the run-rate
RR's upcoming fixtures: RCB, MI, KKR, PBKS, DC, LSG, CSK
4. LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS (LSG)
Captain: Sanju Samson
Wins/Matches: 5/8
Points: 10
With two centuries, KL Rahul has led the team from the front thus far. The team stands at the fourth slot with five wins in eight matches, meaning they have 10 points overall. The team needs to register three wins in their six matches remaining to be able to make it to the playoffs.
Although the team can still make it to the playoff via two wins as it will give them 14 points but the standings will then boil down to the net run rate and performance of the other teams.
LSG upcoming fixtures: PBKS, DC, KKR, GT, RR, KKR
5. ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE (RCB)
Captain - Faf du Plessis
Wins/Matches: 5/8
Points: 10
With a misfiring Virat Kohli, RCB is having a topsy-turvy ride this season, having started with a lot of promise. They have 5 wins in 8 matches with 6 remaining. The side that suffered the humiliation of the lowest score this season will require 3 wins out of 6 matches.
Although getting 14 points will not be enough for the team due to a negative run rate and to be able to find themselves in a secure position, the Men In Red would require big wins in their upcoming contests.
RCB's upcoming fixtures: RR, GT, CSK, SRH, PBKS, GT
6. DELHI CAPITALS (DC)
Captain - Rishabh Pant
Wins/Matches: 3/7
Points: 6
Despite showing strong performances, Pant-led Delhi Capitals have been enduring a difficult year with inconsistent performances that are compounded by Covid cases in the camp. The team has three victories to show with 7 more matches remaining. 3 victories have given the team 6 points and to be able to reach 16, the DC camp would be eyeing for five more victories.
The team can still make it with 14 points with a good run rate and lopsided victories over other teams.
DC's upcoming fixtures: KKR, LSG, SRH, CSK, RR, PBKS, MI
7. KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS (KKR)
Captain - Shreyas Iyer
Wins/Matches: 3/8
Points: 6
With 3 wins in 8 matches and six points, their owner Mr. Shah Rukh Khan would be expecting his side to pump up and give enthralling performances as the team can't solely rely on Andre Russell's cameo, Sunil Narine's magic, and the skipper consistency.
The team has a tall order to get 10 more points which will come through five more victories in their remaining six matches.
KKR upcoming fixtures: DC, RR, LSG, MI, SRH, LSG
8. PUNJAB KINGS (PBKS)
Captain - Mayank Agarwal
Wins/Matches: 3/7
Points: 6
The Punjab Kings team is struggling once again and nothing seems to have worked for them across seasons with the franchise's name changed, a different captain, and a whole new team post auctions. The team has 3 wins to show in 7 matches so far. These numbers mean they now need to win 5 matches in their next seven outings.
A negative run rate might give them nightmares despite winning the seven matches and the team needs to register victories through big margins.
PBKS upcoming fixtures: CSK, LSG, GT, RR, RCB, DC, SRH
9. CHENNAI SUPER KINGS (CSK)
Captain - Ravindra Jadeja
Wins/Matches: 2/7
Points: 4
The captain, Ravindra Jadeja, has been unable to lead the team by example through bat and ball. But the team might look inspiration from Mahendra Singh Dhoni who is still finishing games for his team at the age of 40.
CSK have won two out of the seven games played and will need to win 6 matches out of the 7 matches that they have to be able to qualify for the playoffs.
Winning through the biggest of margins and getting 14 points may get them through to the playoffs, meaning they will need to 5 matches to work things in their favour.
CSK upcoming fixtures: PBKS, SRH, RCB, DC, MI, GT, RR
MUMBAI INDIANS (MI)
Captain - Rohit Sharma
Wins/Matches: 0/8
Points: 0
The best team of the league, Mumbai Indians, who have won the IPL title five times, is languishing at the bottom of the table. After losing 8 matches on a streak, the team mathematically crashed out of the playoffs race. They are all but out even if they win the rest of the remaining six matches which will garner them 12 points. For a team to be able to qualify for the playoffs, it has to earn 14 matches that comes after winning seven matches.
Mumbai Indians' upcoming fixtures: RR, GT, KKR, CSK, SRH, DC
