RCB needed a lot of permutations and combinations to go in their favour for them to qualify for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 playoffs. After once languishing at the bottom of the table, the Royal Challengers have helped themselves by winning all their last 5 matches. RCB had one more chance to rejoice after DC beat LSG by 19 runs on Tuesday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

RCB currently have 12 points from six wins in the tournament. Hence, KKR and RR were already out of their reach. The Super Giants could easily have reached 16 points and made it even tougher for Faf du Plessis’ men to advance to the playoffs. But LSG losing the game meant that they can get to a maximum of 14 points. Here’s where RCB’s chance of qualifying for the playoffs got brighter. Even if RCB and LSG finish with 14 points, the former is likely to finish over the Super Giants on virtue of a superior net run rate. The Challengers have a net run rate of +0.387 while LSG’s is -0.787.

For now, RCB can finish either third or fourth in the points table. But they still need a few more results to go in their favour. If SRH even win 1 of their remaining 2 games against GT and PBKS, they would go out of RCB’s reach. In that case, RCB need to beat CSK by 18 runs or chase down a target with 18.1 overs to spare. If that happens, the Challengers will edge out the Super Kings on net run rate.

If SRH lose both their matches, then there is a chance that both CSK and RCB go through to the playoffs. If the Challengers lose their last match, they would be knocked out of the competition. For the Capitals, they are yet to be officially knocked out, but their net run rate of -0.337 may not allow them a berth in the playoffs.

Scenarios where RCB can qualify for playoffs

• If SRH lose vs GT and PBKS, RCB beat CSK – Both CSK and RCB go through.

• If SRH wins at least 1 match vs GT and PBKS, RCB must beat CSK by 18 runs or chase a target in 18.1 overs.

Source: India Today