IPL-15 playoff race nothing short of engrossing

The 15th edition of Indian Premier League is approaching the latter half of the league phase and only a handful of games are left to decide the four teams that advance to the playoffs The two new entrants to the competition Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans led by KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya respectively have enjoyed a good season so far and are topping the points tableOn Tuesday Gujarat Titans became the first team to officially seal a playoffs spot after beating fellow debutants Lucknow Super Giants With the addition of two teams and only four teams able to qualify to playoffs net runrate becomes a massive factor given there are possibilities of couple of teams ending up with same points Letrsquos have a look at where teams stand and what their chances are of making it to the playoffs1 Gujarat Titans Matches left 2 Points 18 NRR 0376Gujarat Titans recorded a handsome 62run victory over Lucknow Super Giants which confirmed their playoffs qualification The Titans have been mighty impressive in their maiden IPL season defying all odds to come out on top Gujarat faced Lucknow for the top of the table clash and brushed aside the latter rather convincingly GT were not considered strong contenders at least on paper but their ability to make solid comebacks have baffled other teams Hardik Pandya seems to enjoy the leadership role and is leading from the front with 344 runs under his belt GT will now fancy a top two finish with another win2 Lucknow Super Giants Matches left 2 Points16 NRR0385Lucknow Super Giants missed out on an opportunity to seal the playoffs berth due to a lacklustre performance against Gujarat Titans LSG stand second on the points table and are still very much in contention to finish at the top two KL Rahul looks happy and relaxed in the Lucknow outfit and has done a fine job leading the side He has been in good form himself scoring 459 runs in 12 games including two tons and staying unbeaten both times LSG are all but certain to get one of the four slots but they will look to top the points table to have an added advantage later in the tournament3 Rajasthan Royals Matches left 3 Points 14 NRR 0326Winners of the IPLrsquos inaugural season Rajasthan Royals are doing way better than they did in the last few seasons where they constantly found themselves at the bottom half of the table Opener Jos Buttler holds the Orange Cap having scored 618 runs in 11 matches with three centuries and striking at 15221 Leggie Yuzvendra Chahal appears unfazed at a new place and has found his way at the top of Purple Cap holders picking up 22 wickets Royals beat Punjab after losing backtoback games against Mumbai and Kolkata They look well on course on grabbing the playoffs spot4 Royal Challengers Bangalore Matches left 2 Points 14 NRR 0115Following three successive defeats after starting well in the tournament RCB for the moment looked like the team old But they managed to put on two solid performances versus Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad which should give them a huge confidence boost going ahead in the tournament Barring Virat Kohlirsquos lean patch which includes three golden ducks RCB are playing to their potential under new captain Faf du Plessis who is showing good form with the bat RCB are guaranteed a top four spot if they win two more games5 Delhi Capitals Matches left 3 Points 10 NRR 0150Placed fifth on the points table are Rishabh Pantrsquos Delhi Capitals who find themselves in a tricky situation after a heavy defeat to CSK on Sunday Injury concerns and COVID scares seem to have disrupted the flow in the DC camp The form of David Warner is the only saving grace for them as they cannot afford to lose games from here on and will hope for a collective team effort in their forthcoming matches With the point gap widening between them and the top four DC are playing catch up to earn their spot in the playoffs6 Sunrisers Hyderabad Matches left 3 Points 10 NRR 0031Sunrisers Hyderabad have had a strange season so far in the tournament They began their campaign with two defeats followed by five victories showing remarkable recovery But they seemed to have lost their way afterwards losing four games on the bounce The form of skipper Kane Williamson is a big concern for them and injuries to leftarm pacer T Natarajan and offspinner Washington Sundar is not helping their cause Sunrisers will have to step up their game to make it to the playoffs whilst also looking to better the NRR7 Kolkata Knight Riders Matches left 2 Points 10 NRR 0057Kolkata Knight Riders managed to keep their playoffs hopes alive by registering a 52run win over a clueless Mumbai Indians KKR were on the verge of getting eliminated but a resounding victory over the fivetime champs should cheer them up The 52run win also ensured a lift in their NRR KKR went back to the opening combination of Ajinkya RahaneVenkatesh Iyer versus Mumbai and they delivered when it mattered With those two at the top KKR can afford to play the pace duo of Kiwi Tim Southee and Aussie Pat Cummins Knight Riders can now get to a maximum of 14 points and need some luck to play its part as well8 Punjab Kings Matches left 3 Points 10 NRR 0231Punjab Kings are tied at 10 points with DC and SRH but have the worst NRR among the three Punjab failed to recognise the right combination early on in the tournament which may have hampered their chances of winning a few games The everconsistent Shikhar Dhawan has shone for his new franchise scoring 381 runs with an average of 4233 The return to form of South African speedster Kagiso Rabada nine wickets in last three games should please them PBKSrsquo negative NRR might come into play while deciding their playoffs spot9 Chennai Super Kings Matches left 3 Points 8 NRR 0028Chennai Super Kings did their NRR a world of good by thrashing Delhi capitals by 91 runs on Sunday Super Kings had a bad start to the season under Ravindra Jadeja but under MS Dhoni they look a different side and have won two games out of three The return of Devon Conway to the top alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad has brought a change in luck perhaps and the duo has put together 346 runs for the first wicket in the last three games for CSK With Dhoni in charge CSK will look to win their remaining three games and stand an outside chance to qualify for playoffs while hoping other results to go their way10 Mumbai Indians Matches left 3 Points 4 NRR 0894Languishing at the bottom of the table are fivetime champions Mumbai Indians MI broke their recordsetting eightgame losing streak against Rajasthan Royals They followed it up with a nailbiting fiverun victory over Gujarat Titans Although knocked out of the tournament Mumbai wouldrsquove loved to carry forward the winning momentum but a demoralising defeat to KKR on Monday has left them dumbfounded They face CSK SRH and DC in their next three games and would like to play the role of party spoilers More than anything it is a matter of pride for Mumbai Indians