IPL 2023 Playoff Qualification Scenarios Explained: How Can Teams Reach the Final Four?

By Rahul Gupta On May 11, 2023

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is coming to a close, and all ten teams still in the competition have a chance to make it to the playoffs. While the reigning champions, the Gujarat Titans, have been great and are currently at the top of the points table, teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals have recovered from rough starts to the season and still have a small chance of making it to the next round.

Here’s a look at how each of the 10 teams could qualify for the IPL in 2023:

Gujarat Titans

With 16 points after 11 games, the defending champions are in a great situation. Right now, the team led by Hardik Pandya is almost certain to make the playoffs. However, if they lose all of their remaining games, the net run rate could put them in fourth place.

But GT will be in the final four of the league for sure if they win one of their last three games.

Chennai Super Kings

CSK’s position got even better after they beat DC, and now MS Dhoni and the rest of his team only need one more win to be sure of making the playoffs. With 15 points from 12 games, the team has done a great job turning things around, and a win over Kolkata Knight Riders will help them secure their spot.

Mumbai Indians

After getting off to a bad start this season, the five-time champion Mumbai Indians have made a stunning return. After beating Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday, MI now needs two more wins to make the playoffs.

This will give them 16 points and improve their NRR (-0.255). Depending on how the other teams do, if MI wins its last three games, it could even move into the top two.

Lucknow Super Giants

Since MI won their game against RCB, the scenario for LSG is now pretty clear. They are currently in fourth place (NRR +0.294) with 11 points from 11 matches, and they will need to win all three of their remaining matches to qualify.

One loss will hurt their chances, but if the scores and net run rates of the other teams go their way, they have a small chance of making it to the next round.

Rajasthan Royals

The next three games for RR are against KKR, RCB, and PBKS, which is great for the team. With three wins, they will move a long way toward qualifying and get rid of some of their biggest foes in the process.

But for Sanju Samson and Co., the fourth spot may come down to their net run rate. RR has 10 points from 11 games so far (NRR +0.388).

Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR’s season has been all over the place, and with 10 points (NRR -0.079) from 11 matches, they need to win the rest of their games to stay in the race. In the best case, they will get 16 points, but it will come down to their net run rate, an area where KKR has done well in the race.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

They also need to win three games in a row. From 11 points, they have 10 points (NRR -0.345). They are another team that has to win the rest of their games or else they will lose.

They will have 16 points after the wins, and the game will come down to net run rate. But they’ve done pretty well away from home this season, and their last three games are all on the road.

Punjab Kings

Another team is in the same position as KKR: they need to win three games in a row to be in the running for the playoffs. They have 10 points from 11 games so far. But their net run rate is -0.441, which could be a problem since other teams are better right now. However, their two home games could be very important to their cause.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

With 8 points (NRR -0.472) from 10 games, SRH has played one less game than most teams. To get to 16 points, they will need to win all four of their remaining games. They don’t have a good net run rate, and their next few games are against tough teams, so they have a hard road ahead of them.

Delhi Capitals

The team led by David Warner has the fewest points, so they will have to win all of their remaining games and hope that other teams don’t do better than them. The loss to CSK was a big blow to their hopes. They can now only get 14 points, so they’ll need a miracle to get into the top four.