There are only 4 matches of the league stage in the IPL and it is not yet decided which teams will finish in the top-2. On Saturday, the Delhi Capital defeated Punjab Kings, and his hopes to finish it in the top-2, turned water back on. Today, Chennai Super Kings can also spoil the game of Gujarat Titans.
The current status of the points table …
Delhi ruins Punjab's mathematics
Batting first in Jaipur on Saturday, Punjab lost 8 wickets for 206 runs. Delhi Capitals, already out of the playoff, lost the target by losing 4 wickets in 19.3 overs.
- Punjab Kings faced the fourth defeat in 13 matches, the team is second with 8 wins and one draw 17 points. If PBKs now want to make it to the top-2, they will have to win the last match against Mumbai.
- Delhi Capitals won the 7th in 14 matches and finished their season with 15 points. The DC started the season by winning 5 consecutive matches, but after losing 6 matches, the team lagged behind in the playoff race. One of his matches remained uncertain.
A chance to reach the top near Gujarat
The first match in the IPL will be played between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings. Gujarat has 18 points with 9 wins and 4 defeats in 13 matches. The team is currently at No. 1 and will remain in the same place even after losing. However, if Gujarat wins today, the team's finish in the top-2 will be confirmed. After losing, to get a place in Top-2, the team will have to pray for the defeat in the last match of Punjab and Bangalore.
The IPL final of 2023 was played between Chennai and Gujarat, followed by CSK.
Chennai can ruin the game of Gujarat
Chennai Super Kings is out of the playoffs and is currently ranked 10th. Today, the team has the opportunity to beat Gujarat from a big distance and reach 9th. Losing will not make a significant difference to the team. However, Chennai's victory can turn water on the hope of getting a place in Gujarat's top-2.
Sixth place between Hyderabad and Kolkata
The second match of the IPL will be played between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders. SRH ranks eighth in 13 matches with 5 wins and 11 points with 1 draw. KKR, on the other hand, ranks 7th with 12 points with 5 wins and 2 draws in 13 matches. The team, which wins today's match, will reach sixth place.
Last season's final was played between KKR and SRH. Both teams could not even make it to the playoffs this season.
Why is it important to finish in Top-2?
The IPL complies with the playoff system to play in the final, where the top-2 position teams play against each other in Qualifier-1. The winner of this match reaches the final, while the losing team has another chance to reach the final.
The third and fourth-ranked teams have an eliminator, who will face Qualifier-1's lost team in Qualifier-2, the team who wins this. The qualifier-2 winning team reaches the final. The eliminator lost the team. Teams want to be in Top-2 to get better opportunities to reach the final.
Sai Sudarshan Top Scorer
Sai Sudarshan of Gujarat is the highest scorer of the 18th season. He has scored 638 runs in 13 matches. Gujarat's Shubhman Gill is second with 636 runs and Mumbai's Suryakumar Yadav is third with 583 runs.
Famous Top Wicket Take
Krishna, the famous Krishna of Gujarat, is the highest wicket -taker. He is 21 wickets in 13 matches. Chennai's Noor Ahmed is also second with 21 wickets. Mumbai's Trent Bolt is third with 19 wickets.
Floods hit 40 sixes
The 18th season's top six hiter Nicholas flooded 40 sixes in 13 matches. Lucknow's Mitchell Marsh is second with 32 sixes. Suryakumar Yadav of Mumbai is third, scoring 30 sixes.
Image Credit: Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).