IPL 2022: Decoding the top contenders for the playoffs
What's the story
The play-offs qualification race in the Indian Premier League 2022 season has heated up with the tourney crossing the halfway mark. The season has been full of surprises with MI and CSK reeling at the bottom of the points table. Debutants GT and LSG have been impressive. The likes of SRH and RR have been excellent. We decode the top contenders for the playoffs.
Context
Why does this story matter?
After 40 thrilling games, the season is taking a nice shape. GT and RR have emerged as the most powerful sides and are on the verge of making it to the playoffs. SRH and LSG are other potential contenders. Teams like RCB, PBKS, and DC are still alive in the race. Champion sides like MI, CSK, and KKR haven't found it easy.
GT
Gujarat Titans have been the best side
IPL debutants GT currently occupy the top spot on the points table with 14 from eight matches (NRR: 0.371). The Hardik Pandya-led side has come across as the most well-balanced outfit with impressive contributions from almost all of their players. The side has six more games left and one victory should be enough for them to sail into the IPL 2022 playoffs.
RR
Rajasthan Royals have shown credibility
The side boasting of both Orange Cap (Jos Buttler) and Purple Cap (Yuzvendra Chahal) is the next strong contender in this race. RR are currently placed second on the points table. (NRR: +0.561) Led by Sanju Samson, the team has 12 points from 8 games with 6 matches left. The Royals will lock a playoff spot with two victories.
SRH
Sunrisers Hyderabad have stepped up
After a poor start in this edition, SRH peaked at the right time and bagged five games in a row. Their bowling line-up starring Umran Malik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and T Natarajan is considered to be the best this season. They sit at the third spot (NRR +0.600) and have 10 points (eight games). They need at least four wins to qualify for playoffs.
LSG
Lucknow Super Giants have been quite impressive
Another debutant LSG have been quite impressive in the season. They are placed fourth with five wins from eight games (NRR: +0.334). Skipper KL Rahul has led the side from the front with his batting prowess. He is the second-highest run-getter in the edition- 368 runs from eight innings. The side needs to win three matches to book their spot in the playoffs.
RCB
Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to be consistent
RCB have recorded five victories in nine games, however, they fared poorly in their last two outings. Wanindu Hasaranga (13 wickets) has starred for them with the ball. They need to win at least three out of five games to progress into the next stage. However, the margin of the victory should be bigger to boost the net run rate (current NRR: -0.572).
Information
A brief look at PBKS and DC
Sixth-ranked PBKS (NRR: -0.419) need to bag four out of six games with a big margin to boost the net run rate and advance into the playoffs. With only three wins across seven games, DC need to pull up their socks (NRR +0.752).
Bottom three
Bottom three teams
KKR have managed only three wins in eight games. They have to almost win at least every game to confirm their playoff tickets. With just two wins in eight games CSK need to win all their remaining matches by a big margin and rely on others results to progress. MI have lost all of their eight matches and are out of contention.