Decoding the playoff qualification scenarios for RCB in IPL 2024
Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday claimed their fifth successive triumph in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. They beat Delhi Capitals in Match 62 in Bengaluru. With this win, RCB have climbed to the fifth place in the points table with six wins in 13 games. They boast 12 points as their NRR reads +0.387. Let's decode RCB's playoff scenarios.
RCB's remaining game is against CSK
RCB's only remaining league-stage fixture is against Chennai Super Kings at home on May 18. It will be a must-win game for them as they can at maximum finish with 14 points. As Lucknow Super Giants and Sunrisers Hyderabad can get to 16, the Challengers need SRH to lose their remaining two matches. They also require LSG to suffer at least one more defeat.
RCB's challenge in terms of NRR
Both CSK (+0.528) and SRH (+0.406) boast better NRRs than RCB. Hence, Faf du Plessis's team either needs to go past CSK by defeating them or hope that SRH's NRR will drop down. If SRH claim at least one more win, RCB would have no option other than defeating CSK by a massive margin and overtaking their NRR.
Remarkable turnaround for RCB
It must be noted that RCB had just a solitary win in their first eight games. They were hence at the bottom of the table. However, five back-to-back wins have helped them rise again. With 661 runs at a strike rate of 155.16, Virat Kohli is the leading run-getter of the season. Rajat Patidar has five 50-plus scores in his last eight outings.
A look at the other key players
The likes of Will Jacks and skipper du Plessis have also clobbered 220-plus runs with both striking at 168-plus. Dinesh Karthik has been brilliant in the finisher's role as his strike rate reads 194.19. Coming to the bowling department, pacers Yash Dayal and Mohammed Siraj have claimed 13 and 12 wickets, respectively, this year.
