May 20: IPL 2025: IPL 2025 has now reached an interesting turn. The battle for the playoffs has become interesting. So far three teams have qualified for the playoffs, while five teams have been eliminated from the playoff race. On Monday, Lucknow Super Giants also got eliminated from this race after losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Now only two teams are competing for the fourth place. These two teams are Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals. Now the match between Mumbai and Delhi on May 21 will be a virtual knockout. If Delhi team loses in this match, then it will be out of the playoff race. Victory will be the only option for them.
Earlier on Sunday, the double header cleared the way for the playoffs for three teams. Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings have qualified for the playoffs. However, the position of the teams qualifying for the playoffs is not decided at the moment and it will be decided after some further matches. Apart from Lucknow, the teams that are out of the playoff race include Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders.
How did Gujarat, Punjab and Bangalore qualify?
On May 17, RCB’s match against Kolkata was washed out due to rain. Both teams got one point each. This resulted in Bangalore getting 17 points in 12 matches. After this, on Sunday, Gujarat defeated Delhi and Punjab defeated Rajasthan and collected two points each. This resulted in Gujarat getting 18 points in 12 matches and Punjab getting 17 points in 12 matches. These three teams still have two more matches left. In such a situation, these teams can also cross the 20-point mark. Among the other teams, only Mumbai can cross 17 points. Delhi can reach a maximum of 17 points. Whereas, Lucknow can reach a maximum of 16 points. In such a situation, RCB and Punjab qualified.
Bengaluru, Gujarat and Punjab set a record
Bengaluru has qualified for the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons. At the same time, Gujarat qualified for the playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons. However, this is a big achievement for Punjab, as the team qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. The team has reached the playoffs for the third time overall. Shreyas has become the first captain in the IPL to take three teams to the playoffs. Before Punjab, he has reached the playoffs as the captain of Delhi (2019, 2020) and as the captain of Kolkata in 2024.
How can the Mumbai team qualify?
The Mumbai team has two matches left. They have to face Delhi Capitals in Mumbai on May 21 and Punjab Kings in Jaipur on May 26. Victory in both these matches will take Mumbai to the playoffs. Even Mumbai’s win over Delhi will take them to the playoffs. If the Mumbai team defeats Delhi, they will have 16 points. At the same time, Delhi also has two matches left. However, their journey will end after losing to Mumbai. Even if they win the last match, they will have only 15 points and the team will not be able to match Mumbai. After winning against Delhi, even if Mumbai loses to Punjab in their last match, it will not make any difference. Defeat against Delhi can spoil Mumbai’s equation. Then they will have to register a win against Punjab at any cost, and also have to believe that Delhi did not win against Punjab in their last match. In this situation, Mumbai will be left with 16 points and Delhi with 15 points and Mumbai’s team will qualify.
How can Delhi’s team qualify?
Delhi started their campaign this IPL 2025 season in a very good way. The team won four consecutive matches. This team remained in the top five for most part of the season. However, defeat in five out of the last eight matches has put them out of the top four and the team is on the verge of elimination. The team does not even have Mitchell Starc now. Delhi will have to win both their matches at any cost to qualify for the playoffs. A defeat can end their journey. In a way, this team will play a knockout match against Mumbai. Defeat will knock them out, while victory will keep their hopes alive. Delhi’s team can reach a maximum of 17 points, but for that they will have to win both the matches. Delhi now has to face Mumbai Indians on 21 May at Wankhede and Punjab Kings on 24 May in Jaipur.
Read More: PBKS vs RR: Punjab Kings Win by 10 Runs, Secure Playoff Spot!
