Delhi Capitals have a big 'thank you' to say to the rain as it literally saved their face on Monday, May 5, in Hyderabad in the ongoing season of the IPL. At 29/5, it seemed like a culmination of the drop in form for the Delhi Capitals in the ongoing season that has seen Axar Patel and Co win just two matches out of their last six and one of which came in the Super Over. The Capitals recovered to 133/7 but were never in a comfortable position as Sunrisers, who had nothing to lose would have fancied their chances even when their batters were not firing at 100 per cent.
Never have a franchise's fanbase wished and hoped for rain to disrupt a match and watch it ruin and abandon it with relative ease. The rain had stopped a little more than an hour prior to the cut-off time. However, there was a lot of water on the ground and puddles had formed, which meant that groundsmen were unable to get that much amount of water off the ground and it eventually ended up being the case. The washout gave Delhi Capitals a point, as did it to the Sunrisers Hyderabad, but it meant that last year's runners-up became the third team to get knocked out of the competition, with more than a week remaining for the league stage to end.
Now, where do the teams stand after 55 matches? Well, three teams - Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers stand eliminated. What about the other seven, then?
Let's start with the Lucknow Super Giants, four consecutive losses haven't helped their cause and one glance at the playoffs will tell you that qualification at 14 points is potentially out of the question. Hence, the Super Giants need to win all of their remaining three matches to stay in the hunt with 16 points, even though they can't be sure of it then as well because they will have to hope that the Knight Riders lose at least one of their matches. But at least there's a chance.
The schedule, however, isn't favourable as well for LSG, given that in two games out of the three, they face teams above them on the points table (RCB and GT).
One spot above LSG are the Kolkata Knight Riders, who have found a renewed form and touch with a couple of wins in a row. KKR might have the wood over the Super Giants with one extra point from the washout against the Punjab Kings as they can now get to 17 points if they win all their remaining games. Like Lucknow, they also face a red-hot RCB outfit but the remaining two games are against SRH and the Super Kings, two teams who look out of sorts and they will definitely fancy their chances of getting past them.
Then there are the Delhi Capitals, who have a lot of work to be done if they are serious about making the playoffs. Three losses in the last four games and a washout has meant that the 2020 finalists need to win at least two of their last three games, but they are all against teams currently acquiring the second, third and fourth places - PBKS, MI and GT. Hence, the road is tough as the Capitals have to sort their batting issues but they have destiny in their own hands, especially if they don't want to get themselves entangled in a three-way tie with the Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, if they too finish on 17 points.
Gujarat Titans, on the other hand, are probably the safest team on the table, apart from maybe the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The Titans have four games in hand and already have 14 points in their kitty. A couple of wins should be enough for them to confirm their top-four spot but if they have to aim for the top two, then they will have to win one more. Their remaining games include two against teams in contention (MI and GT) and a couple of them are below (LSG and CSK).
Mumbai Indians, with six wins on the trot, have zoomed into the discussions of a top-two finish and they should feel comfortable with 14 points already and still have three matches left. With the form they are in and all the players in great touch, winning at least two games out of the three shouldn't be a difficult ask. But like the Capitals, the Mumbai Indians also face a similar situation having to take on three teams in the race for the playoffs - GT, PBKS and DC.
Punjab Kings, too are in a safe position with four points in the last two games and are already at 15 points. One more win should be enough for them to qualify for the playoffs (which they would fancy doing it with Rajasthan Royals as the opposition in the last league game). However, games against Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians will be key, given that they might be four-pointers as they will not only earn their points but will also cut their competitors'.
RCB are safe, as safe as they can get. Their last three matches are against teams below them - LSG, KKR and SRH. With 16 points already, they have one foot in the door. One more win, they will have a Q in front of their name and two will confirm their spot in the top two.