Former champions Mumbai Indians (MI) can still qualify for the playoffs this season despite winning just three out of 10 games thus far. Sitting in the ninth position at the points table with six points, Mumbai is on the verge of getting knocked out of the race for a top-four finish.
However, if they win all of their games and if other results fall in their favour, they can end up vying for the record sixth IPL title.
How can MI qualify for the IPL 2024 playoffs?
Even though SunRisers Hyderabad’s win over Rajasthan Royals has made their task tougher, the Mumbai-based outfit can still end up in the top four with 14 points.
Mathematically, Mumbai Indians can be tied at the third spot with 14 points if Kolkata Knight Riders and RR win most of their remaining games and bag the top two spots.
In a case where Lucknow Super Giants and SRH lose their remaining games, barring the one where they face off on May 8, the winner of the match will finish with 14 points, tied for the third spot with MI, assuming Mumbai will win their remaining matches.
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In that case, the six remaining teams can be tied on 12 points each.
What happens if KKR beats MI?
Considering the travelling KKR side beat MI at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday (May 3), Mumbai, with a maximum of 12 points (considering the pattern of the results mentioned above), can fight for the fourth spot with other teams. So, despite losing to KKR at home, MI can push for a case of a playoff finish.
50 games and no playoff finish yet
50 games have been completed in IPL 2024 so far, and no team has sealed the playoff spot yet, while none of the sides have been knocked out either, making this competition the best in its league worldwide.
With MI ready to host KKR on Friday, all eyes will be on this marquee clash. Although KKR is sitting in the top bracket on the points table this time, they are lagging in the head-to-head tally against MI, trailing by 9-23. At this venue, KKR hasn’t won a game in 12 years, with hosts Mumbai leading them 9-1.
Here are the predicted playing XIs of both teams –
MI – Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Gerald Coetzee, Kumar Kartikeya and Jasprit Bumrah
KKR – Philip Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Anukul Roy and Varun Chakaravarthy
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