Five Teams, 1 Spot! IPL Playoffs Scenarios Explained

Mumbai: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 has entered its business end and the three sports in the playoffs are already locked. Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Chennai Super Kings by five wickets on Monday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Their win resulted in SRH and Gujarat Titans both advancing into the playoffs.

Earlier, Royal Challengers Bengaluru secured qualification in the playoffs after defeating Punjab Kings by 23 runs in Dharamsala on Sunday. So, three teams have already qualified for the playoffs, and only one spot is up for grabs with a total of five teams fighting for it.

Punjab Kings, Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders are in contention for the final playoffs berth. Only seven league matches are remaining, and the playoff race is expected to become more intense with each match.

Punjab Kings

After starting the tournament with six wins, the team suffered a losing streak, losing seven matches in a row. They are currently at 13 points with one match to go against Lucknow Super Giants. Even if they win their final league match and reach at 15 points, they can still be pushed out of the playoffs race by KKR and RR.

PBKS also have a chance to qualify with 13 points, but for that they need RR, CSK and DC to lose all their remaining matches. Also, KKR would need to beat DC but lose to MI. In such a scenario, both KKR and PBKS will finish on 13 points each, and net run rate will be the deciding factor then.

May 23: Punjab Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants ‘

Rajasthan Royals

The path to the qualification is the simplest for the team as they are the only team to have fate in their own hands. Winning their remaining two matches will take them to 16 points, and they will be in the playoffs.

However, if they lose one of the matches, the scenario will be a little complicated. They would reach 14 points, and KKR and PBKS could overtake them on the basis of the points. If RR lose both their matches, they will be eliminated.

Remaining matches

May 19: Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants

May 24: Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians

Chennai Super Kings

CSK need to win their last league but only that is not good enough for them to advance into the playoffs. RR, PBKS and KKR can overtake them on points. Even, DC can catch them on 14 points and so it is a very difficult path for CSK

Remaining matches

May 21: Chennai Super Kings vs Gujarat Titans

Delhi Capitals

DC are in a similar situation to CSK but they have a lower net run rate as compared to the latter. The team will not only need to win their last league game but also need other results to go their way.

Remaining fixtures

May 24: Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders

If KKR win both their remaining matches, they will finish the league on 15 points. But, they will need RR to lose at least one match as they can reach 16 points and surpass KKR. Also, PBKS could equal KKR on 15 points and bring the net run rate into play.

KKR can qualify for 13 points, but they will need Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals to lose the remaining matches. KKR and PBKS would both finish on 13 points, and the net run rate will be the deciding factor.

Remaining matches

May 24: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals