Sunday’s loss against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has made a huge impact on Punjab Kings (PBKS)‘ hopes of qualifying for the playoffs in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
The KL Rahul-led side had things under control while chasing the target, and a win in that contest followed by another victory in their remaining fixture would have put them on 14 points and in a good position to make the playoffs.
However, the loss against RCB has deteriorated Punjab’s chances of making it to the top four. But they can still book a place in the playoffs if they win their final league game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on October 7 by a big margin and hope the other results go their way as well.
If Punjab beat Chennai, they can get to a maximum of 12 points and hope that no other team gets past 12 points as well. For that to happen, both Mumbai Indians (MI) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) would need to win just one of their remaining two fixtures, while Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) would have to lose their final group game.
If this scenario occurs, four teams would be tied on 12 points, which means the qualification would get down to the net run rate. At the moment, the Kings have a net run rate only bettered by the Knight Riders amongst those teams who are in the race for the last playoff spot. If all teams end on 12 points, PBKS will finish in the fifth position while KKR at the fourth position.
Therefore, Punjab would hope for a big win over CSK in their final group game or hope that KKR are beaten heavily by RR in their final group game to dethrone the two-time champions on the points table.
