Mumbai Indians – Played 10, Points 14
Remaining matches: vs Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad
Rajasthan Royals – Played 11, Points 8
Remaining matches: vs Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders
The Mumbai Indians are doing well and need to win one more match from their remaining four to make the playoffs, thanks to their strong net run-rate of 1.448.
However, the battle for top two spots is what the Mumbai Indians will have an eye on. With matches against the in-form Royal Challengers and the Capitals left after Sunday, the Mumbai Indians would definitely want to take maximum points from the relatively struggling Royals to maximise their chances of the coveted two-two finish.
If the Royals beat the Mumbai Indians, they go to 10 points and can reach 14 with two more matches to go after that. Their playoff spot will then depend on how the Knight Kiders, the Kings XI and the Sunrisers go. The Royals’ next two games are against the Kings XI and the Knight Riders. If the Kings XI beat the Knight Riders and then both the teams lose their next two games, then the Royals can qualify without NRR coming into play.
If the Kings XI or the Sunrisers manage to reach 14, though, then the Royals have only a very slim chance to make the final four on NRR, as theirs is a poor -0.62. The only team’s NRR they can possibly match is the Knight Riders’, so they would hope to compete only with KKR for that fourth spot.
If the Royals lose to the Mumbai Indians, they stay on eight points and can reach a maximum of 12 points. They are not yet eliminated in such a case, but their chances of qualifying are very slim. They would need the Knight Riders and the Sunrisers to lose all their matches and the Kings XI to not win more than one game, since all these teams have better NRRs than the Royals.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo