IPL 2024 Playoffs: Can Gujarat Titans make it to top four? How can others qualify?

Shubman Gills return to form will provide a big boost to Gujarat Titans as they square off against tabletoppers Kolkata Knight Riders in their mustwin IPL game on MondayGill roared back into form with his fourth IPL hundred to keep GTs slim playoff hopes alive with a comfortable win against Chennai Super Kings at home in their last outingGill and Sai Sudharsans twin centuries were the cornerstone of the hosts huge total and their role will be crucial once again as they face KKR which has become the first team to qualify for the playoffsAs many as seven teams are still in the race for the IPL 2024 playoffs While Rajasthan Royals 16 and Sunrisers Hyderabad 14 are wellplaced at second and third position three teams CSK Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants are at 12 points eachGT and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are at 10 points and can reach a maximum of 14 pointsWith a negative net runrate GTs chance are the least and it will take a miracle for the former champions to sneak into the top four However one thing is clear GT will once again have to play out of their skin and register big wins to keep their mathematical chances aliveIn case Gujarat win both their upcoming matches even if they win their last two fixtures they are likely to miss out on NRR Hence they will first have to beat both KKR and SRH by unforeseen marginsIPL 2024 playoffs Qualification scenarios at a glanceKolkata Knight Riders 18 Points NRR 1428Remaining Matches Gujarat Titans 13 May Rajasthan Royals 19 MayQualification ScenariosIn case they win both KKR have already sealed their place in the playoffs becoming the only team to do so in IPL 2024 Winning their last two matches would mean they will end the league stage in the top spotIn case they win one Even if they win one match they are likely to finish first as only Rajasthan Royals can acquire 20 points and their NRR is much lesser In any case KKR will still play in Qualifier 1If they lose both Unless Rajasthan win both of their last two matches and Sunrisers Hyderabad do the same and win the last two fixtures by massive margins KKR will be playing in Qualifier 1 even if they lose their next two gamesAlso ReadKL Rahul vs Sanjiv Goenka row lsquoThere is no harm in being respectfulrsquoRajasthan Royals 16 Points NRR 0349Remaining Matches Punjab Kings 15 May Kolkata Knight Riders 19 MayQualification ScenariosIn case they win both Their wins will guarantee Royals not only a Playoff berth but also a Qualifier 1 ticketIn case they win one They will still qualify for the playoffs in this case However their ticket to Qualifier 1 will depend on SRHrsquos outcome in the last two matchesIn case they lose both Royals are still likely to qualify for playoffs as only CSK SRH and LSG can acquire a maximum of 16 points and LSG have a poor NRR Hence the Sanju Samsonside will be through as long as Lucknow donrsquot win both of their last two matches by huge margins with both CSK and SRH getting to 16 pointsAlso ReadControversies a sure way to sustain IPL interest rightChennai Super Kings 14 Points NRR 0528Remaining Match Royal Challengers Bengaluru 18 MayQualification ScenariosIn case they win If CSK win they will acquire 16 points Owing to their healthy NRR 16 points will be just enough to qualify for the playoffs unless SRH also get to 16 points and LSG win both of their last two matches by huge marginsIn case they lose In case CSK lose to RCB they will be at the mercy of other teams Firstly they will have to hope that they lose by a narrow margin so as to finish ahead of RCB on NRR Even then they will have to hope that either SRH lose their last two matches or LSG lose at least one of their last two fixtures with DC not winning their last match by a humongous marginSunrisers Hyderabad 14 Points NRR 0406Remaining Matches Gujarat Titans 16 May Punjab Kings 19 MayQualification ScenariosIn case they win both If SRH win both of their last two matches they will finish with 18 points and a place in the playoffs will be assured They might also play in the Qualifier 1 depending on Rajasthanrsquos resultsIn case they win one If SRH win one of their remaining couple of fixtures they are still likely to qualify for the playoffs unless both CSK beat RCB and LSG win their last two matches by exorbitant marginsIf they lose both Should SRH not win a match from here onwards they will have to hope for multiple favourable outcomes ndash firstly a CSK win over RCB and then at least one defeat for LSG and even if DC win their last match it should not be by a big marginRoyal Challengers Bengaluru 12 Points NRR 0387Remaining Match Chennai Super Kings 18 MayQualification scenariosIf they win Not only will RCB need to win against CSK but they need to close the NRR gap by approximately chasing a 200run target in 181 overs or getting an 18run victory if they are batting first and getting the same score If they are successful in doing so RCB will have to hope that LSG donrsquot win both of their last two matches and DC donrsquot win their last match by a margin this competition has never seenIf they lose They will crash out of the tournamentDelhi Capitals 12 Points NRR 0482Remaining Match Lucknow Super Giants 14 MayQualification ScenariosIf they win DCrsquos chances of making it to the playoffs will be slim even if they beat LSG in their last match Firstly they will have to win by a big margin Secondly they will have to hope that CSK beat RCB and SRH lose their last two matches by huge marginsIf they lose They will crash out of the tournamentLucknow Super Giants 12 Points NRR 0769Remaining Matches Delhi Capitals 14 May Mumbai Indians 17 MayQualification ScenariosIf they win both Despite having the worst NRR among the top 7 teams Lucknow will qualify for the playoffs if they win their last two matches provided RCB beat CSK In case CSK win that fixture SRH will have to lose their last two matches to make way for LSGIf they win one If LSG win one of their remaining two fixtures their chances of qualification are practically nil owing to their NRRMumbai Indians 8 Points NRR 0271Remaining Match Lucknow Super Giants 17 MayQualification Scenario Mumbai are already out of the Playoffs race but other teams can bank on the fivetime champions to jeopardise LSGrsquos chancesPunjab Kings 8 Points NRR 0423Remaining Matches Rajasthan Royals 15 May Sunrisers Hyderabad 19 MayQualification Scenario Much like Mumbai Punjab Kings are also already out of the hunt