Three of the four playoff spots in IPL 2026 have been taken, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Gujarat Titans (GT) securing qualification. Only one spot remains, and here's what the five contenders need to do to get it.
Rajasthan Royals
Played: 12, Points: 12, NRR: 0.027
Remaining matches: LSG (H) and MI (A)
Among the five teams in contention for the last playoff spot, only Rajasthan Royals (RR) can qualify without relying on other results. Their last two matches are against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Mumbai Indians (MI), who are placed ninth and tenth, respectively.
RR will finish in the top four if they win both those matches. They could even finish second if they win their remaining two games, and if GT and SRH lose their last league matches.
If RR lose one of the two matches, they will remain in contention for fourth place if Punjab Kings (PBKS) lose their last match, and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lose one of their remaining two games.
Net run rate will come into play if RR tie on 14 points with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Capitals (DC).
Punjab Kings
Played: 13, Points: 13, NRR: 0.227
Remaining match: LSG (A)
Six consecutive defeats have put PBKS on the brink of elimination. A win in their last league game against LSG will keep PBKS, but they need RR to lose one of their remaining two matches.
PBKS could then tie on 15 points with KKR, who are on 11 points and have two matches to play, but they currently have a better net run rate. PBKS might not be out of the fray even if they lose, but will need a string of results to fall in their favour.
The first would be RR losing to LSG on Tuesday, KKR losing to MI on Wednesday, and CSK losing to GT on Thursday. On Sunday, the last day of the group games, PBKS will need RR to lose to MI, and for KKR to defeat DC, but by a margin small enough to not be overtaken on NRR.
Chennai Super Kings
Played: 13, Points: 12, NRR: -0.016
Remaining match: GT (A)
Back-to-back defeats have left CSK hoping for a miracle to qualify for the playoffs. They can reach a maximum of 14 points, which means they need PBKS to lose to LSG, while RR and KKR need to lose one of their remaining two matches.
CSK could end up tied with RR and DC on 14 points, but can finish higher on net run rate. Currently, RR have the best net run rate of the three teams, but are only 0.043 ahead of CSK, while DC are way behind both.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Played: 12, Points: 11, NRR: -0.038
Remaining matches: MI (H) and DC (H)
Five wins in their last six matches have kept KKR's playoff hopes alive. Wins in their last two matches will take them to 15 points. They will need RR, currently on 12 points, to lose one of their last two matches. If PBKS win their last match, it will come down to net run rate between them and KKR.
KKR could qualify with 13 points too, but will need a lot of results to go their way. KKR can't qualify if they lose to DC, but they can afford to lose to MI only if RR, PBKS and CSK lose their remaining matches. A win with a bigger margin against DC in the last game will put KKR ahead of PBKS on net run rate in this scenario.
Delhi Capitals
Played: 13, Points: 12, NRR: -0.871
Remaining match: KKR (A)
With a net run rate of -0.871, the worst of all ten teams, DC need PBKS, RR and CSK to lose their remaining matches. Then, a win against KKR in the last league game will take DC to fourth place. But if CSK defeat GT, or RR win one of their two matches, then DC go into their last game needing an impossible margin of victory.
Four teams battle for the top two spots
The three teams that have already confirmed their playoff berths are now aiming to finish in the top two. RCB are best placed to finish in the top two, with a solid net run rate of 1.065 and 18 points. For them to be on the safe side, they shouldn't lose to SRH by a big margin.
GT and SRH are currently on 16 points, with a difference of only 0.05 in their net run rates. RCB's net run rate will fall below SRH if they lose by about 88 runs. Even then, RCB will remain in the top two unless GT win their last league game against CSK by a big margin (75-plus runs).
If both GT and SRH win their respective matches, SRH will need to win by about 13 runs more than GT's margin to finish higher. Similarly, if both teams lose their last game, GT can afford to lose by about 12 runs more than SRH's margin to defeat against RCB.
If both GT and SRH finish on 16 points, they should be wary of RR, who also have a chance to finish on 16 by winning their last two matches and over-taking both on net run rate.