What are Royal Challengers Bengaluru's qualification chances for IPL 2024 playoffs?

The Indian Premier League 2024 is approaching the halfway mark, and the future is already looking bleak for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

The league phase of the tournament lasts 14 matches, so there is still a long way to go. But while the other nine teams have a lot to look forward to, Bengaluru fans are already preparing for the worst after losing five of their six matches so far.

Unlike other teams in the bottom half of the IPL table, Bengaluru have had very few positives. Star batsman Virat Kohli is the leading run scorer in the tournament but the rest of the line-up looks far from threatening.

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Their international middle-order of Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green has failed miserably with the bat, while bowling has always been their weak point with no strike weapons at the top or in the middle overs.

Bengaluru did try to rectify few of the glaring errors committed at the beginning of the season by bringing in in-form T20 batsman Will Jacks and domestic performers Mahipal Lomror and Vijaykumar Vyshak against Mumbai Indians. But they were easily brushed aside as Jasprit Bumrah picked up five wickets at the Wankhede before Ishan Kishan and the returning Suryakumar Yadav hit belligerent fifties while chasing 197.

What are RCB's playoff qualification chances?

The Royal Challengers have won just one out of six matches and there is not a lot of room for error. In the previous two seasons, the fourth-placed team in the points table that qualified for the playoffs had eight wins and six defeats.

In the IPL, eight wins and 16 points is seen as the mark to hit to ensure qualification to the next stage. However, when the IPL had eight teams, even six wins and eight defeats were enough to secure passage.

But even that seems a daunting task for Bengaluru, who are currently bottom of the pile. Two of their next three matches are against Sunrisers Hyderabad who are being expertly captained by Pat Cummins, while one game is against Kolkata Knight Riders, who have arguably the strongest batting line-up in the tournament.

If the Royal Challengers lose two of these three games, their IPL will be as good as over as they will then only be able to rise to 14 points at best, which is unlikely to be enough for the playoffs as they will then have to depend on other results going their way.

Bengaluru can make it to the playoffs if they win seven of their remaining eight games. But in all fairness, their season is as good as over.