The final weekend of the IPL 2024 league phase is all set to be a memorable one with just one spot remaining in the play-offs and two teams set to battle for it in what is a virtual knockout.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (15 points) became the third team to qualify for the play-offs, after Kolkata Knight Riders (19 points) and Rajasthan Royals (16 points), as their match against Gujarat Titans on Thursday was washed out.
Saturday’s match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings at the Chinnaswamy Stadium is now a virtual knockout for the last remaining spot in the next stage.
Chennai Super Kings
Matches: 13, Points: 14, NRR: 0.528
Chennai are in a very comfortable position. All they need is one point from the match, in case of a washout, as they will then move to 15 points and qualify for the play-offs.
If Chennai win, then they will move to 16 points and will have a chance of finishing in the top two, provided Rajasthan lose their last match against Kolkata and Sunrisers don’t get more than one point in their final league game against Punjab.
Even if Chennai lose, they can still qualify if the margin of defeat is small. In that case, they will be tied on 14 points with Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals and qualify on net run rate.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Matches: 13, Points: 12, NRR: 0.387
After being down and almost out after the first half of the tournament, Bengaluru have turned things around spectacularly by winning five matches in a row.
Not just that, they have improved their net run rate in the process as well. However, they have one more hurdle to cross; victory against Chennai on Saturday alone will not be enough.
Not only do Bengaluru require a win, they need to beat Chennai by a decent margin to take their net run rate above that of Chennai. If they bat first, Bengaluru need to win by 18 runs or more and if they chase, they need to reach the target with nearly two overs to spare.
In case of a washout, Bengaluru will be out of the race.
Weather forecast in Bengaluru
Two matches have already been abandoned in the IPL because of rain this week and it looks like the weather is likely to have a say on Saturday as well.
Bengaluru is expected to receive rain this weekend. The Indian weather department has forecast spells of rains with chances of thundershowers on Saturday. According to the BBC, there is 70 per cent chance of rain in the evening.
However, the drainage at the Chinnaswamy Stadium is excellent so the chances of the match resuming after heavy rain is high, even for a five-over match.
