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.
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Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
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Top Hundred overseas picks
London Spirit: Kieron Pollard, Riley Meredith
Welsh Fire: Adam Zampa, David Miller, Naseem Shah
Manchester Originals: Andre Russell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sean Abbott
Northern Superchargers: Dwayne Bravo, Wahab Riaz
Oval Invincibles: Sunil Narine, Rilee Rossouw
Trent Rockets: Colin Munro
Birmingham Phoenix: Matthew Wade, Kane Richardson
Southern Brave: Quinton de Kock
Law%2041.9.4%20of%20men%E2%80%99s%20T20I%20playing%20conditions
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UAE%20ILT20
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Pathaan
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company profile
Company name: Nestrom
Started: 2017
Co-founders: Yousef Wadi, Kanaan Manasrah and Shadi Shalabi
Based: Jordan
Sector: Technology
Initial investment: Close to $100,000
Investors: Propeller, 500 Startups, Wamda Capital, Agrimatico, Techstars and some angel investors
Key developments in maritime dispute
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
GYAN’S ASIAN OUTPUT
2011-2015: Al Ain – 123 apps, 128 goals
2015-2017: Shanghai SIPG – 20 apps, 7 goals
2016-2017: Al Ahli (loan) – 25 apps, 11 goals