The Indian Premier League has finally reached the business end of its two-month long journey, and in true IPL style, there was a twist in the tale right at the end of the league phase.
The teams for the play-offs were locked in right after the tournament resumed following an enforced week-long break due to the India-Pakistan conflict.
The last remaining play-offs spot was secured by Mumbai Indians last Wednesday, which meant the final seven matches had very different driving forces.
Those already eliminated were looking to finish on a high, while the teams through to the next stage were battling for a top-two finish, which is significant.
It was this desire to finish in the top two that motivated the already-qualified Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final league phase game against Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday.
Captain Jitesh Sharma blasted an unbeaten 85 and star batter Virat Kohli hit 54 as Bengaluru stormed into the first qualifier with a six-wicket win, chasing 228 successfully.
Bengaluru were 123-4 when Kohli departed, but Jitesh counter-attacked with a belligerent unbeaten 85 off 33 balls, which included eight fours and six sixes, to ensure victory with eight balls to spare.
IPL play-offs explained
Bengaluru finished second in the 10-team table with nine wins and 19 points - the same as table-toppers Punjab, who have a slightly better net run rate. The Royal Challengers face Punjab in the first play-off match on Thursday. Neither team has won the IPL in 17 attempts and will be hoping to finally end their trophy drought.
The way the IPL play-offs are structured, the top two teams at the end of the league stage get two chances of qualifying for the final. The top two play the main qualifier, the winners going directly to the final.
However, the losers of the first qualifier get another shot at a spot in the final via a second qualifier, where they face the winners of an eliminator match between the third and fourth-placed teams.
The format has been created to ensure the most consistent teams get ample opportunity to enter the title match, while the teams that, say, sneak in at number four don't get to play the final after one good day, as would happen if there were traditional semi-finals.
Bengaluru's rise to the top two pushed Gujarat Titans into third spot. They will face Mumbai Indians in the eliminator on Friday.
The second qualifier - between the losers of the first qualifier and the winners of the eliminator - takes place on Sunday. The title match is on Tuesday.
Who are the favourites in the play-offs?
Punjab, Bengaluru and Gujarat all have nine wins from 14 matches heading into the play-offs. Mumbai won eight.
Looking at the overall form of all teams, Punjab have their nose just ahead in the IPL race. Even before the tournament started, Punjab looked one of the strongest teams, captained by 2024 title winner Shreyas Iyer and possessing one of the strongest local contingent.
Bengaluru and Gujarat are not too far behind, though. The Royal Challengers made dynamic choices in the player auction and have assembled one of the most balanced squads in the league. However, their leadership duo of Rajat Patidar and Jitesh is not the most inspiring.
Gujarat have been on fire as well, with a solid top three under captain Shubman Gill, and boasting a strong bowling attack. However, they rely heavily on their top order and don't seem to have a Plan B if their first three batters fail.
The danger team of the play-offs are Mumbai Indians. They once again had a disastrous start before going on a run of six consecutive wins, securing the final play-off berth.
In this stage of the tournament, Mumbai tend to come into their own. Since 2013, Mumbai have progressed from the league phase seven times and won the trophy on five occasions. Which means when Mumbai go through, they generally go all the way to the title.
Gujarat are the other team who have a proud IPL history; they won the trophy in their first attempt in 2022 and lost a tense final the following year.
