At a glance
- We look at the playoff scenarios for the eight teams remaining in the competition.
- RCB have already qualified after beating PBKS by 23 runs on Sunday.
- The playoff scenarios see seven teams still in the hunt for the remaining three places.
We’re at the business end of the IPL 2026 league phase. While Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants have been eliminated, only Royal Challengers Bengaluru have confirmed a playoff spot so far. The race for the remaining places are hotting up in the league’s final week.
While the top four teams make it to the playoffs, the very best sides will also want to finish in the top two. The first and second-placed teams play in qualifier 1, while the next two sides play the eliminator.
The winner of qualifier 1 goes straight into the final. The loser, however, gets a second chance. They play the winner of the eliminator to see who joins the winner of qualifier 1 in the final.
IPL 2026 playoff scenarios
With only eight games to go, we take a look at the playoff scenarios of the eight teams that are still alive in the competition.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Bengaluru confirmed their place in the IPL 2026 playoffs with a 23-run win against Punjab Kings on Sunday. The table toppers, however, will want to play Qualifier 1. The winner of the first qualifier goes straight into the final after all. It also allows you a little room for error in the sense that defeat in qualifier 1 sees you take on the winner of the eliminator between the third and fourth-placed teams.
Of course, RCB could book their place in qualifier 1 before they play again. If Chennai Super Kings beat Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday, SRH can only reach 16 points with a win against RCB in their final game of the season. That would leave Bengaluru out of their reach and in the qualifier 1 places. CSK beating Gujarat Titans would achieve the same too.
If CSK lose both those games, RCB beating SRH will see them confirm first place too. If all of these results don’t go as per plan, it will come down to net run rate. Given that RCB (+1.065) have a superior NRR compared to GT (+0.400) and SRH (+0.331), it would be wise to place your bets on seeing Rajat Patidar’s men in Qualifier 1 in Dharamshala.
Gujarat Titans
Gujarat’s playoff scenarios will leave them feeling confident. Beat CSK on Thursday and GT will finish the league phase on 18 points. And that would see them qualify, outside of CSK and RR’s reach. An SRH win on Monday could also confirm GT’s place in the playoffs before they play again.
If GT beat CSK and SRH fail to win either of their last two matches, the Titans will also find a place in the first qualifier. If GT beat CSK and SRH win both their remaining matches, RCB, GT and SRH will find themselves level on points. In such a scenario, RCB’s higher net run rate will likely see them through to Q1 but their opponents will depend on the margins by which Gujarat and Hyderabad win their games.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Beating CSK on Monday will take SRH to 16 points. PBKS (13 points with one game left) and CSK (currently 12 points with two games left) will then not be able to catch up with the Pat Cummins-led side. Thus, taking them into the playoffs.
If Hyderabad lose to Chennai, a win against Bengaluru on Friday will take them to 16 points too. This, coupled with RR and CSK winning both their remaining matches, can see a situation where GT, SRH, RR and CSK all end up on 16 points. Although GT and SRH currently have a superior NRR to the other two teams, those calculations could change considerably if these results materialise.
Punjab Kings
Runaway leaders in the first half of the season, the Punjab Kings have hit a slump in the month of May. They have lost six games in a row and find themselves in a near must-win situation when they face LSG on Saturday.
Currently on 13 points, a win against Lucknow will take Punjab to 15 points. In this case, they could finish above SRH if Hyderabad lose both their games. However, PBKS can also qualify if both CSK and RR lose at least one of their remaining matches.
If PBKS lose to LSG, they would need CSK to have lost both their matches by then and they will also need RR to lose both their remaining matches. The latter situation seems improbable given that the Royals face the two teams rooted to the bottom of the table currently.
Chennai Super Kings
CSK beating both SRH and GT will see them finish with 16 points and definitely above PBKS. In that case, Hyderabad losing to Bengaluru or RR losing one of their remaining matches will confirm CSK’s spot in the playoffs.
However, if CSK were to only win one of their remaining matches, they will need PBKS to lose to LSG. They will also need RR to either lose both their remaining games or win one and lose one such that their NRR is still above Rajasthan’s. Given the difference between CSK and DC’s NRR currently (+0.027 and -0.871), a win for Chennai should put them out of Delhi’s reach.
Rajasthan Royals
RR find themselves level on points (12) with a near identical net run rate (+0.027) as CSK. Wins in both their games will take them to 16 points. That would take them out of PBKS’ reach and a defeat for CSK in one of their games will see RR through to the playoffs.
However, a defeat in one of their final two games will see them needing CSK to lose to SRH or GT and PBKS to lose to LSG. Failure to win either of their last two games would see RR needing plenty of results to go their way.
The Riyan Parag-led side will then need PBKS to lose their last game, CSK to lose both their remaining games and KKR to lose at least one of their remaining matches. All of this while assuming that DC do not win by a big enough margin to leapfrog the Royals on NRR.
Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR find themselves in a very difficult position when it comes to playoff qualification. If they were to beat both Mumbai and Delhi, they will find themselves on 15 points. In that case, they will need RR and PBKS to lose their remaining games. If CSK were to beat SRH later today, defeats for both those teams in their final games could still see KKR go through.
If KKR were to lose to MI, a win against DC will take them to 13 points. Then, they would need PBKS, CSK and RR to lose whatever games they play. However, a defeat to DC will immediately eliminate KKR.
Delhi Capitals
DC firstly need to beat KKR to have any semblance of hope when it comes to making the playoffs. In addition to that, Delhi also need CSK, RR and PBKS to all lose whatever games they play from hereon. Defeat for DC against KKR will eliminate them right away. At the end of the day, Delhi need to win their final game of the league phase and a whole lot of prayers for results to go their way.
The sheer number of teams still in the running make the run-in all the more exciting. Just who makes the playoffs remains to be seen.
Stay up to date with all the latest IPL content with ReadCricket and follow us on Instagram.
