IPL 2018: Reasons behind the four teams that qualified for the playoffs

The playoff phase of the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to kick from on Tuesday, May 22, when table toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will take each other on in Qualifier 1 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. The winner of this game will progress to the final to be played on May 27 while the loser will take on the winners of the Eliminator between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) to be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, May 23.

Now, how have the four qualifiers done in this IPL? Here is a look at the performances of SRH, CSK, KKR and RR – the four teams from which the winner of IPL 2018 will emerge in another five days and what have been the reasons behind their success this year:

1. Sunrisers Hyderabad

The SRH is the newest of the lot playing in the IPL but they have already made a mark. It’s their sixth season and they have already made the playoffs four times and went on to lift the tournament once (2016). The side had its initial concerns after their bashing regular captain David Warner faced a ban before the tournament began, but the SRH did not allow that setback to affect their plans.

Led by a new skipper in Kane Williamson who has been in a great form this season (661 runs in 14 games; average 60; strike rate 143.07), the SRH’s key to success has been their bowling – both in the pace and spin departments. The likes of Siddharth Kaul, Rashid Khan, Shakib al Hasan, Sandeep Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have taken 63 wickets between them, which is quite lethal. These five bowlers have also delivered 522 dot balls (which means they didn’t concede a run in 87 overs or more than four matches!).

The Sunrisers’ bowlers, however, failed to deliver in their last three games as they failed to defend scores like 170-plus and also conceded 218 in one game. They lost all the three encounters though some might opine that the team turned a tad complacent after qualifying for the playoffs in just 11 matches, winning nine of them. One positive that the SRH can take from their last four games that their batsmen have done better.

Veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan has regained his touch by hitting three fifties in those four games and is giving the right kind of assistance to his captain Williamson who also scored three fifties in four matches. But SRH needs their other batsmen like Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan to back the top two, something which hasn’t happened often for Hyderabad this season even though their brilliant bowling performance won games with low totals.

SRH have lost both their encounters against CSK who they will play in the first qualifier and with three consecutive losses under their belts, the men in orange will be hoping their trump card – the bowlers – to do the job for them once again and take them to their second final.

And last but not the least, Williamson’s captaincy. The 27-year-old New Zealander has already proved his worth both as a batsman and a captain and this IPL have been no exception. The man has been a terrific skipper on the ground, not afraid to hold back his bowlers even when the target is low and the best of the opponent’s batsman are on strike and neither shied away from addressing the minute details while setting the field. The SRH will be up against a tough opponent in the qualifier but they have the required firepower to overcome the hurdle.

2. Chennai Super Kings:

MS Dhoni’s CSK has made the playoffs in every IPL they have played (they were not there in the 2016 and 2017 editions) and will be looking ominous in the first qualifier against SRH.

CSK were not a consistent as they generally are towards the later part of the tournament this year – winning four and losing four of their last eight matches – but they have lost just two of their eight games in the last-four phase since 2008, a fact which states how much dangerous they are once they cross the league hurdle. CSK’s key to success this year has been their team work.

The team has individuals who can hit the ball hard and also bowl a few crucial overs; batters like Ambati Rayudu who can float up and down the order and yet taste success and on the top of all, a captain like Dhoni whose own batting form this year has been magnificent (446 runs in 14 matches; average 89.20; strike rate 157.04).

CSK’s other positives have been the bowling of Deepak Chahar who has taken 9 wickets in 10 games, a nine-time better tally than that in 2017. South African sensation Lungi Ngidi, who floored India in a Test series earlier this year, has also made his presence felt for the CSK by taking 9 wickets in just five matches.

Then there are Shardul Thakur, Dwayne Bravo and the experienced spinners in Ravindra Jadeja and Harbhajan Singh – all of whom make CSK a formidable bowling side together.

A special mention should also be made about Shane Watson, the talented Australian who bagged the man of the tournament in the IPL twice in the past. Watson has been in a great batting form this year besides Rayudu and Dhoni and also has slammed a ton to show that he has not lost his passion and hunger even after retirement from international cricket.

If CSK win against SRH, they will be making their seventh IPL final (Dhoni, however, will be making his eighth final) and touching Mumbai Indians’ three crowns will not look far for them then.

3. Kolkata Knight Riders

Not many gave them a chance after the auction this year, particularly after Dinesh Karthik, an untested captaincy material, took up the reins from a successful Gautam Gambhir. KKR’s team did not impress many either, especially with a weak reserve and after Mitchell Starc got ruled out because of injury, one thought the Knights would remain also-rans in the tournament. But KKR did exceedingly well even after a mediocre start. They were looking set for an early exit after their 102-run loss Achilles heel MI as that left their net runrate in tatters.

But Karthik led from the front to see KKR securing three successive wins towards the end to qualify for the playoffs as the third team. Though some of his captaincy moves seemed dubious, Karthik has performed well as a batsman this season (438 runs in 14 games; average 33.69; strike rate 149.48), often playing crucial knocks to guide his team home.

Sunil Narine’s rise as an opening batsman has helped the Knights in a great way. His opening partnership with Chris Lynn, who has also been in a decent form this year, has unsettled the opponents quite a number of times besides adding depth to the batting order. Narine has been KKR’s best bowler this year, taking 16 wickets in 14 matches besides hitting a couple of half centuries.

KKR have also benefited from youngsters like Shubman Gill and Shivam Mavi who, despite the odds, made crucial contributions towards their team’s victory.

KKR have always gained from Karnataka-based players and this year 22-year-old Prasidh Krishna has continued the legacy. The pacer has taken nine wickets in five games and came up with a match-winning 4 for 30 against SRH in the last league game to give KKR a much-needed victory. Karthik will be hoping for Krishna to deliver in the playoff stages as well.

Caribbean all-rounder Andre Russell is another pillar of KKR’s success this year. After facing injury and other problems in the earlier seasons, the hard-hitting batsman scored 264 runs in 14 games at a massive strike rate of 189.92 besides taking 13 wickets, making it easier for his fellow batsmen and bowlers.

KKR’s batting centred around Narine-Lynn-Uthappa-Karthik-Gill-Russell-Nitish Rana has looked consistent this year and the supporters will expect to see it running for a few more games. KKR’s advantage lies in the fact that the eliminator and second qualifier will be played at the Eden Gardens – their home ground – and the MI exist no more in the tournament.

KKR perhaps found it convenient that there was not much expectation from them this year and this could help them to travel further distance in this tournament, even to the extent of lifting their third title.

4. Rajasthan Royals

RR, CSK, also made their comeback in this IPL after a two-year suspension and reached the playoffs. Like SRH, RR also saw their regular captain Steve Smith ousted and getting replaced by Ajinkya Rahane and at one time, they were languishing at the bottom with just six points from nine games. RR then won four of their next five games and also proved to be a bit lucky as teams like MI, RCB and KXIP lost their last games. RR’s chances were raised in the dying stages by the onslaught of Englishman Jos Buttler who hit five consecutive fifties to turn on the tables for the Royals.

But Buttler, along with Ben Stokes, the most expensive player of this IPL, have returned home for national duty though they yet made the playoffs by defeating a below par RCB in the last game.

In terms of individual performance, RR have not been among the top names. Jofra Archer is their best bowler so far with 13 wickets from nine games but overall, his rank is fifteenth.

In batting, Buttler (548 runs in 13 games) is their highest run-getter and with his departure, the next best is Sanju Samson (391 runs) but apart from a couple of half-centuries, his form hasn’t been impressive. Rahane, too, had an ordinary season (324 runs from 14 games; average 27; strike rate 119.11) compared to his performance in the earlier years.

RR, champions of the inaugural season a decade earlier, have lost to KKR in both encounters in this IPL (they have also lost two times to SRH and have a 1-1 record against CSK) and will have a steep challenge of beating Karthik’s side at the latter’s home ground. The Royals have also not been that regular in the last-four stage, making it only thrice between 2008 and 2015. They also look to be the weakest of all four sides in this IPL but one can never conclude outcomes in this format so easily. Can RR better their record on return?