RCB's chances of qualifying for the playoffs in IPL 2017

At halfway stage of the 2017 Indian Premier League, the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s chances to have a shot at their first IPL title look bleak as they managed to yield just 5 points in the 8 games they have played so far and their chances of making it to the playoffs itself are getting worse with every passing match.

RCB have won two and lost 5 out of the 8 games so far while the recent game against Sunrisers Hyderabad resulted in a point for them courtesy of a washout. This one point could well turn into a blessing in disguise for the Royal Challengers as the odd point could nullify their Net run rate which is currently -1.210, the worst among all the teams.

While this washout removes RCB’s NRR problems, at the same time, it would require them to win as many matches as possible in their last 6 games. If RCB manage to win all their remaining 6 encounters, they will finish with 17 points which would mean pretty smooth qualification.

In case if RCB manages to defeat their opposition in 5 out of the last 6 games, they might well finish with 15 points. Last year, the top 4 teams all had 16 points in their bag, if the same continues, RCB might fall under the axe. However, if Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders continue showing their dominance, other teams might finish with 14 points at max, which could turn out to be a positive for RCB.

In case, of 4 wins and a washout for RCB in their next 6 games, it will give the teams equalled with RCB an upper hand at 14 points as the number of wins will be considered before the NRR and RCB will be having only 6 wins since they would have yielded two points through washouts.

In case if RCB finishes with 13 points winning only 4 of their last 6 games, they would need to hope for a miracle as in expecting the current teams in the bottom half of the points table don’t have more than 6 wins in their tally. It is safe to say that anything less than 4 wins for the Bangalore franchise here on will see them finish the first 10 season without a title.

As said above, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s best shot to make into playoffs from here on will be winning at least 5 of their last 6 games. It wouldn’t be something new in the IPL if RCB can pull this off as the teams have come from such stages in the history of the league and have eventually won the title. RCB themselves won 6 out of their last 7 games to finish at the 2nd position in the previous edition after being positioned 7th at the halfway stage with just 2 wins.

Here are a few IPL teams making it to the final 4 with the help of bulk of their wins in the final stages: