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First Post
26-05-2025
- Sport
- First Post
How PBKS, MI and RCB can secure top-two finish in last two league matches of IPL 2025; scenarios explained
With the league phase of the 2025 Indian Premier League boiling down to its last two matches, we take a look at which of the four teams that have already qualified for the playoffs are likely to secure a top-two finish and thereby earn two shots at reaching the final. read more Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians will be in action in the last two league matches of the season. PTI/AP Just two games are all that are left in the league phase of the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League . Punjab Kings host Mumbai Indians at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday while Lucknow Super Giants host the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, their home ground, on the following day. Three of the four teams involved in the last two games will be in action in the playoffs with LSG being the odd team out. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Former champions for now but will be dislodged by at least one of the three teams in action in the last two days of the league phase, after suffering heavy defeats against eliminated sides Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings in their last two games. Which teams will square off in Qualifier 1 by securing a top-two finish? Ahead of the final league matches of the season, we take a look at various possible outcomes and which teams could finish among the top two: Punjab Kings: The Shreyas Iyer-led side have made it to the IPL playoffs for the first time in 11 years and only for the third time in the world's biggest T20 league's existence. A washout will suffice for them to reach the IPL final for only the second time as they will then go level with GT, who finished the league phase with 18 points, and have a superior Net Run Rate (0.327) compared to the Shubman Gill-led side (0.254). Punjab Kings find themselves in a direct shoot-out with Mumbai Indians for a top-two finish on Monday. Reuters In such a scenario, MI will play in the Eliminator and they will have to wait for the result of the LSG-RCB game to find out whom they face in Qualifier 1. The Kings, however, will ideally be hoping to storm into the playoffs on the back of a win. Additionally, Jaipur isn't likely to receive any rainfall in the next three days, meaning a washout appears unlikely for now. Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Like PBKS, a washout will suffice for RCB to secure a top-two finish as they will then go level on points with GT, whom they have a slight NRR superiority (0.255) over. And by the time captain Rajat Patidar walks out for the toss in Lucknow on Tuesday, they will have already known which team they are likely to face in Qualifier 1 if they are to win later in the evening. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Like Jaipur, Lucknow isn't likely to witness any rain on the match day in its final match of the 18th IPL season, meaning a washout isn't likely to happen in RCB's case and they will have to finish the league stage on a high for them to get two shots at reaching the playoffs. Mumbai Indians: The only way the five-time champions will get to play Qualifier 1 is if they defeat PBKS in Jaipur on Monday and finish the league stage with eight wins in their last nine games. A washout, which appears unlikely, can only get them to 17 points. A victory, on the other hand, will get them to 18 in which case they will be guaranteed a top-two spot as they have the best NRR (1.292) of all the teams this season. They will then have to wait until the LSG-RCB game on the following day to find out who their Qualifier 1 opponent will be. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gujarat Titans: Given one of PBKS or MI will be finishing ahead of them on the points table on Monday, the only way Gill and Co will get two shots at reaching the final is if LSG, the team that defeated them twice this season, do them a favour and defeat RCB in the final league match of the season. Gujarat Titans failed to seal a top-two finish at the end of the league stage after losing their last two matches, against Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings. Reuters The Titans could have sealed a top-two spot had they defeated either LSG or CSK in their last two games. Instead, they will have to sit and watch the last two games on television sets in their hotel rooms to learn their fate.
Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
‘Missed Kohli in action, but country first': Fans after IPL match deferred in Lucknow
LUCKNOW For the second time in five years, Lucknowites on Friday missed watching star cricketer Virat Kohli live in action at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow after the IPL match between hosts Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru was postponed in wake of BCCI suspending the tournament for a week. In March 2020, Team India's second ODI against South Africa was also cancelled at the eleventh hour even after the arrival of the two teams in Lucknow due to Covid-19. The LSG-RCB match was scheduled to start at 7.30pm on Friday. Around 1pm, the BCCI suspended the remainder of the ongoing tournament for a week and also announced that further updates regarding the new schedule and venues of the tournament will be announced in due course after a comprehensive assessment of the situation in consultation with authorities and stakeholders. A huge crowd of fans gathered outside the Ekana stadium to cross-check the postponement of Friday's match. After knowing the update, they started shouting anti-Pakistan slogans like 'Pakistan Murdabad, Indian Army Zindabad', 'Narendra Modi Zindabad', etc. 'We are certainly missing our hero Virat Kohli live in action, but at the same time we are proud to be Indians. For us, nation comes first and cricket is not above the country,' said Tabrez, a fan. 'I got the match ticket a month ago and till last night, I was excited about seeing Kohli live in action for the first time. But this afternoon, I came to know about the postponement of the match. It is disappointing, but for me the country is more important than the match,' added another fan, Rashid. Similar sentiments were echoed by other fans from Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Muzaffarpur (Bihar) and Nepal, etc. But a group of about 30-40 vendors, selling T-shirts, caps and other merchandise on the roads outside the Ekana stadium, also suffered a setback due to the match postponement. Most of them said they suffered losses between ₹25,000 and ₹65,000, as they were expecting a huge turnout. 'Even yesterday, I sold T-shirts and caps, mentioning RCB and Virat Kohli worth ₹13,000 and was expecting a sell-out today. But this sudden postponement hit my plans hard,' said one Sukant Banerjee, who came all the way from West Bengal. 'I have been a regular from Kolkata during IPL matches and it's been an annual business trip not only for me but for many like me from the region,' said Banerjee, who also makes jerseys for fans during the football derby in Kolkata. Another vendor, Satya, from Tamil Nadu also looked disappointed with the postponement of RCB-LSG match but said that country comes first for him too. 'No worries even if I lose a few thousand in my business. If our country is safe, I will make more money in future. I also stand by the Indian Army and government for action against Pakistan, which is spreading terrorism in India,' he added. Food vendors, in and outside the stadium, were also a dejected lot. 'I spent heavily on raw materials for the supply of eatables to fans during the match and now all these things will go waste,' said one Rajkumar, adding, 'Ever since the postponement of the match, I am not allowed to enter the stadium where my things are lying unattended.'
