With just 11 games remaining in the IPL 2026 league phase, eight franchises are still chasing four playoff berths, yet not one of them has booked a spot. The table is tight enough that even small swings in results—and how big wins are—could decide who reaches the knockout stage.
Quick facts: playoff race at a glance
- Chennai Super Kings: 12 matches, 12 points, NRR 0.027; remaining: SRH (home), GT (away)
- Gujarat Titans: 12 matches, 16 points, NRR 0.551; remaining: KKR (away), CSK (home)
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 12 matches, 16 points, NRR 1.053; remaining: PBKS (away), SRH (home)
- Sunrisers Hyderabad: 12 matches, 14 points, NRR 0.331; remaining: CSK (away), RCB (home)
- Punjab Kings: 12 matches, 13 points, NRR 0.355; remaining: RCB (home), LSG (away)
- Rajasthan Royals: 11 matches, 12 points, NRR 0.082; remaining: DC (away), LSG (home), MI (away)
- Kolkata Knight Riders: 11 matches, 9 points, NRR -0.198; remaining: GT (home), MI (home), DC (home)
- Delhi Capitals: 12 matches, 10 points, NRR -0.993; remaining: RR (home), KKR (away)
Chennai Super Kings
The Chennai camp has taken a blow after losing to Lucknow Super Giants, but qualification is still within reach if they win both of their remaining fixtures. With two matches left, CSK can finish on 16 points, and there is also a narrower path to 14 points if a chain of other results breaks their way.
In that 14-point scenario, the key is that Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals lose their remaining games, while Delhi Capitals are beaten by Kolkata Knight Riders—and KKR then win no more than two additional matches. If everything aligns, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans and CSK (on 14) would be the four sides to progress.
Still, CSK cannot assume 16 points guarantees a place, because multiple other teams can potentially move beyond that mark depending on outcomes.
Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans have put themselves in a strong position after a remarkable run of five consecutive victories. To secure a top-four finish, GT need one more win, and two wins would put them in contention for an even higher seeding, potentially the top two.
If GT lose both remaining matches, their qualification could hinge on net run rate. The wider picture could become complicated if Punjab Kings, CSK and Rajasthan Royals also win their last games, with as many as six teams able to finish on 16 points or more.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are close to safety and require just one victory to ensure they reach the playoffs. The margin for error is still present, though: it is now impossible for four other teams to reach 18, but RCB could still miss out entirely if they lose both games and several rivals finish above 16.
Among those rivals are Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings, all of whom can end on more than 16. If RCB win both remaining matches, they will be guaranteed a top-two finish.
However, both of RCB’s final matches are away from home. So far this season, they have won only two of five away games, adding pressure to their closing run.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad sit on 14 points from 12 matches, with their qualification tied to their last two results. To be safe without needing help, SRH must win both remaining games, given that Gujarat Titans, RCB, Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings all have a route to finishing above 16.
Even so, SRH’s 14-point total could be enough without relying on net run rate if Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals lose all their remaining matches. Under that condition, the likely qualifiers would be Gujarat Titans, RCB, CSK and SRH.
If Punjab Kings manage one win and climb to 15 points, then a 14-point finish for SRH could still come down to net run rate, keeping the tension high heading into the last stretch.
Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings have hit a rough patch, losing five straight and finding themselves on 13 points. Despite that, there is still a surprising possibility of them reaching the fourth spot on 13 points—if multiple results fall in their favour.
That lifeline depends on Punjab Kings’ rivals performing in specific ways: Gujarat Titans would have to win both of their remaining matches, while Rajasthan Royals and CSK would need to lose all their remaining games. In addition, Kolkata Knight Riders must beat Delhi Capitals but then lose to Mumbai Indians.
If that set of outcomes occurs, the four teams that would qualify without net run rate getting involved are RCB, Gujarat Titans, SRH and Punjab Kings—while five teams would end on 12 points and KKR would finish on 11.
A more straightforward route for Punjab Kings would be to win both of their final matches and reach 17 points. With CSK already losing to LSG, it is now impossible for four other teams to reach 17 or more, meaning PBKS’ destiny increasingly rests on their own results.
Even if they finish on 15, though, Punjab Kings may still require other results to go their way, because their position would then be dependent on how the rest of the table closes.
Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals are trending in the wrong direction after losing five of their last seven matches. The gaps between fixtures have also worked against them as several teams have overtaken them on the points table, compressing the race for survival.
Earlier in the competition, following their ninth match, RR looked comfortable in third place with 12 points, though they had played one more game than some of their competitors. Now, they have slipped to fifth and are scrambling for a path into the playoffs.
Qualification on 14 points without net run rate remains feasible, but only if a cluster of results arrive together—one of the crucial conditions being defeats in all remaining matches for PBKS and CSK.
If Rajasthan Royals win all three matches, the picture becomes far simpler: they will qualify for sure. Their remaining fixtures are against teams currently in the bottom four, including two sides already eliminated, but those teams have still managed wins in their latest outings.
RR also face an unusually intense schedule after a relatively relaxed period. They will play Delhi Capitals and LSG within a three-day window on May 17 and May 19, with both games staged at different venues—Delhi and Jaipur—creating a challenging logistical and tactical test.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders have reignited their campaign with four successive victories, but the loss to RCB means they cannot exceed 15 points. That leaves KKR dependent on other match results, because multiple teams can still finish above their ceiling.
Looking at the remaining schedule, six franchises—Gujarat Titans, RCB, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals and CSK—could all end with more than 15 points. That makes KKR’s task as much about timing and outcomes elsewhere as it is about their own performances.
There is a very remote chance that KKR could remain in contention even with 13 points. That would require the three teams currently above 13—RCB, GT and SRH—to win most of their games, while Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals and CSK lose theirs.
If that improbable pattern occurs, KKR and Punjab Kings could be battling for the final playoff spot on 13 points. KKR’s three remaining games are all at home, but they have managed only one win from four matches at Eden Gardens this season, including a washout.
Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals’ win against Punjab Kings keeps them in the chase, though only just. Their route is straightforward in theory: win both remaining matches and aim to do so by the biggest margin possible, so they can end on 14 points and then hope other results fall their way.
Yet their net run rate is a serious concern. With NRR at -0.993, it is the weakest of all teams still in contention, which means they will need results elsewhere to cooperate—or they will have to win heavily.
DC will play their final league match on May 24 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. If either side is still in the playoff hunt by then, it sets up the possibility of major twists over the final stretch of the tournament, with the outcome of the league phase likely to stay unpredictable until the last day.
