{"id":8573,"date":"2026-05-09T12:30:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T12:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ipl-2026-playoff-race-tightens-sunrisers-lead-as-ashwin-flags-contenders"},"modified":"2026-05-09T12:30:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T12:30:08","slug":"ipl-2026-playoff-race-tightens-sunrisers-lead-as-ashwin-flags-contenders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ipl-2026-playoff-race-tightens-sunrisers-lead-as-ashwin-flags-contenders","title":{"rendered":"IPL 2026 Playoff Race Tightens: Sunrisers Lead as Ashwin Flags Contenders"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With only four group-stage fixtures left for most sides in IPL 2026, the race for the playoffs is sharpening fast. Even so, no franchise has officially booked a place in the knockout rounds. At present, Sunrisers Hyderabad lead the standings on 14 points, setting the benchmark for the chasing pack.<\/p>\n<h3>Quick facts: IPL 2026 points table<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Sunrisers Hyderabad: 14 points (top)<\/li>\n<li>Punjab Kings: 13 points<\/li>\n<li>Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 12 points<\/li>\n<li>Rajasthan Royals: 12 points<\/li>\n<li>Gujarat Titans: 12 points<\/li>\n<li>Chennai Super Kings: 10 points<\/li>\n<li>Kolkata Knight Riders: 9 points<\/li>\n<li>Delhi Capitals: 8 points<\/li>\n<li>Mumbai Indians: 6 points<\/li>\n<li>Lucknow Super Giants: 6 points<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Punjab Kings sit just behind on 13 points, while three teams\u2014Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans\u2014are locked together with 12 points apiece. Chennai Super Kings have 10 points, with Kolkata Knight Riders on 9 and Delhi Capitals on 8. The bottom of the table is led by Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants, both on six points.<\/p>\n<h3>Ashwin\u2019s playoff forecast<\/h3>\n<p>Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes SRH and RCB are close to assured qualification. In his view, the remaining two playoff slots are set to be contested most intensely by Gujarat Titans, Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSRH and RCB are pakka confirmed. Between GT, RR and PBKS, the other two playoff spots will be decided,\u201d Ashwin said. His confidence frames a scenario where the top two are already effectively in the mix, while the middle group fights for the final places.<\/p>\n<p>Ashwin also reflected on his connection to Chennai Super Kings, noting that he began his IPL career with the franchise and that his most recent IPL stint was also with CSK. That personal link adds weight to his assessment of what the defending campaigners need to do from here.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor CSK to qualify, they must win all four remaining matches. They can\u2019t leave it to chance,\u201d he said. He stressed that even reaching 16 points may not be enough automatically, with qualification likely hinging on how the other title contenders perform\u2014particularly results involving Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings, along with CSK protecting their net run rate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven with 16 points, qualification will depend on RR losing three out of four, PBKS dropping points and CSK maintaining a strong NRR,\u201d Ashwin added. He singled out net run rate as the key separator, especially in a tight race where small swings can decide final positions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s where net run rate becomes important. I feel if Chennai win both matches against LSG, they won\u2019t just qualify, they could go all the way, just like in 2010. Every match from here is a blockbuster,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With only four group-stage fixtures left for most sides in IPL 2026, the race for the playoffs is sharpening fast. Even so, no franchise has&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8571,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2026 Points Table: Sunrisers Lead Playoff Race","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"IPL 2026 points table update: Sunrisers Hyderabad lead with 14 points, while Punjab Kings and RCB chase hard\u2014only four matches left.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>IPL 2026 Points Table: Sunrisers Lead Playoff Race<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"IPL 2026 points table update: Sunrisers Hyderabad lead with 14 points, while Punjab Kings and RCB chase hard\u2014only four matches left.\" \/>\n<meta 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