Indian Premier League 2019 Playoffs scenario after KXIP vs KKR: What does each team need to qualify?

Kolkata Knight Riders beat Kings XI Punjab to enter the top five in the IPL 2019 points table, displacing Rajasthan Royals. Unfortunately, the 2-over margin of victory, while excellent, did not help much, for Kolkata’s net run rate of +0.173 is unlikely to catch up with Sunrisers Hyderabad‘s +0.653.

Let us see what each team needs to do to qualify for the Playoffs (of course, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, and Delhi Capitals have already qualified, but are eyeing a Qualifier 1 spot).

Team	M	W	L	NR	Pts	NRR	Status
Chennai Super Kings	13	9	4	0	18	+0.209	Q
Mumbai Indians	13	8	5	0	16	+0.321	Q
Delhi Capitals	13	8	5	0	16	-0.096	Q
Sunrisers Hyderabad	13	6	7	0	12	+0.653
Kolkata Knight Riders	13	6	7	0	12	+0.173
Rajasthan Royals	13	5	7	1	11	-0.321
Kings XI Punjab	13	5	8	0	10	-0.351
Royal Challengers Bangalore	13	4	8	1	9	-0.694	E

Chennai Super Kings: Chennai need to beat Punjab to reach Qualifier 1. Even a defeat will do as long as they finish with net run rate higher than at least one of Mumbai and Delhi.

Mumbai Indians: A win against Kolkata is likely to put Mumbai in Qualifier 1 (they have a better net run rate than Delhi). However, a defeat may mean they have to play the Eliminator.

Delhi Capitals: Delhi need to do better than Mumbai, so they have to beat Rajasthan and hope for Mumbai to lose to Kolkata. Remember, if they finish with the same points, Mumbai are likelier to be in the top two.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: They will not make it to Qualifier 1, but a win against Bangalore should see them through to the Playoffs – unless Kolkata beat Mumbai by a ridiculously large margin.

Kolkata Knight Riders: They need to beat Mumbai (preferably by a massive margin) and expect Hyderabad to lose to Bangalore.

Rajasthan Royals: They need to beat Delhi – and bank on Mumbai to beat Kolkata and Bangalore to beat Hyderabad.

Kings XI Punjab: The unlikeliest of the quartet. Punjab need to beat Chennai by a big margin and expect Bangalore to beat Hyderabad by a humongous margin and Mumbai to do the same to Kolkata, and Delhi to beat Rajasthan.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: They have been eliminated, but everyone, especially Kolkata, will keep a keen eye on their match against Hyderabad.