GT's massive 89-run win over CSK at home on Thursday (May 21) confirmed them a top-two finish for the third time in their five editions of participation. That leaves RCB and SRH to reserve the remaining spot in Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala. Meanwhile, RR, PBKS and KKR remain in the hunt to lock the fourth spot.

All the NRR calculations here have been done assuming a first-innings score of 200.

The big one: SRH vs RCB, Hyderabad, May 22

What SRH needs to break into the top two?

• Win by at least 87 runs or
• Chase down the target in 11 overs or fewer

In the latter case, they can take up to 11.3 overs if they hit a six once the scores are tied (it has happened before in the IPL!)

RR vs MI, Mumbai WS, May 24

• A win for RR in their last league fixture on Sunday will seal them a playoffs spot.

In case of a defeat, they can make it only if:

• LSG beat PBKS on Friday and
• DC beat KKR in the final league fixture

LSG vs PBKS (May 23) and KKR vs DC (May 24)

PBKS can make it without depending on NRR if all the below three results go their way:

• They beat LSG
• MI beat RR
• DC beat KKR

Likewise, KKR can make it without NRR coming into play if

• LSG beat PBKS
• MI beat RR
• They beat DC

What happens if both PBKS and KKR win and RR finish at 14?

• PBKS hold an advantage over KKR in case of a 15-points tie in terms of the NRR: +0.227 vs + 0.011.

If PBKS beat LSG by 10 runs on Saturday, they will finish at 15 points with an NRR of +0.246.

For KKR to topple that,

• They will have to beat DC by 61 runs or
• Chase down the target in 13.5 overs

What about DC?

There's a scenario where DC can be tied at 14 with RR, and both PBKS and KKR finish at 13. However, their precarious NRR of -0.871 leaves them in no position to qualify.

For further clarity, if MI beat RR by 100 runs, the latter's NRR would drop down to -0.308. For DC to go past that, they would need to beat KKR by at least 129 runs.