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The battle for the playoffs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 has become interesting. As the season progresses, the equation is getting complicated. Now only 11 matches are left in the league stage, till now no team has been able to confirm its place in the top-4. There are still 8 teams in the race for the playoffs. Among these, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT) are in the strongest position.

RCB and GT are at the first and second positions respectively in the points table. Both teams have 16-16 points. RCB is ahead of GT on the basis of better net rate. Today (May 16) GT would like to reach the top by registering a win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens. If GT wins, not only will it qualify for the playoffs, but its place in the top-2 will also be confirmed. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is also going to benefit from GT’s victory.

CSK is stuck

CSK is sixth in the table with 12 points from 12 matches. They had to face a crushing defeat at the hands of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the last match, which dealt a blow to their playoff hopes. Now CSK needs help from other teams along with winning both their remaining matches to reach the playoffs. If CSK loses one more match, the doors will not be closed for them but the equations will become difficult.

In this situation she will be able to reach only 14 points. If they lose to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), then they will have to pray that Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals lose their remaining matches and KKR beats Delhi Capitals. Before this, CSK would like GT to defeat KKR today, so that it can make it to the playoffs by defeating the team led by Ajinkya Rahane in its last league stage match. If this is possible then CSK (14 points) will finish in the top-4 along with RCB, SRH and GT.