 "What MI and SRH's IPL 2024 playoff scenarios look like ahead of their showdown in Mumbai")
Mumbai Indians (MI) host Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday in a match that could have a big impact on the IPL 2024 playoffs race.
Just three weeks are all that are left in the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), and the race to the playoffs certainly is getting more intense with each passing day. The tournament’s still wide open at the moment, and Monday’s showdown between MI and SRH is one that will be keenly followed by a lot of teams, and not just the fans of the two franchises.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) currently occupy the top two spots on the IPL 2024 points table with both teams on 16 points, with KKR having played a game more than RR. However, neither team has officially qualified for the playoffs yet, with Rajasthan needing to win one more match to get the ‘Q’ against their name.
By the same token, none of teams sitting in the bottom half of the table is officially knocked out of the playoffs race. Even the ninth-placed Gujarat Titans, whose fortunes have taken a massive hit this season after back-to-back appearances in the final since their debut in 2022, can still make it if they win their next three matches and other results go their way.
SRH start the solid favourites against MI ahead of Monday’s showdown at the Wankhede, given the manner in which they had demolished their attack at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium earlier this season.
Impact Shorts
View AllThe ‘Orange Army’ posted 277/3 after they were invited to bat by MI skipper Hardik Pandya, breaking the record for the highest team total in IPL history in the process, a record that had belonged to Royal Challengers Bengaluru for more than a decade.
MI dished out a solid batting performance of their own in response, but fell well short of the 278-run target, finishing at 246/5 to suffer a 31-run defeat — their second on the trot at the start of the season.
Ahead of return fixture between the two sides in Mumbai on Monday, we take a look at their IPL 2024 playoff scenarios:
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Points: 12 from 10 matches
Matches remaining: vs MI in Mumbai on 6 May; vs LSG in Hyderabad on 8 May; vs GT in Hyderabad on 16 May; vs PBKS in Hyderabad on 19 May
SRH had been pushed down to the fifth spot following Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) 28-run victory over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Dharamsala on Sunday, which helped the defending champions jump to the third spot on the points table, resulting in Lucknow Super Giants dropping to fourth.
Hyderabad, who have had quite the revival under Pat Cummins’ leadership this season after finishing at the very bottom last year, will have enough opportunities for a top-four finish given they have four matches in hand, including the return fixture against Mumbai. Adding to their advantage is the fact that their last three matches will take place in the familiar confines of the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, their home ground.
SRH should have one foot in the playoffs if they’re able to beat MI at the Wankhede, given 14 points has been the average cut-off for teams finishing in the top four at the end of the league stage in a 14-match-per-side season. So going by that logic, Hyderabad should remain in the hunt even if they end up losing three of their last four matches.
Two wins should virtually guarantee them a third-fourth place finish at the end of the league stage while three or more wins in their remaining fixtures should make them favourites for a top-two finish, which will then give them two attempts at making the final.
Mumbai Indians
Points: 6 from 11 matches
Matches remaining: vs SRH in Mumbai on 6 May; vs KKR in Kolkata on 11 May; vs Lucknow Super Giants in Mumbai on 17 May
Five-time champions Mumbai Indians have had a forgettable run in all-rounder Pandya’s maiden season in charge, losing eight out of 11 matches this season and currently sitting at the bottom of the 10-team table.
Though their chances of making the playoffs for a second season running appear practically impossible, Mumbai Indians remain mathematically alive in the tournament. And that’s because teams have qualified for the top four with just 12 points on the board in the past, case in point being SRH in 2019. That, however, was an eight-time affair and this season could tell a different story altogether.
For MI, the equation to a top-four finish is simple — win each of their remaining matches by handsome margins to ensure they finish with a NRR that should be competitive enough for them to sneak into the playoffs while finishing on 12 points.
Mumbai will also be hoping that the team finishing at the fourth spot at the end of the league stage doesn’t go past the 12-point mark. KKR and RR are the only two teams past the 12-point mark so far this season and one of CSK, LSG and SRH is expected to join them in that club sooner rather than later.
For MI to have a shot at the playoffs, at least two teams from the trio of Chennai, Lucknow and Hyderabad need to lose all of their remaining games. And that sides such as DC (10), RCB (8), PBKS (8) and GT (8) don’t go past the 12-point mark either, after which NRR will come into play.
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