3-way battle for playoffs. Royals, KKR threaten Punjab in top 4 race
Punjab Kings win over LSG on Saturday means that three teams are alive in the IPL playoffs race in the final day of the league stage. Punjab will be keenly watching Rajasthan's match against Mumbai Indians, and Kolkata's match against Delhi on Sunday.
Phew! Look where we are. It is the final day of the league stage of the Indian Premier League. A lot has happened in India since IPL 2026's opening day. On March 28, when Royal Challengers Bengaluru played SunRisers Hyderabad in the first match of the season, Bengal was still under TMC's control, petrol prices had not been hiked by Rs 5, and the brutal heatwave had not yet fully gripped the country.
What had looked like a fairly straightforward top-four race midway through the season has now turned into a thriller heading into the final day of the league stage. Three playoff spots have already been sealed, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans and SunRisers Hyderabad all finishing on 18 points this season.
The race for the fourth and final playoff spot remains alive with Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders still mathematically in contention.
Punjab beat Lucknow Super Giants in their final league-stage game and finished with 15 points from 14 matches. Their competitors, Rajasthan and Kolkata, sit on 14 and 13 points respectively ahead of their final fixtures. Rajasthan face Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, while KKR host Delhi Capitals at Eden Gardens.
IPL PLAYOFFS SCENARIO: PBKS vs RR vs KKR
The tension is palpable heading into the final day, with teams now completely dependent on one another's results.
If Rajasthan Royals win, they qualify directly for the playoffs by sealing the fourth spot.
If Rajasthan lose and KKR win, then Ajinkya Rahane's side will tie Punjab on points and qualification will come down to Net Run Rate.
KKR, who currently sit at +0.011, would need to beat Delhi Capitals by roughly 75 runs to sneak into the top four, provided Rajasthan lose earlier in the day.
If KKR end up batting second, the equation becomes even steeper. They would likely need to chase down a target of around 180 in under 13 overs.
But like everything in sport, it remains a mathematical possibility.
Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting revealed after Saturday's win that the team would stay back in Lucknow and closely follow Sunday's games. Ponting admitted that Rajasthan Royals posed the bigger threat, especially with the kind of batting firepower they possess.
"I haven't got many fingernails left. By tomorrow afternoon, they could be a whole lot shorter," Ponting joked on the broadcast after Punjab's win.
IPL 2026: MI vs RR
Rajasthan Royals come into this game after obliterating Lucknow Super Giants in their previous match. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (93), Dhruv Jurel (53*) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (43) were the architects of a sensational 221-run chase.
The toss could prove extremely tricky on Sunday. Rajasthan are clearly a better chasing side, but an afternoon game in Mumbai at the fag end of the season might tempt teams to bat first before the pitch slows down later in the day.
RR would also hope that Jofra Archer returns to his best and produces the kind of searing spells that made him so dangerous earlier in the season.
Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, are expected to treat this game almost like an audition for the future. IPL 2026 marked their second disastrous campaign in three years under Hardik Pandya's captaincy, and it would not be surprising if the franchise re-evaluates several aspects of the project once again.
Body language will matter on Sunday as Mumbai's players walk out in front of their home crowd against one of the most exciting young teams in the tournament.
Head coach Mahela Jayawardene hinted that Mumbai were playing for far more than pride in their final game.
"There is a lot to play for, not just pride. I am sure the fans and everyone will be very disappointed with the season we have had. With the squad and the players we had, that is something we need to reflect on and see what we need to do," Jayawardene said.
MI vs RR: PITCH CONDITIONS
With the season nearing its end, the pitch is expected to slow down considerably in the second innings. Slight rain is forecast in the morning, which could also mean the surface remains under covers for a prolonged period before the start.
MI vs RR: PREDICTED PLAYING XIs
Mumbai Indians have all players available for selection, confirmed Jayawardene on Saturday. Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, remain concerned over the fitness of Riyan Parag and Ravindra Jadeja.
Mumbai Indians Predicted XI: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Will Jacks, Deepak Chahar, Corbin Bosch, Shardul Thakur, Raghu Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah
Impact Player: Rohit Sharma
Rajasthan Royals Predicted XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius/Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Sushant Mishra, Sandeep Sharma, Brijesh Sharma
Impact Player: Yash Raj Punja
IPL 2026: KKR vs DC
Kolkata Knight Riders' miraculous recovery in the second half of the season might finally meet its end on Sunday. The KKR camp is battling injuries to Varun Chakravarthy, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Matheesha Pathirana, severely complicating their balance heading into the final league-stage match.
They face Delhi Capitals, a side that has dramatically underperformed this season despite possessing one of the stronger squads in the competition.
Do KKR still have enough left in the tank to pull off one final miracle? Or will they simply accept their fate, point towards injuries and move on towards next season?
KKR vs DC: PITCH CONDITIONS
The blazing Kolkata heat is expected to leave visible cracks on the surface by Sunday evening. Hot and humid conditions also mean dew is unlikely to play a major role, making batting second potentially very difficult.
KKR vs DC: PREDICTED PLAYING XIs
KKR Predicted XI: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya (wk), Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Dubey
Impact Player: Varun Chakravarthy
DC Predicted XI: KL Rahul (wk), Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel (c), Madhav Tiwari, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar
Impact Player: Tripurana Vijay
Whoever eventually qualifies for the playoffs, one thing cannot be ignored: a relatively flat and uneven season has somehow stayed alive right till the final day.
Even if reports about declining TV ratings are true, chances are that fans across the country will still tune in one final time for what promises to be a dramatic Super Sunday in the Indian Premier League.
IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Player Stats | Purple Cap | Orange Cap | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
Phew! Look where we are. It is the final day of the league stage of the Indian Premier League. A lot has happened in India since IPL 2026's opening day. On March 28, when Royal Challengers Bengaluru played SunRisers Hyderabad in the first match of the season, Bengal was still under TMC's control, petrol prices had not been hiked by Rs 5, and the brutal heatwave had not yet fully gripped the country.
What had looked like a fairly straightforward top-four race midway through the season has now turned into a thriller heading into the final day of the league stage. Three playoff spots have already been sealed, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans and SunRisers Hyderabad all finishing on 18 points this season.
The race for the fourth and final playoff spot remains alive with Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders still mathematically in contention.
Punjab beat Lucknow Super Giants in their final league-stage game and finished with 15 points from 14 matches. Their competitors, Rajasthan and Kolkata, sit on 14 and 13 points respectively ahead of their final fixtures. Rajasthan face Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, while KKR host Delhi Capitals at Eden Gardens.
IPL PLAYOFFS SCENARIO: PBKS vs RR vs KKR
The tension is palpable heading into the final day, with teams now completely dependent on one another's results.
If Rajasthan Royals win, they qualify directly for the playoffs by sealing the fourth spot.
If Rajasthan lose and KKR win, then Ajinkya Rahane's side will tie Punjab on points and qualification will come down to Net Run Rate.
KKR, who currently sit at +0.011, would need to beat Delhi Capitals by roughly 75 runs to sneak into the top four, provided Rajasthan lose earlier in the day.
If KKR end up batting second, the equation becomes even steeper. They would likely need to chase down a target of around 180 in under 13 overs.
But like everything in sport, it remains a mathematical possibility.
Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting revealed after Saturday's win that the team would stay back in Lucknow and closely follow Sunday's games. Ponting admitted that Rajasthan Royals posed the bigger threat, especially with the kind of batting firepower they possess.
"I haven't got many fingernails left. By tomorrow afternoon, they could be a whole lot shorter," Ponting joked on the broadcast after Punjab's win.
IPL 2026: MI vs RR
Rajasthan Royals come into this game after obliterating Lucknow Super Giants in their previous match. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (93), Dhruv Jurel (53*) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (43) were the architects of a sensational 221-run chase.
The toss could prove extremely tricky on Sunday. Rajasthan are clearly a better chasing side, but an afternoon game in Mumbai at the fag end of the season might tempt teams to bat first before the pitch slows down later in the day.
RR would also hope that Jofra Archer returns to his best and produces the kind of searing spells that made him so dangerous earlier in the season.
Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, are expected to treat this game almost like an audition for the future. IPL 2026 marked their second disastrous campaign in three years under Hardik Pandya's captaincy, and it would not be surprising if the franchise re-evaluates several aspects of the project once again.
Body language will matter on Sunday as Mumbai's players walk out in front of their home crowd against one of the most exciting young teams in the tournament.
Head coach Mahela Jayawardene hinted that Mumbai were playing for far more than pride in their final game.
"There is a lot to play for, not just pride. I am sure the fans and everyone will be very disappointed with the season we have had. With the squad and the players we had, that is something we need to reflect on and see what we need to do," Jayawardene said.
MI vs RR: PITCH CONDITIONS
With the season nearing its end, the pitch is expected to slow down considerably in the second innings. Slight rain is forecast in the morning, which could also mean the surface remains under covers for a prolonged period before the start.
MI vs RR: PREDICTED PLAYING XIs
Mumbai Indians have all players available for selection, confirmed Jayawardene on Saturday. Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, remain concerned over the fitness of Riyan Parag and Ravindra Jadeja.
Mumbai Indians Predicted XI: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Will Jacks, Deepak Chahar, Corbin Bosch, Shardul Thakur, Raghu Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah
Impact Player: Rohit Sharma
Rajasthan Royals Predicted XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius/Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Sushant Mishra, Sandeep Sharma, Brijesh Sharma
Impact Player: Yash Raj Punja
IPL 2026: KKR vs DC
Kolkata Knight Riders' miraculous recovery in the second half of the season might finally meet its end on Sunday. The KKR camp is battling injuries to Varun Chakravarthy, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Matheesha Pathirana, severely complicating their balance heading into the final league-stage match.
They face Delhi Capitals, a side that has dramatically underperformed this season despite possessing one of the stronger squads in the competition.
Do KKR still have enough left in the tank to pull off one final miracle? Or will they simply accept their fate, point towards injuries and move on towards next season?
KKR vs DC: PITCH CONDITIONS
The blazing Kolkata heat is expected to leave visible cracks on the surface by Sunday evening. Hot and humid conditions also mean dew is unlikely to play a major role, making batting second potentially very difficult.
KKR vs DC: PREDICTED PLAYING XIs
KKR Predicted XI: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya (wk), Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Dubey
Impact Player: Varun Chakravarthy
DC Predicted XI: KL Rahul (wk), Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel (c), Madhav Tiwari, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar
Impact Player: Tripurana Vijay
Whoever eventually qualifies for the playoffs, one thing cannot be ignored: a relatively flat and uneven season has somehow stayed alive right till the final day.
Even if reports about declining TV ratings are true, chances are that fans across the country will still tune in one final time for what promises to be a dramatic Super Sunday in the Indian Premier League.
IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Player Stats | Purple Cap | Orange Cap | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
