New Delhi: It is that time of the IPL season when usually hardcore Royal Challengers Bangalore fans pray for their team to qualify for the playoffs. With five wins and five losses, RCB stands in the middle of the points table. After a thrashing loss against Delhi Capitals, the team failed to join the tally board leaders and the loss affected their chances.
Despite Virat Kohli and Mahipal Lomror scoring fifties, the bowlers could not defend 181 against Phil Salt’s assault of 87 off 45 for DC. With this loss, RCB has 10 points in their pocket and they stand in a deadlock with RR, MI, and PBKS, all with 10 points each.
How can RCB qualify for playoffs?
If RCB wins their three out of their four fixtures, they will have 16 points in the bag and a chance to make a strong case for themselves. Losing a game from here will affect their chances as they face MI, SRH, and RR in the next three games, who are all looking to move ahead. If RCB wins two out of the four games, they will still keep their chances alive while depending on the Net Run Rate and other teams’ results.
RCB’s remaining fixtures
| Match | Date | Time | Venue |
| Vs MI | May 9 | 7:30 pm | Mumbai |
| Vs RR | May 14 | 3:30 pm | Jaipur |
| Vs SRH | May 18 | 7:30 pm | Hyderabad |
| Vs GT | May 21 | 7:30 pm | Bengaluru |
Points Table
Gujarat Titans stands tall at the top with 16 points and are a win away from qualifying to the playoffs. Meanwhile, DC is lurking at the bottom with 8 points but has still kept their chances alive.
| Pos | Teams | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Pts | NRR |
| 1 | Gujarat Titans | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0.951 |
| 2 | Chennai Super Kings | 11 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0.409 |
| 3 | Lucknow Super Giants | 11 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0.294 |
| 4 | Rajasthan Royals | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0.388 |
| 5 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | -0.209 |
| 6 | Mumbai Indians | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | -0.454 |
| 7 | Punjab Kings | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | -0.472 |
| 8 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -0.103 |
| 9 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -0.472 |
| 10 | Delhi Capitals | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -0.529 |