The BCCI and the Emirates Cricket Board have done a fantastic job in organizing the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) in the midst of the pandemic. The 2020 IPL have been a very successful tournament so far and has once again established itself as the premier domestic T20 league in the world.
We are into the final stages of IPL 2020, with just two more weeks to play out. The BCCI has confirmed the venue and dates for the IPL playoffs which will take place in the first week of November. While the BCCI has announced the venue and dates, we are still not a hundred percent sure as to which four teams will make the IPL playoffs. We need to wait a few more days to see how it all plays out and which takes make the final four.
IPL Playoff Schedule
The BCCI will use Abu Dhabi and Dubai for its playoff and IPL final games. The first game will be Qualifier 1 between Team 1 and Team 2. This game will take place on Nov 5 in Dubai.
The next match is the Eliminator between Team 3 and Team 4. The game will take place on Nov 6 in Abu Dhabi and the loser gets eliminated automatically.
The third game will be Qualifier 2 between the Winner of the Eliminator and the Loser of Qualifier 1. The winner of this game advances to the IPL final and the loser is eliminated. This game will take place on Nov 8 in Abu Dhabi.
The 2020 IPL Championship Final will see the winner of Qualifier 1 take on the winner of Qualifier 2 in Dubai on Nov 10.
Top Three IPL Teams To Make The Playoffs
The top three IPL teams to make the playoffs are the Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Delhi Chargers All three teams currently have 14 points each having played 11 games, won 7 and lost 4. Mumbai is in first place due to a superior net run rate while Delhi is in second and Bangalore in third.
These three IPL teams need to secure one more win in their remaining three matches to officially book themselves a place in the IPL playoffs. All three IPL franchises have played great cricket and should be able to pull off a win before the end of this week, unless something goes horribly wrong for them.
The pressure on these three teams will not be about making the playoffs but to see if they can make it to the top two teams on the IPL points table as it gives them additional security. This is because the top two teams have another crack at redeeming themselves should they lose in Qualifier 1.
RCB will be kicking themselves for losing their game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday as a win over CSK would have not only secured their place in the playoffs but also put them on top of the points table.
Who Will Be The Fourth Team?
The competition for the fourth and final place in the playoffs is very intense as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals battle it out. KKR definitely has a slight edge over the other two teams as KKR is now in fourth place on the points table with 12 points. Kings XI and the Royals have 10 points each.
The difference between these sides is that KKR and Kings XI have only played 11 games and have 3 more games to get to 14 points or more. Royals have played 12 games and need to win their remaining 2 games to get to 14 points. We will know which teams make the cut as the week plays out.
