a three-way battle for the playoffs. Royals, KKR threaten Punjab in top 4 race

Phew! Look where we are. It is the last day of the league phase of the Indian Premier League. A lot has happened in India since the first day of IPL 2026. On March 28, when Royal Challengers Bengaluru played SunRisers Hyderabad in the first match of the season, Bengal was still under the control of the TMC, petrol prices had not gone up by Rs 5 and the brutal heat wave had yet to fully engulf the country.

What 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 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 defeated Lucknow Super Giants in their last match of the league stage and finished with 15 points from 14 games. Their competitors, Rajasthan and Kolkata, were placed on 14 and 13 points respectively ahead of their final matches. Rajasthan take on Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium while KKR host Delhi Capitals at the Eden Gardens.

IPL PLAYOFF SCENARIO: PBKS vs RR vs KKR

The tension is palpable heading into the final day, with the teams now completely dependent on each other’s results.

If Rajasthan Royals win, they will qualify directly for the playoffs by sealing the fourth spot.

If Rajasthan lose and KKR win, then Ajinkya Rahane’s team will equal Punjab on points and qualification will go down to Net Run Rate.

KKR, currently at +0.011, would need to beat Delhi Capitals by roughly 75 runs to sneak into the top four, assuming Rajasthan lose earlier in the day.

If KKR finish second, the equation will be even steeper. They would probably need to chase down a target of around 180 in 13 overs.

But like everything in sports, it remains a mathematical possibility.

After Saturday’s win, Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting revealed that the team will stay back in Lucknow and watch Sunday’s matches closely. Ponting admitted that Rajasthan Royals pose a bigger threat, especially with the kind of batting firepower they have.

“I don’t have many nails. They could be a lot shorter tomorrow afternoon,” Ponting joked on the air after Punjab’s win.

IPL 2026: MI vs RR

Can Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Take Rajasthan To Playoffs? Courtesy: Reuters

Rajasthan Royals come into this game after wiping out Lucknow Super Giants in their previous match. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (93), Dhruv Jurel (53*) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (43) were the architects of the sensational 221-run chase.

The throw could prove extremely tricky on Sunday. Rajasthan are clearly the better chasing side, but an afternoon match in Mumbai at the end of the season may 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 scorching spells that made him so dangerous earlier in the season.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians are expected to treat this game almost as an audition for the future. IPL 2026 marked their second disastrous campaign in three years under Hardik Pandya and it wouldn’t be surprising if the franchise once again revisits several aspects of the project.

Body language will matter on Sunday when Mumbai’s players perform in front of their home crowd against one of the most exciting young teams in the tournament.

Head coach Mahela Jayawardene hinted that Mumbai are playing for much more than just pride in their final game.

“There’s a lot to play for, not just pride. I’m sure the fans and everyone will be very disappointed with the season we’ve had. With the squad and the players we’ve had, it’s something we have to think about and see what we have to do,” Jayawardene said.

MI vs RR: ALTITUDE CONDITIONS

As the season draws to a close, the pitch is expected to slow down considerably in the second innings. Light rain is forecast in the morning, which could also mean the surface remains under cover for a longer period of time before the start.

MI vs RR: PREDICTED PLAYING XI

Mumbai Indians have all the players available for selection, Jayawardene confirmed on Saturday. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals remain interested in 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 PlayerRohit 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

Can Finn Allen put up another decent knock against the Delhi Capitals. Courtesy: Reuters

Kolkata Knight Riders’ miraculous recovery in the second half of the season could finally come to an end on Sunday. The KKR camp is struggling with injuries to Varun Chakravarthy, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Matheesha Pathiran, greatly complicates their balance heading into the final match of the league stage.

They will face Delhi Capitals, a team that has underperformed significantly this season despite having one of the stronger squads in the competition.

Do KKR have enough left in the tank to pull off one last miracle? Or will they simply accept their fate, point to the injury and face next season?

KKR vs DC: PITCH CONDITIONS

Calcutta’s blazing heat is expected to leave visible cracks in the surface by Sunday evening. Hot and humid conditions also mean that dew is unlikely to play a major role, so batting can be very difficult.

KKR vs DC: PREDICTED PLAYING XI

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 Chakraborty

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

Regardless of who ultimately qualifies for the playoffs, one thing cannot be ignored: a relatively flat and uneven season somehow stayed alive until the final day.

Even if the reports of declining television ratings are true, fans across the country are likely to tune in one last time for what promises to be a dramatic Super Sunday in the Indian Premier League.

– The end

Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

May 24, 2026 09:43 IST

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