Final countdown: your guide to IPL playoffs

With just two matches remaining on Sunday night, one playoff spot is still up for grabs in one of the closest Indian Premier League seasons in the competition's 11-year history.

Victories on Saturday night for Kolkata secured them a spot in the final four, thanks to Chris Lynn's heroics with the bat, while the Rajasthan Royals condemned Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore to yet another season watching the finals from the sidelines.

The final two matches will see Delhi meet Mumbai in the early match before Chennai play the Kings XI Punjab. Results will not only determine the final spot in the top four but could also have major implications for seeding for the playoffs. 

Ahead of tonight's two pivotal matches, cricket.com.au looks at the ladder and breaks down the scenarios for that coveted fourth spot and the playoffs to follow.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (1st)

Matches 14 | Won 9 | Lost 5 | Points 18 | NRR +0.284

The Sunrisers Hyderabad have barely missed David Warner this season as they steamrolled the competition to finish top of the table. Kiwi captain Kane Williamson has stepped up admirably for the Orange Army and for a batsman who could only occasionally get a game for the franchise in years previous, is this season the competition's leading run-scorer with 661 and eight fifties from 14 innings, while Siddarth Kaul (17) and Rashid Khan (16) feature prominently in the wicket-takers list. They have been the leading team all throughout the season, but there is some concern they have hit a slump at just the wrong time, having lost their last three starts, including last night against title rivals Kolkata.

Chennai Super Kings (2nd)

Matches 13 | Won 8 | Lost 5 | Points 16 | NRR +0.220

In their first season back in the IPL after a two-year exile, Chennai will again contend for the IPL crown with evergreen skipper MS Dhoni leading the way. The Super Kings are locked in for the playoffs but tonight's final match against Kings XI Punjab can still have big implications. Should Chennai lose heavily, Kings XI could leapfrog into fourth spot on Net Run Rate. But Chennai fans will have the safety of knowing whatever result, their team will feature in the finals. The power-hitting of the at-times controversial Ambati Rayudu has been a revelation and he leads the competition with 33 sixes with one game to go. Perennial Aussie powerhouse Shane Watson has also underlined his value as a T20 player with solid returns for Chennai, as has Dwayne Bravo although there are some concerns the West Indian is not as potent in the death overs as he once was.

Kolkata Knight Riders (3rd)

Matches: 14 | Won: 8 | Lost: 6 | Points: 16 | NRR: -0.070

Kolkata locked in their playoff spot with Saturday night's win against the table-topping Sunrisers, with Aussie Chris Lynn leading the way with a key half-century at the top of the order. They enter the playoffs on a hot streak having won their three previous matches and the two-time champions know what it takes to win. The Knight Riders have been boosted by all-round efforts this season, and India international Dinesh Karthik has been leading the way. He is the club's leading run-scorer with 438, and has been superb in run chases this season. Five times this season Karthik has been there at the end to guide the team home, while was out in the final over in other. Lynn is their highest-scoring international with 425 runs, and has posted 45 and 55 in his past two outings. They also have three bowlers in the top 15 wicket-takers, led by Sunil Narine's 16, while conceding just 7.62 an over.

Rajasthan Royals (4th)

Matches: 14 | Won: 7 | Lost: 7 | Points: 14 | NRR: -0.250

The returning Rajasthan side – mentored by Australia great Shane Warne – have mounted a stunning comeback to currently sit in fourth spot in the table. They've done all they can, winning their final match on Saturday night to condemn Virat Kohli's RCB to the scrap heap, but now must rely on bottom-placed Delhi Daredevils springing an upset to beat the Mumbai Indians to hold onto that spot. Rajasthan secured three straight victories on the back of Jos Buttler’s stunning resurgence to form, where the Englishman outscored the rest of his side combined, to catapult themselves from the bottom of the table into the playoffs race. However, Buttler has departed the team now for England duties, as has compatriot Ben Stokes, who has failed to live up to the lofty heights of last season when he was the tournament's MVP.   

Mumbai Indians (5th)

Matches: 13 | Won: 6 | Lost: 7 | Points: 12 | NRR: +0.384

The reigning champions left the door ajar on the playoffs after a run of three straight victories for Rohit Sharma’s side was snapped by Rajasthan last Sunday. They bounced back to accomplish their first non-negotiable task and defeat the Kings XI on Wednesday to keep their qualifying hopes alive. They now face bottom-placed Delhi and a win would see them leapfrog Rajasthan on their net run rate, which is the highest in the competition. Their opening pair of Suryakumar Yadav and Evin Lewis have played pivotal roles in the resurgence up the table, Jasprit Bumrah earning player of the match in their last victory over Kings XI. Mumbai are the competition's most successful team, with three titles in the past five years. Write them off at your peril! 

Royal Challengers Bangalore (6th)

Matches: 14 | Won: 6 | Lost: 8 | Points: 12 | NRR: +0.129

Despite a star-studded line-up lead by the world-class champions Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, Royal Challengers Bangalore have again failed to qualify for the IPL's finals. Already relying on other results falling their way, RCB sealed their own fate when they failed to chase down Rajasthan's 5-164 on Saturday night. Even if they had of won that match, they still would have needed Mumbai and Kings XI Punjab lose their final games. Kohli’s team have made the qualifiers just five times in their 11-year history and are yet to claim a trophy in the tournament. Despite boasting Kolhi and de Villiers - who has been sensational once again, including one of the competition's all-time great catches as well as brilliance with the bat - slow starts in the competition continue to haunt them and the make-up of their team will again be the subject of much soul searching before next year's tournament.

Kings XI Punjab (7th)

Matches: 13 | Won: 6 | Lost: 7 | Points: 12 | NRR: -0.490

After winning five of their first six fixtures and being well-entrenched in the top four, the wheels fell off for the Brad Hodge-coached side. Their next seven matches saw just a sole victory over the Rajasthan Royals, with nobody able to partner with KL Rahul in the batting order. After their recent 10-wicket loss to the Royal Challengers, they dropped out of the top of the table for the first time in the tournament and further plummeted in a tightly-contested loss to Mumbai. Punjab’s net run rate is now the worst in the league, and that looks certain to spell their doom. Kings XI – who last featured in the qualifiers in 2014 – have one final match, against the Chennai Super Kings. They would need one of the game's most lopsided results to go in their favour to have any chance of making the final four though. A win would see them level Rajasthan on 14 points, but they would also need to overcome their NRR issue. Of course, given Mumbai's impressive NRR, if the Indians win tonight's first match against Mumbai, the mathematical probabilities will get all the harder.

Delhi Daredevils (8th)

Matches 13 | Won 4 | Lost 9 | Points 8 | NRR -0.288

A disappointing season for Delhi and Ricky Ponting's first year as coach of the franchise. They could, however, still have some impact on the finals race, with their final match against the Mumbai Indians tonight. A win for Delhi, which would, frankly be a huge upset, would eliminate the competition's most successful team from the playoff race, leaving fourth spot a battle between Rajasthan and Kings XI. It's been a lean few years for the Delhi franchise: since finishing third in 2012, they have finished no higher than 6th and are confirmed as this year's wooden spoon holders regardless of tonight's result. There has been bright sparks: Rishabh Pant is the competition's third-highest run-scorer with 620 at 51.66 and a strike rate of 177.14, and has the season's top score with his unbeaten 128 against Hyderabad. And Kiwi Trent Boult has 17 wickets to be the competition's fifth-highest wicket-taker, and provided one of the catches of the season. Glenn Maxwell, sadly, has had one of his poorest years in the IPL, with 147 runs at 13.36.  

Playoff Format

The IPL finals format rewards the top two teams with a double chance of making the finals, making those top two spots so highly coveted given how fickle T20 form can be. The top two teams will play the first qualifying final at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday night, with the winner advancing directly to the final on May 27 at the same venue.

The teams that finish three and four will play an elimination final at Kolkata's Eden Gardens on Wednesday night, with the season over for the loser. The winner will advance to the second qualifying final, also at Eden Gardens, where they will play the loser of the first qualifying final.

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