Playoffs Line-up: IPL 2021: Kolkata Knight Riders will face Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Eliminator on Monday while Chennai Super Kings play Delhi Capitals in the first qualifier on Sunday. Mumbai Indians missed out on the playoffs berth despite putting up a valiant effort on the final matchday of the league stages.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings finish at 1st and 2nd spot, respectively
- Royal Challengers Bangalore finished 3rd, tied on 18 points with CSK after win over DC
- KKR edged past Mumbai Indians into the play-offs with better Net Run Rate
The Indian Premier League (IPL) defense of the Mumbai Indians (MI) title. Came to a rather dramatic end on Friday, even though they beat SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) with 42 runs.
While MI achieved their all-time highest T20 score. They had to beat SRH by at least 171 races to overtake Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). KKR’s net run rate is +0.587 after their 86-run win against Rajasthan Royals on Thursday. While MI’s NRR was 0.048 before the start of the game against SRH.
Even after their dominant win against the 2016 champions. MI, finished the league phase with an NRR of +0.116 and 14 points.
That meant that KKR will now play in the Eliminator against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
RCB finished third in the table with an NRR of 0.159. Two points behind second-ranked Chennai Super Kings (CSK), before they began their game against the leading Delhi Capitals on Friday.
IPL 2021: Final Points Table
However, CSK’s NRR is +0.455. Making it virtually impossible for RCB to climb into second place unless they have a record win over DC by beating first.
That marginal possibility was eliminated when Captain Virat Kohli decided to attack first. Nonetheless, RCB will enter the Eliminator with great confidence by beating leader Delhi on Friday.
KS Bharat missed 78 and sealed the game in a 165-run chase with a last six-ball. Glenn Maxwell kept him good company by hitting 51 on just 33 balls.
IPL 2021 Play-offs
The first qualifier will be played on October 10 between CSK and DC at the Dubai International Stadium. The tie between RCB and KKR will be played at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on October 11, Live TV.
Click here: Kohli elated after RCB register an ‘unbelievable’ win over Delhi Capitals
Read more about: Irfan Pathan on MS Dhoni- “It is very disappointing to see him bat like that” in the IPL 2021
Visit also: Nathan Lyon expects England to field a full-strength lineup for the Ashes in 2021-22.