Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) chances of grabbing a top-two spot took a big hit after their 42-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on May 23 at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. With the league stage almost over, the race for the top two is heating up. The match was supposed to happen in Bengaluru but got shifted to Lucknow due to logistical reasons and that change didn’t do RCB any good.
The loss to SRH was RCB’s fourth of the season, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. With just one league game left, they’re hanging on to third place with 17 points from 13 matches. They’re level on points with Punjab Kings, led by Shreyas Iyer, but behind them on net run rate — making their final match a must-win to stay in the top four.
The road ahead for Rajat Patidar and his RCB side is tough but still open. To stay in the race for a top-two finish, they need to beat Lucknow Super Giants on May 27. On top of that, they’ll be hoping both Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings lose their final matches. Even if just one of those teams slips up, RCB could still sneak into second place with a win.
If RCB lose to LSG, they could fall to fourth place, especially if GT beat CSK on May 25 and PBKS win their games on May 24 and 26, which would knock RCB out of the top two and make their path tougher. Ending in the top two means playing Qualifier 1 on May 29 in Mullanpur – with two chances to reach the final – while finishing third or fourth sends you into the Eliminator on May 30; the winner of that then takes on the loser of Qualifier 1 on June 1 in Ahmedabad and the IPL final is on June 3.
RCB Top 2 Chances – Updated Qualification Scenarios
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