Will CSK qualify for the IPL-2020 play-offs?
The Indian Premier League is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in India contested every year by eight teams representing eight different cities or states in India. At the conclusion of the league stage, the top four teams will qualify for the playoffs. The winner of the second Qualifying match will move onto the final to play the winner of the first Qualifying match in the IPL Final match, where the winner will be crowned the Indian Premier League champions.
The big question of whether Chennai Super Kings will make it to the play-offs in IPL 2020 is still in every fan’s mind. The Super Kings have lifted the IPL title thrice and have the highest win percentage among all teams in the IPL. They hold the records of most appearances in the playoffs and the Final of the IPL. They are the only IPL team to qualify for the playoff stage in each edition of their appearance in the league.
However, this year things seem very uncertain. Chennai Super Kings lost for the fifth time in 7 games, and are tenderly hanging on to the sixth spot in the IPL 2020 points table. The MS Dhoni-led team fell to a 37-run loss in their last match against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Dubai International Stadium.
But putting light on the previous seasons, it will be foolish to write the three-time IPL champions off so early in the season. Even though CSK have lost 5 games in the tournament so far, none of them were heavy losses and, thus, they maintain a not-so-poor net run rate of -0.588. The 10-wicket win against Kings XI Punjab has also worked in their favour.
The 12 previous editions of the IPL suggest that winning half of the league matches while maintaining a net run rate on the positive side of zero is enough for a franchise to make it through to the playoffs. Though NRR only comes into play in case of a tie, history reveals that the fourth and fifth-place teams are most likely to end up having the same points tally, and that’s where NRR may come into play.
However, such a scenario should not deter CSK’s chances of qualification because they already have a superior NRR than RCB, who is fourth at the moment. But, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side’s primary objective should be to try and win at least 5 of their remaining 7 matches.
Out of the remaining seven games, 3 of those games are against teams from the bottom half of the table – Sunrisers Hyderabad on October 13, Rajasthan Royals on October 19 and Kings XI Punjab on November 1.
The remaining 4 fixtures are against tougher opponents, where CSK will play Mumbai Indians, who are at top of the table and the Delhi capitals, closely following MI in Sharjah. While it will be a challenge nonetheless, the short boundaries in Sharjah seem to negate current form and, thus, put both teams on a levelled ground.
Looking back, Chennai Super Kings will find a common link between the current IPL season and the one a decade back, in 2010. They had won just 2 matches at the halfway stage. However, the MS Dhoni-led yellow kings scripted a dramatic turnaround as they won 5 of their last 7 games to earn a semi-final berth in IPL 2010. The momentum gained from the match helped CSK go all the way and win their first IPL trophy.
Let’s hope for the same performance this year as we watch the underdogs play their best from the comfort of our homes through live streaming and online cricket mediums. IPL 2020 is full of unexpected turns.
-Abigail Gretel Soares