IPL 2018 playoffs: Table toppers CSK, SRH face off for final berth tomorrow

In Qualifier 1 of Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL 2018) M S Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will take on Kane Williamson-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. The match is expected to an intriguing, no-holds-barred battle between the two former IPL champions, especially as the performance of both CSK and SRH has been neck-and-neck this season. While Hyderabad are table-toppers with 18 points from 14 matches and a net run rate (NRR) of +0.280, Chennai are place second on Vivo Points Table 2018 with an equal number of points but slightly lower NRR of + 0.253. The raucous Mumbai fans could expect a rip-roaring contest on Tuesday.

The winner of this clash of the champions will get a direct qualification to the IPL 2018 final, to be played in Mumbai on May 27. The loser will play Qualifier 2 against the winner of the Eliminator match to be played on Wednesday (May 23) between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, ranked third and fourth, respectively, after the Round-Robin stage. Qualifier 2 will be played on Friday (May 25). All playoff matches will begin at 7 pm, unlike the 8 pm schedule for Round-Robin matches.

IPL 2018: Depleted RR face resurgent Bangalore as race for playoffs hots up

IPL 2018 - Weakened by the departure of Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes, Rajasthan Royals will have their task cut out when they lock horns with a resurgent Royal Challengers Bangalore, in the Indian Premier League here tomorrow.

The game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium is crucial for both RR and RCB, placed fifth and sixth in the table respectively.

As the race for playoffs heats up, five teams are in with a chance to make the cut.

Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad are already through to the playoffs, leaving RR, RCB, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders to fight for the remaining two places.

Both Rajasthan Royals, who saw their batting mainstays Buttler and Stokes leave for national duty, and Royal Challengers Bangalore will also have an eye on the net run rate, which could be decisive if more than one team finish with equal number of points.

The momentum for now is with the visitors, whose campaign witnessed a resurgence following a 14-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad last night.

IPL 2018, RCB vs SRH: Bangalore, Hyderabad clash to spice up points table

In the 51st match of the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL 2018), resurgent Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will take on already-qualified table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad in today's match with their playoffs chances hanging by a slim thread. Captian Virat Kohli has led the team from the front and that resulted in two victories for RCB. After defeating Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab in back to back matches, RCB seems like a rejuvenated unit, while SRH have been the team to beat this season, having won nine matches out of 12. RCB are still struggling at the second last position on the table, while SRH are on top of the VIVO IPL points table with 18 points.

Virat Kohli's RCB has survived the tough season, having lost seven of its 12 matches so far but the recent turnaround has given brith hopes of a possible shot at the playoffs berth provided some other results go RCB's way. RCB is overtly dependant on Virat and South African star performer A B De Villiers. Both of them combined have scored nearly half of RCB's total runs this season but the side needs bigger contributions from the likes of Moeen Ali and Corey Anderson.

IPL 2018: Struggling Mumbai eye self-rediscovery in MI vs SRH match today

In the 23rd match of Indian Premier League (IPL 2018) on Tuesday, efending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. MI skipper Rohit Sharma would be under extreme pressure, after his team's dismal show in the tournamet so far -- they have lost four of the five matches they have played so far and are placed at the 7th spot in the Vivo IPL points table.

Mumbai Indians had started their IPL 2018 campaign with three losses on the trot before a victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore, but the three-wicket defeat against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur, their fourth last-over setback, put them under tremendous pressure. With nine games left before the play-off stage, Mumbai Indians find themselves in a difficult situation, as they need to win at least seven of them to improve their chances. As such, a win over SRH in today’s match will be imperative for them to be able to stay in the hunt. MI's campaign has so far seen few bright spots, such as local player and opener Suryakumar Yadav, the team's most consisten batsman who is only four runs short of the 200 mark in IPL 2018.

Overconfidence, injury, dropped catch: Story of SRH's first IPL 2018 loss

Who starts an IPL match as the favourite is both a matter of perception and numbers on paper. The real pressure is on the team that knows it is entering the game as the favourite. Similar was the case with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in its Indian Premier League (IPL 2018) match against King XI Punjab (KXIP) in Mohali on April 19. On paper, having won all the three matches played till then, SRH were the clear favourites. However, after beating Chennai Super Kings in a nail-biter and Chirs Gayle's fired-up performance, even KXIP looked no less, especially as they were playing on their home ground.

Playing at IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Thursday, Kings XI Punjab won the toss and decided to bat first. From that moment, a series of unfortunate events kept catching SRH every now and then. KXIP's Chirs Gayle, it seemed, picked up his innings from where he had left it in the previous match against Chennai Super Kings. He took some time to settle down and it did seem that SRH bowlers might get the better of him. But that was not meant to be. Rashid Khan did trouble him a little in his first over, as Gayle did not read him well and edged one to the keeper. Luckily for him, Wriddhman Saha dropped it.