Week 6 gave us our initial round of qualification and removal but there is plenty at stake in the last pair of group games. Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals were the initial sides through to the playoffs while we said an inevitable goodbye to Royal Challengers Bangalore following their rain-ruined match with Rajasthan Royals.
Week 7 begins with five franchises chasing those two playoff slots. What exactly do we have in store over the remaining few days?
Mumbai on the Brink
Mumbai Indians can combine CSK along with the Capitals at the next round should they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday. Mumbai have the support of the bookmakers here since Rohit Sharma’s guys go away at -161, while SRH are available at +130.
There’s surely a possibility of an upset but everything is dependent upon how the Sunrisers react to this loss of key personnel. Jonny Bairstow and David Warner have both left to report for international duty before their World Cup so Hyderabad want Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill to step up. Mumbai have less concerns and increased squad depth and they should seal that next playoff slot.
Friday Showdown
If Mumbai do go through, Friday’s competition between Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders might have a huge say in determining the final playoff place. Both teams are locked on 10 points before this match and the winner will have the opportunity to battle it out with the Sunrisers to get a top four finish. In terms of the odds, the market is predictably tight with Kings XI Punjab marginal favourites at -105,followed by KKR in +100.
This could be as tight as the marketplace indicates and while Kings hardly deserve to be classed as favourites, they possess the in-form batsmen who can decide the destiny of this tie. It is around Chris Gayle and KL Rahul plus some overdue support from David Miller, and when those batsmen fire, we can expect Punjab to grab the points.
Closing Weekend
It’s our last weekend of group games and from Sunday night, the initial set of playoff fixtures will probably be confirmed. It begins on Saturday morning as the Delhi Capitals sponsor Rajasthan Royals and both groups should still be in need of these points. The Royals have dimmed hopes of qualifying while Delhi are aiming to finish within the top two.
The Capitals are in the markets at -175, while Rajasthan sit +137. There might be scope for an upset here however, and Delhi’s dramatic batting collapse against Chennai on Wednesday suggests they’re running out of steam at this late stage of the season.
Next up would be the Royal Challengers who sign off on another campaign. Sunrisers Hyderabad are the traffic to the M Chinnaswamy and, while we wait for chances to come in with this one, SRH should start as slight favourites. RCB have been the toughest team to predict this year and with Hyderabad suffering from squad withdrawals, Virat Kohli and his guys have a fantastic opportunity to leave IPL 12 using a win.
On to Sunday and we start with Kings XI Punjab hosting table toppers Chennai Super Kings. KXIP have a faint prospect of qualifying at the time of writing but they are famous for slipping in shape throughout the second half of their campaign. We have seen signs of this in the next half of those groups and we expect the Super Kings to make the most and ship Punjab home.
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