IPL 2018 play-offs qualification: Five matches, five teams, two spots

NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bangalore’s 14-run win over IPL 2018 table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday has moved them to fifth place and ensured they live to see another day in the tournament - which at one point looked nearly impossible after a string of defeats.
IPL 2018 Points Table
With five games left to be played, here are the qualification scenario for the five teams in contention for the remaining two play-off spots.
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KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS (P 13 W 7 L 6 PT 14 NRR -0.091)
They need to beat SRH on Saturday to get to 16 points. Lose, and Dinesh Karthik’s team will need to rely on defeats for Mumbai Indians and RCB. A better net run-rate (NRR) than Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab will help in this scenario.
MUMBAI INDIANS (P 13 W 6 L 7 PT 12 NRR 0.384)
Narrowly beating KXIP by three runs has dropped their NRR from 0.405 to 0.384, which means that RCB could finish ahead of Mumbai if they win their last match with Rajasthan by a hefty margin. Mumbai will need to defeat Delhi Daredevils on Sunday by a big margin for a spot in the play-offs
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE (P 13 W 6 L 7 PT 12 NRR 0.218)
They are alive, but need to complete the job of bating Rajasthan on Saturday to avoid finishing on 12 points. Improving their NRR from 0.218 to 0.264 is a big boost for RCB and if they are tied with 14 points with other teams, NRR will come in to play.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS (P 12 W 6 L 6 PT 12 NRR -0.347)
The Ajinkya Rahane-led franchise will have to beat RCB on Saturday and hope that MI don’t beat Daredevils to claim 14 points. A better NRR than KXIP should be good enough to take them to the play-offs even if KXIP defeat Chennai Super Kings, but the key for them will be to beat RCB by a big margin so as to escape the NRR equation.
KINGS XI PUNJAB (P 12 W 6 L 7 PT 12 NRR -0.490)
Straightforward: beat CSK by a huge margin, and hope that Rajasthan beat RCB on Saturday and that Mumbai lose to Daredevils on Sunday. A handsome win over CSK could push KXIP ahead of Rajasthan on NRR.