Can Chennai Super Kings enter Playoffs? Here's calculation on how CSK can play IPL 2022 knockouts

Can CSK enter IPL 2022 play-offs? (Image: CSK)

Mumbai, April 11: Can Chennai Super Kings qualify for the IPL 2022 play-offs? Or is it too early to ask that question? But the flop start that CSK made in IPL 15, four loses in as many matches and their struggle to win matches, have made many to start asking that uncomfortable query?

Of course, this is not the first time CSK losing first four matches as they had gone through that agony in IPL 2010 before winning the title that season.

The Super Kings have only one surviving member from that squad, former captain and wicketkeeper batsman MS Dhoni while other players have either retired or moved to different teams.

Can this bunch of players reverse the slide and emulate the worthies of 2010? What all they should do to stem the rot? How many matches should CSK win now to reach the play-offs?

All these questions are answered here. Check out.

1 CSK Schedule IPL 2022

Match 1, March 26, Saturday: Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai at 7:30 PM. Result: Lost

Match 2, March 31, Thursday: Lucknow Super Giants vs Chennai Super Kings at Brabourne Stadium-CCI in Mumbai at 7:30 PM. Result: Lost

Match 3, April 3, Sunday: Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings at Brabourne Stadium-CCI at 7:30 PM. Result: Lost

Match 4, April 9, Saturday: Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai at 3:30 PM. Result: Lost

Match 5, April 12, Tuesday: Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai at 7:30 PM. RESULT: WON BY 23 RUNS.

Match 6, April 17, Sunday: Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings at MCA Stadium in Pune at 7:30 PM RESULT: LOST

Match 7, April 21, Thursday: Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai at 7:30 PM: RESULT: WON.

Match 8, April 25, Monday: Punjab Kings vs Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai at 7:30 PM RESULT: LOST

Match 9, May 1, Sunday: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings at MCA Stadium in Pune at 7:30 PM

Match 10, May 4, Wednesday: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings at MCA Stadium in Pune at 7:30 PM

Match 11, May 8, Sunday: Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai at 7:30 PM

Match 12, May 12, Thursday: Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai at 7:30 PM

Match 13, May 15, Sunday: Chennai Super Kings vs Gujarat Titans at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai at 3:30 PM

Match 14, May 20, Friday: Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings at Brabourne Stadium- CCI in Mumbai at 7:30 PM.

2 CSK Points, Net Run Rate

Currently, the CSK are placed 9th on the table. They have 4 points from 8 matches and have a Net Run Rate of -0.538, both parameters are not good in the IPL 2022 so far. Mumbai Indians, the other laggards in IPL 2022, have a Net Run Rate of -0.1.000 and are behind the CSK.

It means that the CSK need to win the required amount of matches with a good margin to boost the current NRR when the mathematical equations come to play at a later stage, if the CSK reach that stage that is. But that looks a very unlikely scenario now.

3 How many matches CSK should win to reach play-offs

After Monday's (April 25) match against the Punjab Kings, the CSK have 6 remaining matches in the IPL 2022. They need to win all 6 of them to retain any chances of getting into play offs, at least in theory. If the Chennai Super Kings win 6 more matches, they can have a tally of 16 points.

There are other teams which have already reached the that point, a launch pad from where they can look to reach 16 points or more with relatively more ease. So in essence, the CSK look to win all 6 matches and look to reach 16 points.

Tough but that is the road they have to traverse if they wish to avoid a repeat of IPL 2020, where they missed the play-off berth for the first time.

4 CSK Squad 2022

Chennai Super Kings: Ravindra Jadeja (captain), MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Robin Uthappa, Dwayne Bravo, Dwaine Pretorius, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Chris Jordan, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Devon Conway, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Subhranshu Senapati, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, K Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, KM Asif, Simarjeet Singh.