IPL 2020 play-off scenario: How Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad can still enter knockouts

Bengaluru, November 2: The Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Rajasthan Royals by 60 runs on Sunday (November 1) to stay alive in the race to IPL 2020 play-offs. Despite that emphatic win over the Royals, the Knight Riders require the dice of fortune to fall in place to advance to the knockouts.

MyKhel takes a look at how KKR can enter the IPL 2020 play-offs.

1. RCB vs DC (November 3)

The Kolkata Knight Riders have 14 points as they finish the league phase. They are fourth in the points table behind Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals, who also have 14 points each. But both RCB (-0.145) and Capitals (-0.159) have better net run rate than the KKR (-0.214).

The Knight Riders could have gone ahead of both DC and RCB in terms of NRR had they beaten Rajasthan by a margin of 82 runs or more.

To qualify for the play-offs, KKR now hope that RCB should to Delhi by 22 runs or more or the DC should defeat the Bangalore outfit by 18 runs or more. The winner of this match at Abu Dhabi, however, will enter the Play-offs as the second placed in the league phase with 16 points.

But if the margin of that win or defeat is more than 22 or 18 runs, then KKR can sneak in to the play-offs.

2. SRH vs MI (November 3)

But even all those above mentioned calculations come right, the KKR should pray that Mumbai Indians, who have already entered the play-offs with 18 points, should beat Sunrisers Hyderabad. The SRH have a better NRR than every other contender for the play-off berth -- +0.555. They have 12 points from 13 games.

If MI beat SRH then, RCB, DC and KKR will enter the quarterfinals. But if Sunrisers beat defending champions Mumbai, the Hyderabad side will enter the play-offs as the third-placed team while there will be a head on battle between KKR and DC or RCB for the fourth spot, depending on the result of the match between Delhi and Bangalore on Monday.