KKR Playoffs Qualification Scenario: How Kolkata Knight Riders can make it to Last Four of IPL 2023

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Kolkata Knight Riders, the two-time IPL Champions have again found themselves in desperate territory. They will have to win their final match against Lucknow Super Giants to keep themselves in the race.

KKR will require a lot of other things which are out of their hand. The equation is theoretically possible, but looks improbable practically.

The IPL 2023 Playoff Rules

The Indian Premier League will see the top four teams advance to the playoffs. The top two (1st, 2nd) placed teams play the Qualifier 1, and the winner of the match directly advances to the final.

Third-placed and Fourth-placed teams will be playing an Eliminator. The loser of this match crashes out of the tournament. The winner of the Eliminator will then play the loser of Qualifier 1, which is known as Qualifier 2.

The winner of Qualifier 2 then goes on to play the Final against the team who already have advanced to the Final after winning Qualifier 1.

Kolkata Knight Riders: IPL 2023 So Far

Kolkata Knight Riders are currently sitting 5th in the IPL table, far away from the playoff places. They have 12 points after playing 13 games.

The Knight Riders started with a defeat against Punjab Kings. Then they won two matches against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans. After that, they lost four matches in a row.

KKR suffered defeat at the hands of SRH, MI, DC and CSK - which kept them at the bottom half of the table. They won their return fixture against RCB to complete a double over them, but lost against GT in the next match. In the last match, KKR pulled off another win against SRH to keep their hopes alive.

And their quest for the playoffs was bolstered with a thrilling win over Punjab Kings, but then a crushing defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals almost took them to the brink of exit. But they are still alive with a victory over CSK in the last match.

KKR IPL 2023 Playoffs Qualification Scenario

Here is a detailed scenario of Kolkata Knight Riders' qualification chances.

Can KKR finish in the Top Two?

No, KKR's top-two finish hopes are over. Even if they qualify for the playoffs, they will finish maximum as the 4th placed team.

Can KKR qualify for the Playoffs?

Yes! There is still definite hope for Kolkata Knight Riders to qualify for the Playoffs. But that will require them a win over LSG and a plethora of results going in their way.

KKR are currently on 12 points after 13 matches, and the maximum they can reach is 14 points. There are a host of teams on 14, and KKR will need much more than a win to get to last four.

With an inferior NRR, KKR require other teams to lose to qualify for the playoffs. To get into the knockout stages, KKR need Mumbai Indians to lose both of their matches. RCB and Punjab Kings also will have to lose at least one of their last two matches, but KKR will prefer RCB losing both of their matches as the Bangalore side have a better NRR than them.

On the other hand, KKR will also have to ensure they win their last match against LSG with a decent margin to boost their NRR, which may squeeze them into the final playoff spot.

KKR Remaining Matches in IPL 2023