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The final day of the IPL 2023 group stage will see two matches on Sunday (May 21). It promises to be an intriguing day as two teams are set to fight for the one remaining playoff spot.

Mumbai Indians will be taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first match of the day today, whereas Royal Challengers Bangalore will be up against Gujarat Titans. The matches will be played at Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai) and M Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bangalore) respectively.

IPL 2023 Playoff Scenario Today

Here is how the IPL 2023 playoff scenario looks out before the final two matches.

MI vs SRH

Mumbai Indians will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium in the first match on Sunday.

Mumbai Indians need a win, but how can even an RCB win take them through?

Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore are on same number of points. MI have a Net Run Rate of -0.128, which is significantly lower than Royal Challengers Bangalore (+0.180).

MI can get to the playoffs in two ways. They have to win against SRH and hope GT can beat RCB in the match afterwards.

But if both MI and RCB win, then it gets trickier. Mumbai, due to their inferior NRR, will have to win by at least 78 runs more than RCB. Hence it means if RCB win the match by 1 run, MI will have to beat SRH by at least 79 runs to stand any chance for qualification.

RCB vs GT

Royal Challengers Bangalore will be taking on Gujarat Titans at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday. This is the last match of the league phase.

RCB need a victory to stay in it

RCB, having the luxury to have a look at MI's result, are in an advantageous situation. As they look to get to the playoffs, their superior NRR gives them a cushion for some error, but not much.

If MI lose their match, RCB need to ensure they don't lose their match against GT by any more than 6 runs. That is because of Rajasthan Royals, who are already breathing close to their neck. Due to RR and RCB's proximal NRR, it will be an intense match for RCB even if Mumbai Indians lose their match.

How can RR qualify for IPL 2023 Playoffs?

Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, can only qualify if both MI and RCB lose their games. MI lose would need no further calculations as RR's NRR is already superior than theirs. But Gujarat Titans will have to beat RCB by a margin of 6 runs or more (having scored 180), or chase down the target before 19.3 overs (chasing 180) in order to earn RR a place in the playoffs.