The ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season is heating up with no team having secured a playoff spot yet, and remarkably, no team is out of contention either.
Rajasthan Royals occupy the summit spot with 16 points in 10 matches, while Mumbai Indians are at the bottom with just 6 points in 11 matches. Royal Challengers Bengaluru registered a huge victory over Gujarat Titans and lifted them from the bottom.

MI vs SRH: Mumbai Indians secured their third victory of the season over Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday. The Paltans won the match by 7 wickets as Suryakumar Yadav scored a century.
Mumbai Indians (MI) have provided them a much-needed victory in a do-or-die match. They currently sit 9th in the table with 8 points in 12 matches and will have to win their next two matches to reach 12 points, which can sneak them a playoff place if a plethora of scenarios go their way.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are still contenders for a playoff spot despite being in a precarious position. RCB took a gigantic leap in the points table after a win against Gujarat Titans in their last match and now sit 7th with 8 points to their name.
RCB need to win three matches to have a realistic chance of playoff qualification as that will take them to 14 points. 12 points can also take a team to playoffs but a lot of things will have to fall in place for that.
Kolkata Knight Riders secured a huge victory over LSG and that has taken them to the top of the table. The win meant KKR now has 8 wins in 11 matches and are on top of the table. They will get closer to the Top Two spots if they win their next two matches. And for now, we can't safely say that Knight Riders have qualified for the playoffs, but they are close to the elusive qualification status, especially with their excellent Net Run Rate.
RR appears to be in a relatively comfortable position with 16 points from 10 games but their situation is not entirely secure. A scenario where they lose their remaining four matches could see up to four teams surpassing them with 18 or more points.
So for now, Rajasthan Royals are not through to the playoffs and would need at least another win to ensure their spot.
Chennai Super Kings have 12 points in 11 matches. Their win over PBKS is a major boost as Ruturaj Gaikwad's men will have to win one of their next three matches for a qualification chance.
CSK's next two matches are against GT and RCB, while they will also play Rajasthan Royals in between these three. If CSK win against GT; KKR and LSG lose their next two, then the Super Kings will hold a certain advantage in the race.
Lucknow Super Giants have 12 points in 11 matches. The defeat against KKR meant they were moved out of the top four spots. With CSK and SRH ahead of them in NRR, KL Rahul and his team will have to try and win at least two matches to qualify for the playoffs.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have 12 points in 11 matches and they are one of the three teams currently on the same amount of points. The defeat against MI is a huge blow as that has also impacted their NRR (-0.065).
The next match against Lucknow Super Giants is the crucial one now for the Orange Army. If SRH win over LSG, they will hold an advantage in the race. But they may still have to win two of their final three matches to ensure qualification.
Punjab Kings are on 8 points in 11 matches. The realistic equation says they will have to win all of their final three group-stage matches to ensure qualification.
For PBKS, the defeat against CSK is a massive blow. Their next three matches are against RCB, RR and SRH respectively. If the Kings win all of the three matches, that won't even guarantee their chances for the playoffs.
GT lost their last match against RCB and now are in must win territory. They have Kolkata Knight Riders up next and will have to win all of their last three matches to have a chance at the playoffs.
Delhi Capitals are currently 6th with 10 points in 11 matches. They have an awful NRR and will need to improve that to bolster their chances. The Capitals only have three matches, but two of them will be against teams above them.
Ideally, DC need to win all of their three matches for qualification, but winning against Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are imperative for them.