The ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2018 crossed the half-way mark on April 30. All teams have now played at least 7 matches. During this period, we witnessed some interesting encounters between the eight powerful teams which boast of having world-class players. Many records were broken, some players failed to make their presence count and others became an overnight sensation with their performances.
As IPL 2018 approaches its second leg, the tournament is now becoming more competitive. Only top four teams will make it to the playoffs, depending on their points and net run rates. Each franchise is going to treat every game as a must-win.
Currently, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are leading the points table followed by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the second, third and fourth place respectively.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) are at Number 5, Mumbai Indians (MI) at 6, while Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Delhi Daredevils (DD) are at No 7 and 8 respectively.
The bottom four teams would be eliminated.
The game is still not over yet. Every franchise has to play 14 games and the bottom four teams still have a chance to turn the things around in their remaining games.
Let’s have look at the team-wise prediction:
Chennai Super Kings (CSK): MS Dhoni-led CSK side made a comeback to IPL 2018 after serving a two-year ban over the spot-fixing scandal. They are performing well and are currently the table-toppers. With the presence of Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina and Dhoni, CSK are among the favourites to lift the IPL trophy again. Six more games are left for CSK to play and they have already won 6 out of the 8 matches played so far. They need to win three more games to fix their berth in playoffs.
Curious about what desi food the @ChennaiIPL players enjoy eating? We got them to tell us at the @HILLimited meet and greet! #TogetherWeBuild #CSK #MeetAndGreet #Throwback pic.twitter.com/9fQBpnqQ5E
— HIL Ltd (@HILLimited) 1 May 2018
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): Kane Williamson-led SRH was dealt with a blow before the start of IPL 2018 when their regular captain David Warner was banned by BCCI to participate in India’s T20 league. Williamson was then handed over the captaincy and that proved to be a right decision. SRH impressed all after they defended low score total 3 consecutive times. SRH are at No 2 with 12 points. With six games remaining, they would be hoping to win at least 3 more to fix their place in the playoffs.
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP): KXIP, under the new captain R Ashwin, are in prime form with their batsmen and bowlers performing well. They have won 5 games in 7 encounters so far. With 7 games remaining, KXIP would be looking to play positive and win as many games to assure their place in the playoffs.
Doing one handed pushups sounds easy? _
Think again. @aj191 and @sranbarinder take on each other in this competition.Watch the full video on Kings watch __ https://t.co/hldr2agfrI#KingsWatch #LivePunjabiPlayPunjabi #KXIP #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/KyY63IVN93
— Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) 30 April 2018
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): With 4 victories in 8 outings so far, Dinesh Karthik-led KKR is at Number 4 but to make it to the playoffs, they need to up their performance in the remaining games and try to win at least 4 more games.
Rajasthan Royals (RR): The inaugural title holders, RR are struggling after making a comeback. They are left with only 7 games. Victories in at least 5 games are must for them to make their way into the playoffs.
Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils are in danger of losing the race out on the IPL 2018 playoffs. They have won 2 games each so far. Now every game is a must-win for them as they can’t afford to lose at all if they want to make it the playoffs at all.
The defeat was a tough pill to swallow. We know exactly how bitter this was. #PlayBold #RCBvCSK pic.twitter.com/PVIBphPco3
— Royal Challengers (@RCBTweets) 25 April 2018
Today’s game between RCB and MI at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru is going to be a decider for both the teams. RCB have never won the IPL title, while MI have lifted the trophy thrice in 2013, 2015 and 2017.
InUth’s PlayOff Prediction:
Playoffs will begin from May 22 and the finals will be held on May 27 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
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