IPL 2026 playoff qualification race: What RR, PBKS, KKR, DC and CSK need to do to grab the final spot

Every remaining match significantly impacts the playoff picture.

With three playoff spots already locked in by RCB, GT and SRH, the battle for the last remaining berth has narrowed to five teams. Rajasthan Royals are best placed, Punjab Kings still control much of their own destiny, while Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings need both victories and outside help. With only seven league games remaining, every result now directly shifts the equation for someone else.

Rajasthan Royals: One win could be enough, but two seals it RR remain in the strongest position among the chasing pack simply because they still have two matches left and are already on 12 points. Wins against Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians would take them to 16 points, a tally that almost certainly guarantees qualification irrespective of other results. The bigger question is whether one win from two could still be enough.

If RR beat LSG in Jaipur, they move to 14 and immediately place pressure on PBKS, KKR, DC and CSK, none of whom can comfortably afford another defeat. In that scenario, RR would want: PBKS to lose at least one of their remaining matches against LSG KKR to drop one of their two games against MI or DC DC to lose to KKR CSK to lose to GT The ideal RR scenario is that they claim two wins and reach 16 points, thus eliminating every other team in contention, regardless of their results The concern for Rajasthan is momentum. They have lost four of their last five matches and their NRR of 0.