The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by beating five time champions Mumbai Indians (MI), have significantly boosted their chances of the making the playoffs in this year’s edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

As many as seven other teams are still competing for the remaining three spots with the defending champion Gujarat Titans being the only team to have already clinched their place in the playoffs. If MI had defeated LSG, they would have almost certainly advanced to the next round, but skipper Krunal Pandya’s team’s victory has complicated the playoff situation even further.

Here’s how the scenario is likely to play out

Lucknow Super Giants : If LSG wins their last league game, they will have 17 points which will be enough to advance to the playoffs but if they lose, things would become complicated since five other teams ,including the Gujarat Titans ,Chennai Super Kings ,Mumbai Indians, Royal challengers Bangalore, and Punjab Kings each have at least 16 points.

They can also qualify with 15 points ,but for that to happen ,at least two other competitors must not finish with 16 points or higher.

Mumbai Indians: With 14 points, MI needs to win their final game to improve their chances of making the playoffs. Punjab Kings, LSG , Chennai Super Kings ,and Royal Challengers Bangalore can all have 16 points or more. Net run rate will be relevant in this situation. Things could become even more difficult if Mumbai loses their final game since five teams could conceivably find themselves tied for the final playoff berth with 14 points

Chennai Super Kings : With 15 points ,CSK would be eligible for the playoffs with a victory over Delhi Capitals in their upcoming match. However, a loss puts them in a difficult situation because five teams might end the league stage with 16 points or more. With a win over DC, CSK might even place among the top two teams.

Read Also: Indore man strangles 7-year-old son to death to appease 3rd wife

Bangalore Royal Challengers: Thanks to their most recent victory over Rajasthan Royals ,RCB has a strong net Run Rate of 0.166.With Victories in their last two games, RCB can also guarantee a post season position. But even a single set back could endanger their position.

Punjab Kings: The team captained by Shikhar Dhawan has a problem with their Net Run Rate of -0.268.Winning both of the upcoming matches is almost required if Punjab Kings want to complete the league portion of the season among the top 4 teams. Due to the low NRR, they could be eliminated with just one loss. They will undoubtedly benefit from big victories in the upcoming two games.

Rajasthan Royals: One of the season’s most promising teams ,Rajasthan Royals had their entire campaign derailed after they suffered a humbling loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore the previous time. They must also hope that certain other outcomes go in their favour in addition to winning their last game by a wide margin.

Kolkata Knight Riders :With only 12 points and a NRR of 0.256, KKR’s chances of making the playoffs are in jeopardy. They must not only defeat the Lucknow Super Giants by a wide margin, but they must also anticipate the defeat of other contenders by similar wide majorities. Therefore a number of outcomes must line up for them to qualify.

Denied ambulance, Madhya Pradesh man forced to carry 13-year-old daughter’s dead body on motorcycle | WATCH

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Lalu Yadav slam Baba Bageshwar on his Bihar visit

Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has slammed Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain KL Rahul’s recent batting approach in this current ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) saying that watching the India batter bat during powerplays is the “most boring thing.”

The LSG skipper came under fire from the fans and pundits alike for his reserved batting approach in the game against Rajasthan Royals where he scored 39 off 32 balls while Kyle Mayers at the other end scored a quick-fire half-century.

KL Rahul’s slow batting did not sit well with Pietersen who reportedly said on the air that watching him bat in powerplays is “the most boring thing I have ever been through.”

The LSG captain has been in good form in the ongoing IPL having scored 194 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 114.79 with one fifty.

Read Also: Oxfam India received 1.5 crore in foreign funding, violated FCRA: CBI

However, KL Rahul received a lot of flak for his batting approach in the game versus Rajasthan Royals where he faced a maiden over—the very first over in the game—from Trent Boult and the only highlight of his 32-ball 39 was a huge 103 meter six off Yuzvendra Chahal.

At the other end, Rahul’s opening partner, Kyle Mayers, who has been in destructive form during this year’s edition of the IPL, smashed another fifty as the LSG managed to reach a respectable total of 154/7 in their allotted 20 overs.

The Lucknow Super Giants managed to etch out a 10-run victory owing mostly to their bowling efforts as Avesh Khan took three wickets while Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis got two scalps, taking the Giants to the second spot on this year’s IPL points table with four victories out of the six matches so far.

The Lucknow Super Giants are due to face defending champions Gujarat Titans on April 22.

Congress releases final list of candidates for Karnataka elections. Check here.

Surat court to pronounce verdict on Rahul Gandhi’s plea against conviction in Modi surname remark defamation case today

The Indian team has suffered a setback before the series of three ODIs to be played between India and Australia. If the report is to be believed, Shreyas Iyer will not be a part of the ODI series against Australia. The BCCI issued a statement on Monday saying that the medical team is monitoring Shreyas’s injury.

If Shreyas is ruled out of the ODI series against Australia, then Rajat Patidar or Rahul Tripathi will be included in the team, or BCCI could opt for Sanju Samson.

If media reports are to be believed, on the other hand, the way Axar Patel got a chance in place of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel also capitalized on that opportunity. Similarly, in place of Shreyas Iyer batsman Sanju Samson might come to the fore.

For the unversed, Iyer complaint of back injury ahead of the Ahmedabad Test day 3. The batsman could not even run properly hence, Team India was one batsman short during the first innings.

Read Also: Virat Kohli shakes a leg with Norwegian dance group Quick Style | Watch

On the other hand, Sanju Samson ODI Carrier includes 330 runs in 10 innings of 11 matches, including two half-centuries. Moreover, in the absence of Rohit Sharma in the first match of the ODI series, Hardik Pandya will take over the responsibility of captaincy only in the first ODI against Australia.

India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test Series by 2-1 and lifted the trophy. Men In Blue have also qualified for the World Test Championship’s final. Now in the absence of Rohit Sharma, in the first ODI, Hardik Pandya would like to start the ODI series with a win for the Indian team under his captaincy.

Indian Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Yuzvendra Chahal, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Shardul Thakur, Umran Malik, Jaydev Unadkat, Washington Sundar and Suryakumar Yadav.

Sapna Gill moves Bombay High Court in Prithvi Shaw assault case, demands cancellation of FIR

Those seeking Rahul Gandhi apology over UK remarks must answer PM Modi’s humiliating comments abroad: Mallikarjun Kharge