It’s the penultimate week of IPL 2023, and we are just one step away from finishing off with the league phases and adding a much-anticipated Q beside our name.

A lot of ifs and buts in the air as all of it comes down to how the matches will pan out in the next few days, leading up to our last encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad at our very own Wankhede on Sunday (May 21). Let's go through a list of scenarios which will ensure we book a berth in the playoffs for the 10th time in IPL history.

Scenario 1: If MI win against SRH

MI is now sitting at fourth spot on the table with 14 points to their name, and a win will take their tally to 16 points overall. This means a playoff spot will depend on the results of other matches and the crucial NRR, which has been a deal-breaker for teams a majority of times in the IPL in the past.

 a) For MI to qualify and secure the second spot, leading to a spot in Qualifier 1:

• DC need to win against CSK
• KKR need to win against LSG
• RCB and PBKS should win just one of their remaining two encounter

 b) For MI to qualify and secure third/fourth place:

• KKR need to win against LSG
• RCB and PBKS should win just one of their remaining two encounters

 c) If RCB and PBKS win both their games, CSK and LSG win their last game, it will all boil down to the NRR. And well, we don’t want to go there, for at the moment, our NRR is still in the negative.

Scenario 2: If MI doesn’t defeat SRH

Though the chances of qualifying greatly diminish if we lose against Hyderabad, that doesn’t mean that we are completely out. And that will only depend on if the following scenarios take place.

  a) For MI to qualify in fourth place:

• RCB need to lose both their matches against SRH and GT
• DC need to win against PBKS
• PBKS need to win against RR, even if they lose to DC

This will ensure both Punjab and Mumbai have the same points, but since we have a far better NRR compared to them, we will sail through.

However, if RCB win both their matches, and RR win their last game, they would go through. Let’s not think that far ..

The one major advantage we have is that we play on the final day. We would know exactly what the scenarios are in front of us, with the other teams having played their share. Also, we’ll have the MASSIVE advantage of playing at the Wankhede, in familiar conditions, with the whole city behind our boys. And all we can do till the dust settles, is #BELIEVE.