The IPL 2023 Playoffs race is heating up, with all 10 teams still in contention heading into the final fortnight of the league stage.

The defending champion Gujarat Titans has once again emerged as the team to beat with a clinical performance in the league stage. While it has lost three matches, all at home, Hardik Pandya’s men have reached the 16-point mark in 11 matches. In IPL 2022, 16 points (eight wins) were enough for the top four teams to qualify. However, with a stiff battle brewing between the teams this time, the Titans may need to go one step ahead and seal their playoff spot with a ninth win.

The league stage ends on May 21, with the playoffs beginning in Chennai on May 23. The final will be played in Ahmedabad on May 28.

Lucknow Super Giants has endured a bumpy ride this year after winning only one of its last five matches. LSG is placed third with 11 points and three games to go. LSG can confirm qualification with three wins. Lucknow plays one game at home and two away, and it could miss out on the last four if it loses at least one match, finishing with a maximum of 15 points.

Royal Challengers Bangalore, like Rajasthan, finds itself with 10 points but with four games in hand. Faf du Plessis and Co. can dream of a playoff spot if they manage to get the job done over direct rivals in the first three of their remaining four matches. If it drops points along the way, RCB would require the calculators to be out again before fractional NRR differences could see one team qualifying over the other.RCB cannot afford more than one defeat in its remaining matches.

Despite a largely lacklustre campaign, the Mumbai Indians is alive in the playoff race due to its batting depth. While a win over CSK could have boosted its chances, the five-time champion now finds itself in the thick of the competition, sharing the 10-point stack with three teams. With four wins from here, MI can even target a top-two finish. Three wins could also hold it in good stead during the final lap. However, Rohit Sharma’s men must do well to improve on their NRR.

Punjab Kings’ form fizzled out after its positive start under new captain Shikhar Dhawan this season. With 10 points from as many matches, PBKS shares similar concerns with RCB and MI. With four games in hand, the Kings can even target 18 points as its remaining games are slotted with teams who are on same points or below it on the points table.However, PBKS has two away games in Kolkata and Delhi before hosting RR and DC in Dharamsala where it is yet to play a game this season. With three wins, PBKS can once again find itself locked with at least three teams at 16 points

With eight points from 10 matches and a negative NRR, there are few realistic targets that the Delhi Capitals can aim for from here. DC only plays two opponents in its last four rounds: two challenging matches against CSK and two versus PBKS. A string of surprises may propel it to 16 points. However, DC needs to win big in all these games to improve its NRR. A defeat will knock David Warner’s side out of the playoff race.

Two-time winner and 2021 runner-up Kolkata Knight Riders’ iffy campaign has placed it on the brink of an early exit. At best, KKR can reach 16 points with four wins in its remaining games. KKR hosts three teams placed above it on the points table at home while travelling to Chennai. A loss before its final round would effectively prevent KKR from even entering the NRR contenders at 16 points.

IPL 2023 playoffs will see the top four teams compete in four matches - Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2, and the Final - to determine the winner of the tournament.

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