Royal Challengers Bengaluru square off against Mumbai Indians in match 54 of 2026 Indian Premier League at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium Raipur on Sunday.
The defending champions are placed fourth on the IPL points tally and still have some work to do before they are assured of a playoff spot. For five-time winners MI, a playoff berth looks an unrealistic target as they are ninth.
As the league-stage is fast winding down, here is a look at what RCB need to do in order to qualify for the playoffs.
RCB have 12 points from 10 matches and have a net run rate of 1.234. The team has four league-stage matches remaining, including the one against MI on Sunday.
To qualify for the playoffs, RCB have to notch wins in at least two of the remaining four games. Two wins in four matches will take their points tally to 16. Historically, 16 points have been enough for a team to qualify for the playoffs.
If RCB win three or more matches off their remaining four fixtures, then they have a strong chance of finishing in top-two. Taking the top-two spots on the points table gives a team the added benefit of having an extra game (qualifier 2) in the playoffs.
If, however, RCB manages just one win from their remaining four games, then they will end with only 14 points. It leaves the door wide open for the chasing pack comprising of Rajasthan Royals Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders to sneak into the playoffs. However RCB's superior net run rate of 1.234 should help them beat the three teams in this race.
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