Gujarat Titans (GT) put themselves on the brink of sealing an elusive top two spot after beating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 89 in their final league stage game of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday (May 21) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The result meant that Rajasthan Royals (RR) can no longer finish second, as they cannot match the 18-point tally of either GT or Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
The result today means that only Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) is competing against GT and RCB in the top two race. The Pat Cummins-led side will play the defending champions in the final game of the first round on Friday (May 22) in Hyderabad.
How GT, RCB, SRH Can Seal Top Two Spot?
RCB: The Rajat Patidar-led team will set up the first qualifier against the Titans if they win their fixture against the Hyderabad-based team. Even if they lose, they just need to ensure the margin of victory is not big enough for their Net Run Rate (NRR) to go below SRH's.
GT: The Shubman Gill-led side needs to hope that either RCB beats SRH in both teams' final fixture or the Hyderabad-based side wins the match either by a small margin so their NRR does not go above the 2022 champions' or by a big enough margin for RCB's NRR to fall below both teams'. It is unlikely that they will be knocked out, as if SRH manages to improve their NRR, it will lead to the 2025 champions' NRR falling behind them, which will keep the Titans safe.
SRH: The Pat Cummins-led side faces an uphill task to qualify for the playoffs, as they not only need to win the fixture, but it has to be a juge big margin so that their NRR can go past GT's.The 2016 champions need to win by around 86-87 runs in order to go past GT. If the are chasing a target, they need to win between 11.1 to 11.3 overs.
Top Two Spot Key In Title Chances
The top two spot is key to winning the title since the playoff system was introduced in 2011, the title has been won by one of the two teams playing the first qualifier (top two finish) in 14 of the 15 seasons. SRH remains the only exception, as they won the trophy in 2016 under David Warner's captaincy after playing the eliminator.
This result means that CSK are the third team to be knocked out of the playoff race after the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Mumbai Indians (MI). The fourth and final playoff spot race is now reduced to a four-team race with RR competing against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and Delhi Capitals (DC)
The equation is in RR's hands, who will qualify if they beat MI in their final fixture at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. If the Royals lose that fixture, Punjab Kings (PBKS) can qualify by beating the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). If both RR and PBKS lose, KKR has a chance to make it past the next round with a win over DC by a big margin. While the Capitals are in the race mathematically, the NRR equation for them is next to impossible
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
