Chennai Super Kings (CSK) boosted their chance of reaching the playoffs of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) with a third win in the last four games after beating the Delhi Capitals (DC) by seven wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi with Sanju Samson being the star of the show with an unbeaten knock of 87. The five-time champions continued their remarkable comeback in the season after losing the first three games of the campaign.
The Super Kings remained in sixth place but managed to build a gap of two points over the 7th-place Capitals. The two sides were level with each other before today's fixture. The Men in Yellow also improved their Net Run Rate (NRR).
IPL 2026 points table after CSK beat DC |courtesy - IPLT20.com
How Chennai Super Kings Can Qualify For IPL 2026 Playoffs?
The victory means that CSK are now just two points behind Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Gujarat Titans (GT), who are level on points and just three points away from Punjab Kings (PBKS) in top spot. Apart from PBKS, RCB and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have now played 10 games.
CSK can now still reach a maximum of 18 points, which means three wins in their remaining four games should be enough to seal qualification. For those unversed since the tournament expanded to a 10-team format in 2022 (as well as 2011), 16 points has sealed a place in the team for a top four.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in 2024 remains the only instance of a team qualifying with 14 points for the playoffs when 10 teams have played the IPL. However, that looks unlikely this season, and if CSK lose two games, they will be dependent on other results.
The good news for the Chennai-based team is they have two fixtures remaining against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), who are currently 10th in the table. The Rishabh Pant-led side have won just two games this season in 10 matches and are currently on a seven-match losing run.
The games against SRH and GT also allow the Super Kings the chance to take points from teams above them in the table and compete against them for a place in the playoffs.
CSK has not made the playoffs since 2023, and this is the first instance of them missing out on the second round for two seasons in a row.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
