The group stage of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) wrapped up on Friday with an unprecedented simultaneous double-header in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Mumbai Indians took on the Sunrisers Hyderabad while the Royal Challengers Bangalore locked horns with the Delhi Capitals, with both games having the potential to make significant changes to the table. 

However, nothing short of a miracle was needed to change how the table looked from before the toss. Mumbai needed to defeat the Sunrisers by 171 runs to take the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) spot in the playoffs, while RCB also needed to beat DC by 142 runs to climb to second.  

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In the end, both teams’ resounding victories were not nearly enough to change the standings, confirming DC, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), RCB and (KKR) as the four teams in the playoffs.  

CSK capped a spectacular turnaround this season by becoming the first team to qualify for the playoffs, although they conceded the top spot to Rishabh Pant’s DC. After finishing as last year’s runners up, the Capitals seem to be on a mission to get the job done this time in the UAE, topping the group stage with 10 wins from 14 games. 

Virat Kohli has one last shot to win the IPL as RCB captain after his side finished level on points with CSK but behind MS Dhoni’s side on net run rate. Meanwhile, KKR scripted a comeback of their own, storming into the playoffs with 5 wins from 7 games in the UAE after losing 5 in 7 in the first half. 

Playoff schedule:

Qualifier 1: Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings, Sunday, October 10

Eliminator – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday, October 11

Qualifier 2 – Loser of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Eliminator on Wednesday, October 13

IPL Final – Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2, Friday, October 15

How it works:

The winner of Qualifier 1 books their berth in the final, while the loser plays the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2. The winner of the second Qualifier enters the final against the winner of the first qualifier.