IPL 2025: Advantage PBKS, RCB as GT's defeat to LSG leaves race for Qualifier 1 spot wide open
The race for a spot in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) took a twist on Thursday (May 22) after already-eliminated Lucknow Super Giants beat Gujarat Titans by 33 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
The race for a spot in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) took a twist on Thursday (May 22) after already-eliminated Lucknow Super Giants beat Gujarat Titans by 33 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The defeat for GT means, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings are now in pole position to book their place in the top two, which guarantees two shots for a place in the IPL 2025 final.
Why race for top-two spot heats up?
Finishing in the top-two spots guarantees a place in Qualifier 1, therefore meaning a team can have two opportunities to qualify for the IPL 2025 final. According to the IPL format, teams finishing in the top two spots qualify for Qualifier 1, the winner of which directly books a place in the final. At the same time, the loser gets another opportunity to qualify for the summit clash. The loser of Qualifier 1 plays the winner of Eliminator (clash between 3rd and 4th placed sides in the league phase) in Qualifier 2.
Who is in the race for top-two spot?
At the time of writing, Gujarat Titans sit top of the table with 18 points from 13 matches, followed by RCB and PBKS with 17 points each from 12 games. RCB and PBKS are separated by Net Run Rate (NRR), meaning the race for the top two could go down to the wire. Mumbai Indians sit fourth with 16 points from 13 matches and can reach a maximum of 18 points.
Gujarat Titans
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Still, on top of the IPL 2025 standings, GT now need a favour from other teams to book their place in Qualifier 1. They can reach a maximum of 20 points if they manage to beat Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. However, both RCB and PBKS can reach a maximum of 21 points if they win their respective remaining matches, putting them in pole position for a Qualifier 1 spot.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Currently in the second spot on NRR, RCB play SunRisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants in their remaining matches. If they win both their matches and maintain a healthy NRR, they will book their place in Qualifier 1. A defeat for RCB in either match could still see them qualify for Qualifier 1, but they will need favours from other sides and hope PBKS or GT lose at least one of their matches.
Punjab Kings
Sitting in the third spot, PBKS will need to match RCB’s results in their remaining matches to book their place in the top two spots. GT’s defeat means they can leapfrog the 2022 IPL champions with wins in the remaining matches. NRR will no longer be an issue for PBKS as they and RCB both can finish in the top two spots. They play Delhi and Mumbai on Saturday and Monday, respectively, to end the league phase.
Mumbai Indians
The five-time champions booked their place in the IPL 2025 Playoffs on Wednesday with a 59-run win over Delhi. Mumbai would still need either PBKS or RCB to lose both their remaining matches while also hoping CSK beat GT on Sunday. If this set of results is achieved with a win for MI against PBKS on Monday, they will finish in the Qualifier 1 spot. NRR won’t be a factor as they already have a better tally than GT and won’t finish with the same points as RCB and PBKS.
