IPL 2026: Could a washout against Royal Challengers Bengaluru end Mumbai Indians’ playoff dream?
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "IPL 2026: Could a washout against Royal Challengers Bengaluru end Mumbai Indians’ playoff dream?")
Could a washout against RCB end Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2026 playoff dream Photograph: (BCCI)
The IPL 2026 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians in Raipur could be disrupted by rain, adding tension to a must-win game for MI’s playoff hopes.
Rain disrupted the practice sessions of both Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians in Raipur on Saturday (May 9), raising concerns over whether Sunday evening’s high-stakes IPL 2026 clash will be affected by the weather. While a washout would not officially end Mumbai Indians’ playoff hopes, it would make their qualification route significantly tougher. MI currently sit ninth on the table with three wins from 10 matches, whereas RCB are in a stronger position with six victories to their name. If rain forces a no-result, both sides would receive one point each, a result that would suit RCB far more than MI.
For Mumbai, every game has become a must-win situation. Sharing points would move them to seven points from 11 matches, leaving only three fixtures remaining. Even if they win all of those games, they could only finish on 13 points, a tally that may not guarantee qualification.
A win against RCB in Raipur would instead take MI to eight points and keep alive the possibility of reaching 14 points by season’s end. A washout, however, would leave them dependent on favourable outcomes elsewhere, along with net run rate calculations and slips from teams above them in the standings.
In such a tight playoff race, NRR could prove important and a washed-out game would deny MI the chance to improve it with a convincing win. For a side struggling near the bottom of the table, losing that opportunity could feel nearly as damaging as a defeat itself.
Mumbai head into the contest with renewed confidence after ending a three-match losing streak, as they defeated Lucknow Super Giants by six wickets at the Wankhede Stadium, successfully chasing down 229 inside 19 overs, powered by explosive contributions from Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma.
Trending Stories
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
RCB, meanwhile, will be eager to recover from a narrow nine-run defeat to LSG via the DLS method. Chasing a revised target of 213, Bengaluru managed 203/9 and fell just nine-run short.
