In a rain-marred contest, Mumbai Indians suffered a 3-wicket defeat as the match went down to the last ball. After the defeat, MI have dropped to the fourth spot and with the six teams currently competing for the four playoff spots, the race between them is becoming tighter and tighter. Here’s a look at how the Hardik Pandya led franchise can still secure a playoff berth from this stage.
MI IPL playoff scenarios:
Mumbai Indians currently have 14 points from 12 matches with a net run rate of +1.156 – the highest of any of the top five IPL franchises. This run-rate could give the Mumbai-based franchise an edge if things go down to the wire.
As things stand, the path is clear for Mumbai Indians. If they win all 2 of their matches, even by the slimmest of margins, they are likely to qualify for the play-off stage. However, if they lose just one game from here, they’ll have to rely on the results of other franchises as 16 points may not be enough to qualify for the top four stage this year.
Mumbai Indians coach on playoffs:
Speaking after the match about his team’s performance, Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene said, “We were in a situation when we were (having) five games, four losses (and) one win. From that point onwards, we were (in a) must-win (situation in) pretty much every game. We had a really good run. The tournament’s tough and one good thing is we’re playing teams which is in that bunch, so we probably control our own destiny.”
“We were probably 30 runs short on that wicket and the guys bowled really well, created a lot of opportunities, fielded really well (and) fought for everything so that’s good signs and we’ll treat every game as a playoff game for us now,” the MI coach added.
