Gujarat, Bengaluru, and Punjab Confirm Playoff Berths in IPL 2025

The IPL 2025 playoff race is boiling down to the final stretch, and only one spot remains as GT, RCB, and PBKS have officially secured their top-four places. But who will join them, and who could clinch a coveted top-two finish? Here’s a breakdown of the playoff qualification scenarios and top-two race: ✅ Confirmed in the Playoffs 1. Gujarat Titans (GT) – 18 pts (12 matches) Locked in: Playoffs ✅ Top-two status: Strong position Two wins in remaining two matches = definite No. 1 finish. 2. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) – 17 pts (12 matches) 3. Punjab Kings (PBKS) – 17 pts (12 matches) Locked in: Playoffs ✅ Still fighting for: Top-two finish 🎯 What’s at Stake for Top 3? Two of these three will finish in the top two and play Qualifier 1. The third will play Eliminator as No. 3. Key Fixtures: May 21: MI vs DC – Direct knockout. The loser is effectively eliminated. MI’s path: Win vs DC ✅ Beat PBKS ✅ Hope DC lose to PBKS ❌ Hope LSG lose at least one of their remaining 3 ✅ DC’s path: Beat MI ✅ Beat PBKS ✅ Reach 17 points → Could qualify on NRR if MI stuck at 14 and LSG at max 16. LSG’s path: Win all 3 → Reach 16 and qualify if MI and DC stay below 16 Lose even one → Must rely heavily on NRR + MI/DC defeats. 📊 Top-Two Race – Intra-Playoff Jostling GT (18) need one win to lock top-two. RCB and PBKS (17) need to: Win both remaining games (to reach 21) Hope GT lose one or both (to leapfrog them) 🧮 Crunch Points: GT, RCB, PBKS: fighting for finishing top-two. MI, DC, LSG: scrapping for the last playoff slot. May 21 (MI vs DC) could be the virtual eliminator. Net Run Rate may be the tiebreaker — keep an eye on margin of wins.