Is CSK out of IPL 2022: How can CSK qualify for IPL 2022 playoffs?

Is CSK out of IPL 2022: The defending IPL champions have got off to a worst possible start to their campaign, losing four games on the trot.

During the 17th match of the ongoing 15th season of the Indian Premier League at Dr DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) defeated defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 8 wickets, to register their first win of the season.

On the other hand, the Ravindra Jadeja-led CSK have now lost each of their four initial matches of the season, to now find themselves in murky waters with the tournament moving forward.

While the four-time IPL champions have, for the first time in the tournament’s history, lost each of their four opening matches in a season, today’s loss is only the second time that the ‘Yellow Army’ have lost four consecutive matches in the IPL. The only other instance was during the 2010 season, when they surprisingly also lifted their first ever IPL title.

Is CSK out of IPL 2022

Despite ten franchises participating in the ongoing season, and teams being divided into two groups of five, each team would play a total of 14 league matches each, akin the previous season.

As a general observation in all the IPL seasons so far, teams with a total of 18 points (after winning nine matches) or more, surely guarantee their place in the Playoffs or in the Top 4.

In order to at least finish at least at the 4th spot before the playoffs commence, they would have to win half their matches (7) during the league stage, while also hoping that their Net Run Rate (NRR) is better than the rest of the struggling teams during that season.

However, with an increase in the number of league matches (74 this season as against 60 last year), teams might have to garner 16 points (with 8 wins) to possibly qualify without any NRR terms and conditions during the final few matches of the league stage.

During the 2011 edition of the IPL – the only other season with 10 partaking teams, KKR finished at the 4th spot only after winning 8 league matches.

Thus, CSK would have to win eight of their remaining ten matches to qualify for the Playoffs without depending on other teams’ results to go their way.