KKR Qualification scenario: Is KKR qualified for 2021 playoffs IPL?

KKR qualified for 2021 playoffs: Kolkata Knight Riders have really pulled up their socks to stand tall on their potential in the UAE leg of IPL 2021.

Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders had last won the second of their IPL titles in 2014. It was in 2018 that KKR had last qualified for the playoffs.

Not in the best of positions at the halfway mark, Kolkata needed to make amends and a four-month halt between two phases of the IPL seems to have come to their rescue.

Is KKR qualified for 2021 playoffs IPL?

Playing their last league match against Rajasthan Royals in Sharjah last night, Knight Riders needed to not just pull off a victory but pull it off in style and that is exactly what they did to all but confirm an IPL 2021 playoff spot for themselves.

Technically, defending champions Mumbai Indians can qualify for the playoffs but it would require nothing less than a miracle for them to do so. Practically, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that KKR have booked the fourth spot this season.

Indians, who are scheduled to play their last IPL 2021 league match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday, can’t afford to bat second. If they do so, they will be out of contention for the playoffs without even a ball being bowled in the match.

Assuming that MI somehow manage to bat first, they will have to beat Hyderabad by at least 171 runs to ensure a better NRR (Net Run Rate) than KKR. Currently, Mumbai’s NRR of -0.048 is quite less than that of Kolkata (0.587). Anything less than a 171-run victory will shut the door for Indians as far as IPL 2021 playoffs are concerned.