IPL 2017: Playoff Stage Schedule, Qualified Teams and Predictions
The Mumbai Indians will take on Rising Pune Supergiant on Tuesday in the first qualifier of the 2017 Indian Premier League season.
The victor will advance to the final, while the loser will take on the winner of the eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Kolkata Knight Riders in the second qualifier.
Mumbai and Rising Pune finished in the IPL's top two and have earned a second chance of reaching the final, while Hyderabad and Kolkata came third and fourth, respectively:
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| Q | Mumbai Indians | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | +0.784 | 2,407/272.1 | 2,242/278.1 | 20 |
| Q | Rising Pune Supergiant | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | +0.176 | 2,180/271 | 2,165/275.1 | 18 |
| Q | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 14 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | +0.599 | 2,221/252 | 2,118/257.5 | 17 |
| Q | Kolkata Knight Riders | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | +0.641 | 2,329/260.5 | 2,300/277.3 | 16 |
| 5 | Kings XI Punjab | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -0.009 | 2,207/261.2 | 2,229/263.4 | 14 |
| 6 | Delhi Daredevils | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | -0.512 | 2,219/276.2 | 2,255/264 | 12 |
| 7 | Gujarat Lions | 14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | -0.412 | 2,406/269.5 | 2,472/265 | 8 |
| 8 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 14 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 1 | -1.299 | 1,845/260 | 2,033/242.1 | 7 |
Read on for a closer look at how the matches could play out, but first here is the remaining schedule for the season:
| Tuesday, May 16 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Mumbai Indians vs. Rising Pune Supergiant |
| Wednesday, May 17 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Kolkata Knight Riders |
| Friday, May 19 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | TBD vs. TBD |
| Sunday, May 21 | 3:30 p.m./8 p.m. | TBD vs. TBD |
Mumbai Indians vs. Rising Pune Supergiant
Mumbai and Rising Pune will each have to make do without two of their top performers, with the former's Jos Buttler and the latter's Ben Stokes both set to miss out on the playoff stage of the tournament after being called up to play for England.
Per Sky Sports' Rory O'Callaghan, former England captain and IPL commentator Kevin Pietersen has criticised the England Cricket Board's decision:
"I think it's pathetic. An absolute shambles. Stokes should be playing in the semi-final, and the final. The last week of the IPL is a huge occasion. Just speak to him, speak to [Buttler], they'll talk about how much it has helped their development being out there."
Mumbai coach Jonty Rhodes reflected on the loss of Buttler:
Stokes will also be a significant loss after an excellent first season in the IPL, but the Supergiant arguably have the edge over Mumbai despite finishing second to them in the league phase.
Cricket analyst Freddie Wilde noted their success against the other qualified teams this year and discussed the top bowling talent they have in Jaydev Unadkat:
Along with Unadkat—who is second only to Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the race for the Purple Cap—Pune also boast the third-most prolific wicket-taker this year in Imran Tahir, who has collected 18.
Supergiant are not only exceptionally strong with ball in hand, they also have the most momentum of any of the four qualified sides having lost just one of their last six matches.
It could be a close contest, but they look the more likely to progress directly to the final.
Prediction: Rising Pune Supergiant
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Kolkata Knight Riders
Sunrisers Hyderabad will bring several key assets into their eliminator with Kolkata, and they could well power them to victory on Wednesday.
In David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan, Hyderabad have the two top scorers in the IPL this year, with the duo hitting a sensational 604 and 468 runs, respectively.
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle hailed Warner's impact in particular:
Unless Kolkata can get the Australian out early, they could struggle to contain the Sunrisers when they take to the crease.
Hyderabad also have Kumar in their ranks, and he has taken an incredible 25 wickets this season. Rashid Khan and Siddarth Kaul have also taken 17 and 16 apiece, while Chris Woakes—also 17—is the only Kolkata bowler to take more than 15.
The Knight Riders finished the lowest of the qualified teams, which is of little surprise given how much they stumbled over the line in recent weeks.
Kolkata have won just once in their last five matches, so it would take a significant turnaround for them to reach the second qualifying match with a win here.
Prediction: Sunrisers Hyderabad
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