The battle of playoff was exciting, Punjab Kings’ dominance continued, Hyderabad took a huge leap:

News India Live, Digital Desk: The excitement of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) has reached its peak. After more than half of the league matches are over, now the picture of the playoffs has started becoming clear. While Punjab Kings (PBKS) have almost confirmed their place at the top of the table with 13 points, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have captured the third position by defeating Rajasthan Royals. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is maintaining its strong hold on the second position. Now in this race for top-4, it has become a ‘do or die’ situation between teams like Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans.

Punjab’s victory march continues: Strong hold on top Shikhar Dhawan-led Punjab Kings are looking like Ajay this season. Punjab has won 6 out of 7 matches played so far, while one match remained inconclusive. With 13 points and an excellent net run rate of +1.333, the Punjab team remains the first contender for the playoffs. The recent record breaking chase against Delhi Capitals has boosted the morale of Punjab. An amazing balance is being seen in both the batting and bowling departments of the team.

Race for second place between Hyderabad and Bengaluru There is a tough fight between RCB and Sunrisers for the second and third places in the table. RCB is in second place with 10 points from 7 matches with 5 wins. At the same time, Sunrisers Hyderabad has registered 5 wins in 8 matches and pushed Rajasthan Royals to fourth place. Under the captaincy of Pat Cummins, Hyderabad team has taken a huge leap in the points table by winning the last four matches consecutively. Rajasthan Royals are also in fourth place with 10 points, but their run rate is slightly less than Hyderabad.

Alarm bells for bottom teams The race for the playoffs has now become extremely difficult for the middle and lower ranked teams. Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Gujarat Titans (GT) all have 6 points each. The match between Chennai and Gujarat today (April 26) can decide the fate of both the teams. At the same time, Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants are struggling with 4 points each. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are at the bottom of the table with just 3 points, due to which their playoff hopes are now considered almost over.

Next matches will decide the future of playoffs The matches in the coming weeks are going to be very interesting. Especially the clash between the top-4 teams will decide which team will play the ‘Qualifier’ and which will have to be content with the ‘Eliminator’. Cricket experts believe that this time the team that reaches 16 points will be safe, whereas the net run rate can once again spoil the game of many teams.