IPL 2014: The race to the play-offs

We are now into the final leg of the Indian Premier League 2014. With KXIP and CSK already having secured their position, RR can still slide down from their current position if they do not perform well, while KKR, RCB, SRH are still in the hunt for one of the spots. The race to the top 4 is getting heated up as we look at how all the teams are currently placed.

#1 Kings XI Punjab

The Kings XI Punjab have played just like how their team has looked on paper. While Maxwell and Miller have been their guiding force, Sehwag, Bailey, Saha, Vohra and Pujara have all played well in turns and none of them can be written off.

The bowlers in the form of Johnson, Balaji, Akshar Patel and Sandeep Sharma have complemented their batsmen well. They have their remaining games against MI, RR and DD.

While MI and DD have been knocked out, they might look to create an upset and RR will try holding on to their position and move forward in the top 2. Kings XI Punjab would definitely not like to get themselves displaced from the first or the second spot given the way they have played.

With each individual stepping up, and their performance going from strength to strength in every game, Kings XI Punjab would like to keep their momentum going into the play-offs.

#2 Chennai Super Kings

They have been the team to beat yet again. Smith and Mccullum have provided the firepower at the top to allow the likes of Raina and Faf du Plessis to play a stable innings in the middle. Dhoni has yet again proved why he is considered one of the best finishers in world cricket.

Their bowling has not been exceptional but good enough to contain the opponents. Ishwar, Mohit, Ashwin, Hilfy, Badree and Jaddu have performed in turns as Mohit is among the top wicket-takers list. They have their remaining games against KKR, SRH and RCB, all three who are fighting to get a spot in the play-offs and hence, will go hard at CSK.

CSK, on the other hand, will miss the services of Brendon McCullum for the next two games and this means they have to go with de Plessis at the top who will be coming back from a niggle, and David Huseey in the middle order. They would like to regroup after the loss against RCB and make sure they do not slump from the top 2 positions.

#3 Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals have performed quite well with Dravid taking the role of the mentor and Watson leading the side. Their main strength lies with the local talent like Samson, Karun, Rahane, Tambe and Binny. The foreigners such as Smith, Faulkner and Watson have lived upto the team's cause.

While they're sitting pretty at the 3rd position, with 3 games remaining, they play only one of them at home against the Mumbai Indians. The remaining two games might well decide their fate as they play their games away, one at Wankhede where MI have always performed well and the other one against the Kings XI who are bulldozing every opponent.

With 3 other teams fighting for the remaining spot, RR would like to win the crucial home game against MI at Motera and assure their spot.

#4 Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders may not have started the way they wanted to but they have bounced back well in crucial times. Their fortunes turned as their skipper Gambhir got back to form. Their batting looks more promising now with Uthappa, Pandey, Tendo, Yusuf and Suryakumar Yadav seeming to be in good touch.

KKR's bowling has always been strong and Sunil Narine has been their trump card yet again. He has led from the front and provided the skipper with breakthroughs whenever needed.

Their remaining games are against CSK, RCB and SRH. CSK are going to be no easy meat as they will be desperate to regroup after the loss against RCB, while RCB and SRH will give away everything as they are seeking a berth in the play-offs too. What turns the tide in KKR's favor is the fact that they play all the remaining games at Eden Gardens and they can be invincible at home. Two wins out of the three, and KKR is surely into the play-offs.

#5 Royal Challengers Bangalore

RCB have played very scratchy cricket, given the star studded line up they have. Kohli, Yuvi and Gayle have not been in great nick and they have always depended on AB de Villiers to bail them out. But RCB showed great resilience against CSK in a rank turner where their fab four held their nerves and saw them home.

RCB's bowling has been led largely by Starc and Aaron but there have hardly been anyone to complement them as their bowling attack looks incapable of defending any total. RCB play their remaining games against SRH, KKR and CSK of which the first two are away games. And with both KKR and SRH contending for the spot, a victory or loss against these two teams will seal RCB's fate in this edition. They play CSK at home but by then they would know where they stand.

#6 Sunrisers Hyderabad

They have been patchy. Their batting is heavily depended on the top 3 - Dhawan, Finch and Warner. Ojha has been giving them a total to play with while Sammy hasn’t been able to give the final push with the bat for them like he did last season. Lack of finishers is hurting their cause.

Their bowling too has not been upto the mark, given the fact that they have the best bowling unit. Steyn has not been what he used to be and the same goes for Mishra. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the only one to lead from the front and there is no one to back him.

They play RCB, CSK and KKR. While the first one is a home game, the remaining two will be away matches. And like RCB and KKR, SRH too will seal its fate depending on the result against RCB and KKR, while they would also like to take some inspiration and beat CSK in their own backyard like RCB did.

#7 Mumbai Indians

They have not played like defending champions at all. Poor strategies and regular changes to the playing XI has hurt their cause. None of the batsmen have created an impact and it is the same in their bowling department as well, barring Malinga and Harbhajan.

Their support staff consists of Jonty Rhodes, John Wright, Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble, easily the best coaching unit but they have failed miserably. They have their remaining games against RR, Kings XI and DD. A win or loss is not going to make any difference to their hopes but no team likes losing and hence they will try to create an upset or two.

#8 Delhi Daredevils

Easily the most jaded team in this year's edition. They have a very good team but none of them apart from JP Duminy has managed to live up to the expectations. In Karthik and Pietersen, they have two of the costlier purchases of this year's IPL and both have failed.

Pietersen was expected to lead the team well given the fact he has no pressure from the ECB now but his captaincy has been uninspiring. Gary Kirsten as a coach has not been able to replicate what he did for India.

They have their remaining games against MI and Punjab and a win or loss is going to make no difference to MI as they are already out, or to Kings XI as they are already sitting pretty at the top. DD would like to forget this season and come back fresh next year.