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CSK Vs SRH, IPL 2026: Check Chennai Super Kings' Playoff Qualification Scenarios

Chennai Super Kings take on SunRisers Hyderabad in a must-win scenario in match 63 of the ongoing IPL 2026 at the Chepauk. Check CSK's playoff qualification scenarios ahead of the big match tonight

Chennai Super Kings' Sanju Samson celebrates his fifty runs during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals in New Delhi. | Photo: AP/Manish Swarup
Summary
  • Chennai Super Kings face a must-win match against SunRisers Hyderabad today

  • CSK lost the first three games, but revived their IPL 2026 season with six wins in the next nine outings

  • CSK's final league game will be against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, on May 21

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) host SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a crunch Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match at MA Chidambaram Stadium today (May 18). Ahead of the CSK vs SRH clash in match 63 of IPL 2026, let's have a look at the playoff qualification scenario for the five-time champions.

CSK lost the first three games, but the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side revived their IPL 2026 season with six wins in the next nine outings. They enter the Chepauk outing as the fifth-placed team (12 points with a Net Run Rate of +0.027).

After tonight's SRH fixture, CSK will be on the road for their final league game against the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, on May 21.

Updated IPL 2026 Points Table

PosTeamMatchesWinLossNRPointsNRR
1Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Q)13940181.065
2Gujarat Titans13850160.4
3Sunrisers Hyderabad12750140.331
4Punjab Kings13661130.227
5Rajasthan Royals12660120.027
6Chennai Super Kings12660120.027
7Delhi Capitals1367012-0.871
8Kolkata Knight Riders1256111-0.038
9Mumbai Indians (E)124808-0.504
10Lucknow Super Giants (E)124808-0.701

Chennai Super Kings' IPL 2026 Playoff Qualification Scenario

CSK will qualify with 16 points, the most they can accumulate:

  • If RCB beat SRH or Rajasthan Royals lose at least one game (against already eliminated Lucknow Super Giants or Mumbai Indians). No NRR questions asked!

  • On NRR, if SRH won both their games, or if SRH beat RCB.

  • CSK can also qualify with 14 points. But for that to happen, they will need favours from other teams:

  • RR lose both; Lucknow Super Giants beat Punjab Kings; Kolkata Knight Riders beat Delhi Capitals, but lose to Mumbai Indians.

The IPL Playoffs

The top four teams after the league stage qualify for the playoffs:

  • Qualifier 1: 1st place vs 2nd place, with the winners advancing directly to the final;

  • Eliminator: 3rd place vs 4th place, with the winners earning another chance to make the title round.

  • Qualifier 2: the losers of Qualifier 1 against the winners of the Eliminator, and the victors qualify for the final.

  • As things stand, defending champions RCB have qualified for the playoffs, leaving seven teams fighting for the three available spots.

'Yellove' Sans Joy

Under the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni, they have lifted the trophy five times, a record they share with the Mumbai Indians, and have made the playoffs 12 times, an unmatched feat, despite missing two seasons (2016 and 2017) due to suspension.

But their on-field fortunes have taken a nosedive.

CSK last won the title in 2023, effectively Dhoni's final season at the helm, but have since endured indifferent seasons. Out of playoffs in back-to-back editions, and still struggling in transition, there's little joy in the Chennai camp.

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A big win tonight and a subsequent top-four finish, however, could rejuvenate 'Yellove'. CSK, of course, remain the most consistent outfit in the IPL, the world's most lucrative cricket league.

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