PBKS' victory over LSG have revived their IPL 2026 playoff hopes
Shreyas Iyer scored an unbeaten 101 as Punjab Kings ended their six-match winless run
Punjab must hope MI beat RR and KKR lose to DC
IPL 2026 Playoffs: Qualification Scenarios For RR, KKR And DC After PBKS Win Against LSG
PBKS finally managed to get a victory as they took the fourth spot in the IPL 2026 points table as the playoff race is now a three-horse race between RR, PBKS and KKR
Summary
The fourth and final spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 playoffs will come down to the final league games on Sunday. Shreyas Iyer's unbeaten 101 off 51 balls helped Punjab Kings chase down 197-run target against Lucknow Super Giants in 18 overs on Saturday. The victory lifted PBKS to fourth spot with 15 points from 14 matches in the points table.
LSG are bottom of the table with 8 points from 14 matches. PBKS' victory signaled Delhi Capitals' stay in the IPL 2026 as they can only reach a maximum of 14 points even if they manage to beat Kolkata Knight Riders.
Below are the playoff scenarios for there teams - PBKS, RR and KKR which are in contention -
Punjab Kings
Shreyas Iyer-led side are fourth in the IPL 2026 points table with the victory over LSG. They have 15 points in 14 matches with a NRR +0.309. PBKS must hope that MI do them a favour and beat RR as well as KKR lose their game to DC. Even if Knight Riders manage to win, they must do so with a huge margin to boost their NRR.
Rajasthan Royals
Riyan Parag's side are in the box seat as far as qualifying for the playoffs are concerned. Their equation is simple - beat Mumbai Indians on Sunday and qualify for the playoffs as the fourth-best team. However, if rain plays spoilsport and the match is a washout, RR's hopes will be dashed as their NRR is lower than PBKS.
Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR play their final league match against DC on Sunday. They must first hope that RR lose to MI and then beat DC in their league game albeit with a huge margin so that they overtake PBKS via net run rate.
IPL 2026 Updated Points Table
| Position | Teams | Matches | Wins | Losses | Points | NRR |
| 1 | RCB (Q) | 14 | 9 | 5 | 18 | 0.783 |
| 2 | GT (Q) | 14 | 9 | 5 | 18 | 0.695 |
| 3 | SRH (Q) | 14 | 9 | 5 | 18 | 0.524 |
| 4 | PBKS | 14 | 8 | 6 | 15 | 0.309 |
| 5 | RR | 13 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 0.083 |
| 6 | KKR | 13 | 6 | 6 | 13 | -0.011 |
| 7 | CSK (E) | 14 | 6 | 8 | 12 | -0.345 |
| 8 | DC | 13 | 6 | 7 | 12 | -0.871 |
| 9 | MI (E) | 13 | 4 | 9 | 8 | -0.51 |
| 10 | LSG (E) | 13 | 4 | 9 | 8 | -0.702 |
What Happened In LSG vs PBKS Match?
Punjab Kings finally ended their six-match winless run thanks to their skipper Shreyas Iyer’s majestic unbeaten 101 as they handed Lucknow Super Giants a seven-wicket defeat to stay alive in the IPL playoffs race on Saturday. Iyer became only the third Punjab skipper to hit an IPL hundred after Adam Gilchrist in 2011 and KL Rahul in 2020.
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Rajasthan Royals plays at Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders host Delhi Capitals on the last day of league games. Victory for Rajasthan will knock out Punjab and Kolkata. Delhi was eliminated on Saturday owing to Punjab’s win.
Lucknow finished 10th with 10 losses in 14 games.
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