Summary of this article
SRH travel to take on Chennai in match 63 of the IPL 2026
Pat Cummins' side must beat CSK to seal their spot in the playoffs
A win for SRH could also hand GT a major boost in their bid to qualify for the playoffs
It's the last mile of the Indian Premier League's (IPL) brutal playoff qualification race. On Sunday, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) sealed a top-four spot, leaving seven teams fighting for the three remaining spots.
Among them are SunRisers Hyderabad, and they face Chennai Super Kings in their penultimate league match tonight (May 18).
The 2016 winners lost three of their first four matches, but strung together a run of five successive wins before enduring two defeats in the next three. SRH are now third in the IPL 2026 standings after 12 games: 14 points from seven wins, and they have a relatively healthier NNR of +0.331 among the playoff hopefuls.
The table suggests that Pat Cummins & Co. have some breathing room, but in reality, this run-in is as demanding as it gets. A trip to Chennai for a fixture against a resurgent CSK at the Chepauk, followed by a home encounter with RCB in yet another Southern Derby. They have their task cut out.
IPL 2026 Updated Points Table
| Pos | Team | Matches | Win | Loss | NR | Points | NRR |
| 1 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Q) | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 1.065 |
| 2 | Gujarat Titans | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 0.4 |
| 3 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 0.331 |
| 4 | Punjab Kings | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 0.227 |
| 5 | Rajasthan Royals | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 0.027 |
| 6 | Chennai Super Kings | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 0.027 |
| 7 | Delhi Capitals | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 12 | -0.871 |
| 8 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 12 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 11 | -0.038 |
| 9 | Mumbai Indians (E) | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 8 | -0.504 |
| 10 | Lucknow Super Giants (E) | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 8 | -0.701 |
SunRisers Hyderabad's IPL 2026 Playoff Qualification Scenarios
16 points, that's the magic mark in IPL. And SRH can have 18 -- meaning, the 'Orange Army' control their own fate. In fact, the outcome of tonight's game could seal the fate of multiple teams, not just SRH and CSK.
An SRH victory could prove to be a defining factor as far as other playoff chasing teams are concerned:
CSK would no longer be able to reach 16 points
PBKS and KKR would finish outside the playoff places despite with perfect finishes
This will kill off DC's chances of qualifying for the playoffs completely
Only Rajasthan Royals would remain in contention of reaching 16 points from the lower half of the table.
An SRH victory would therefore significantly reduce the number of teams fighting for playoff spots, leaving SRH and GT in pole position.
