Delhi Capitals had reshuffled their squad quite significantly this season, looking for a fresh start. The franchise, which has never won an IPL title, looked in fine form at the beginning of the tournament. However, they lost momentum midway through the season and now find themselves in a tight spot.
Despite putting up a strong total of 199 runs on the scoreboard on Saturday, Mustafizur Rahman’s team fell short against Gujarat Titans. A brilliant century from Sai Sudharsan and a 90+ run knock by Shubman Gill led Gujarat to a 10-wicket victory over Delhi. This defeat has pushed Axar Patel’s side to the edge of elimination.
With this win, Gujarat Titans secured a spot in the playoffs. Their victory also confirmed playoff berths for Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
That means there is now just one playoff spot left in this year’s IPL. Three teams are in contention for it: Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants, and Mumbai Indians.
For Delhi to qualify, several things must go their way:
-
They must win both of their remaining matches — against Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings.
-
Lucknow Super Giants need to lose at least one of their remaining three matches.
If that happens, Delhi will finish with 17 points, while Mumbai — even if they beat Punjab — will be stuck at 16 points.
There’s also a more complicated scenario in which Delhi can qualify with just one more win. In that case, they would end up with 15 points. Mumbai could reach 14 points, and Lucknow would have to finish with 14 or fewer. But this path is heavily dependent on other match outcomes.
Crucially, the match on the 21st will be make-or-break for Delhi — they must defeat Mumbai on their home turf. Without that win, Mustafizur’s team has no realistic path to the playoffs.
