Shreyas Iyer's PBKS Eye Top Two Finish As MS Dhoni's CSK Stare At Next Season, Here's Their Playoff Qualification Scenario

IPL 2025: After a rain-hit game in Kolkata against KKR, the Punjab Kings will lock horns with MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings, a team that has nothing to lose and is building towards the next edition of the Indian Premier League.

Punjab Kings have been nothing short of perfect. The Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting combo is working wonders for PBKS, as they have found themselves at the top half of the tournament for most of the time in the ongoing season.

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Here Are The Qualification Scenarios For Both Punjab Kings And Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings: The five-time champions, the 'Dad's Army', CSK, have had a disappointing run this season. Their mantra of preferring experience over youth has cost them, and their plans have completely backfired.

Chennai are in last spot on the IPL 2025 points table with a Net Run Rate (NRR) of -1.302. Chennai have won only two games and have five more games remaining. Even if Chennai manages to win all five, they end up on 14 points. They need to win all their games by a very big margin, but even then, they are not guaranteed a spot in the playoffs.

Punjab Kings: Nine matches, five wins, one no result, and three lost games - this is Punjab's situation, and they look like favorites to qualify for the playoffs. More than playoff qualification, it is the top two finish that will bother Punjab. Punjab have 11 points to their name with a decent NRR of +0.177.

Punjab will aim at winning four out of their five remaining games in order to ensure that they play Eliminator 1.

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CSK, Punjab And The Contrasting Fortunes

Chennai Super Kings have five titles to their name, whereas Punjab Kings do not have any. But the outcomes that these two teams have experienced this year have been opposite to their reputation.

Before the start of IPL 2025, PBKS Head Coach Ricky Ponting said that he wanted to do something special with this Punjab side, and right now, it feels as if he has lived up to his words. Chennai Super Kings, on the other hand, have their own self-inflicted problems, and it is safe to say that their season is done and dusted.