Chennai Super Kings (CSK) continued their dismal run in Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 against Mumbai Indians, scoring mere 114/9 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. And thus their chances of making it to IPL 2020 playoffs look slim. Coming to bat first, the Yellow Army got off to a horror start as MI speedsters Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult breathed fire with the new ball. CSK’s top-order batsmen looked utterly clueless as they became the second team in IPL history to lose four wickets with three or fewer runs on the board. The MS Dhoni-led side couldn’t bounce back after that and lost wickets regularly. Sam Curran, however, stood as a lone warrior and scored an impressive half-century, guiding CSK to a fighting total. Nevertheless, the target isn’t likely to trouble the mighty MI batting line-up, and their victory is on the cards. However, it will be wrong to say that the MS Dhoni-led side will be entirely out of the competition after losing to the four-time champions. CSK vs MI Highlights IPL 2020.

CSK Playoff Chances

Although CSK bowlers aren’t likely to defend the mediocre total, we must not forget that cricket is a game of uncertainty. If, somehow, the Yellow Army manages to cross the line, their chances of qualifying for the final four will be intact. They, however, will have to win their remaining three games, advancing their tally to 14 points. CSK also need to hope that the top three teams – Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians – will continue their winning run against the other bottom-placed teams. IPL 2020 Points Table Updated.

If CSK Loses To MI!

CSK will not officially be out of the playoff race even after losing to the Men in Gold & Yellow. Although the scenario is highly unlikely, there’s still an outside chance. Since Chennai’s net run rate (-0.463) is third-worst among all the teams and is likely to lower down significantly after losing to MI, they need to win their remaining three games with colossal margin. At the same time, they also need to hope that Kolkata Knight Riders win just one game while Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals win a maximum of two games.

As mentioned above, the equation is quite improbable, but SRH also qualified for playoff last year with 12 points. However, their net run rate was better than the bottom four teams.

Notably, if Mumbai manage to chase down the total with a significant amount of deliveries to spare, CSK’s equation of going to the final four will get even more improbable. Hence, it would be the first time in IPL history that the Yellow Army will get knocked before the playoff stage.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 23, 2020 10:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).