As soon as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) scored past 65 runs, it was sure that the 5-times champion Mumbai Indians would not be one of the qualifiers for the IPL 2021. So which teams did finally qualify for the 14th IPL edition qualifiers? And who will get the opportunity to play the first qualifier, and which two teams will play the eliminator?
Yesterday was a cricketing night that broke many hearts, and at the same time, that mended many broken ones. All eyes were on Mumbai Indians, who were required to win by 171 runs to play the qualifiers. They scored a massive 235 runs batting first, thanks to a brilliant knock by Ishan Kishan. However, this wasn’t enough for them, as SRH scored 193 runs in reply.
This loss meant that KKR was the fourth and the last team to qualify for the IPL 2021 qualifiers after the league games. Additionally, the second match of the day, Delhi Capitals vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore, was as good as someone can expect an IPL game to be. Moreover, RCB had an opportunity to enter the top two. However, with a lower net run rate when compared to CSK, they are at the 3rd position. Thanks to Srikar Bharat’s last-ball six, RCB was able to win it against the table-toppers Delhi Capitals.
Hence, we have CSK up against DC in the first IPL qualifier. At the same time, RCB will play KKR in the eliminator.
What Do Eliminator and Qualifiers Mean In The IPL?
So, why is it a little better for teams to be at the top two? Well, in IPL, the top two teams play against each other in qualifier 1. While the winner of the match goes straight into the final, the team that fumbles has a second opportunity. The winner of the eliminator is then up against the loser of the 1st qualifier in the second qualifier. Hence, the top 2 teams get another chance to try their luck to reach the finals.
Qualifier 1 will stream on 10th October between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Capitals. Eliminator will be telecasted on Monday.
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