IPL 2016 top four race: A look at the permutations and the teams that could qualify for the play-off stage

IPL Trophy — Eight teams will fight for the IPL trophy in the ninth edition of the tournament Getty

The 2016 edition of the Indian Premier League has been a rollercoaster ride with no one team dominating the proceedings. Such has been the open-ended nature of the competition this year that none of the teams have sealed a spot in the play-off stage as yet. Since the inception of the play-off concept in 2011, only teams that have finished first or second have gone on to lift the trophy.

We at IBTimes UK take a look at the knock-out scenarios of the teams to see who will be the four to reach the play-off stage.

The IPL Points table after Gujarat Lions victory over Kolkata Knight Riders

<th>Teams <th>Pts

Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	NR	NRR
Sunrisers Hyderabad	12	8	4	0	0	16	+0.400
Gujarat Lions	13	8	5	0	0	16	-0.479
Royal Challengers Bangalore	13	7	6	0	0	14	+0.930
Kolkata Knight Riders	13	7	6	0	0	14	+0.022
Mumbai Indians	13	7	6	0	0	14	-0.082
Delhi Daredevils	12	6	6	0	0	12	-0.125
Rising Pune Supergiants	13	4	9	0	0	8	+0.013
Kings XI Punjab	13	4	9	0	0	8	-0.693

David Warner has led from the front for his franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad Getty

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Played: 12, Won: 8, Lost: 4, Points:16, Net Run Rate: +0.400

Fixtures left:

Delhi Daredevils vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

Date: 20 May – 3.30pm BST

Venue: Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

Date: 22 May – 11.30am BST

Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Permutations:

- If they win their last two matches, a finish in the top two is guaranteed.

- If they win one game and lose the other, they can still finish in the top two due to their positive net run rate.

- The only way they can miss out of the top two is if they lose both their games by huge margins, which will affect their net run rate.

Kolkata Knight Riders Andre Russell is arguably the most valuable player of IPL 2016 Getty

Kolkata Knight Riders

Played: 13, Won: 7, Lost: 6, Points: 14, Net Run Rate: +0.022

Fixtures left:

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

Date: 22 May – 11.30am BST

Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Permutations:

- Their loss to Gujarat Lions on 19 May, makes their final game a must win.

- If they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad they will qualify but their standing/position in the table will depend on other results.

- If they lose their remaining game, Kolkata's qualification will depend on the results of the Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi teams.

mitchell mcclenaghan — Mitchell McClenaghan is the current holder of the purple cap in IPL 2016 Getty

Mumbai Indians

Played: 13, Won: 7, Lost: 6, Points:14, Net Run Rate: -0.082

Fixtures left:

Gujarat Lions vs Mumbai Indians

Date: 21 May – 3.30pm BST

Venue: Green Park, Kanpur

Permutations:

- The Mumbai outfit are in a tough spot; if they lose, the highest they can finish is in fourth place, and that too only if Delhi lose two games and Bangalore their remaining match.

- Even a win in their last game might not lead to qualification for the play-off stage with their net run rate well below the other two teams. Their progress will depend on the results of the Daredevils and Challengers.

Gujarat Lions

Played: 13, Won: 8, Lost: 5, Points:16, Net Run Rate: -0.479

Fixtures left:

Gujarat Lions vs Mumbai Indians

Date: 21 May – 3.30pm BST

Venue: Green Park, Kanpur

Permutations:

- Their win against Kolkata Knight Riders ensured that they got 16 points and qualify for the play-off stage.

- If they win their last game against Mumbai Indians, they are guaranteed a top-two finish.

- A loss will mean that they could lose their second position to either Kolkata, Bangalore or Delhi depending on the results.

RCB captain Virat Kohli is top of the charts for runs scored in the 2016 IPL season despite his team's poor form DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Played: 13, Won: 7, Lost: 6, Points:14, Net Run Rate: +0.930

Fixtures left:

Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

Date: 22 May – 3.30pm BST

Venue: Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur

Permutations:

- The Bangalore outfit face Delhi in a must-win game.

- They have a high net run which is a positive, but if they lose they will be stuck on 14 points.

- If they lose their final group game, they can still qualify provided both Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders lose too. Their high net run rate of +0.930 will be a deciding factor.

Zaheer Khan impressed with the ball — Zaheer Khan has impressed both with the ball and as captain of the Delhi Daredevils AFP

Delhi Daredevils

Played: 12, Won: 6, Lost: 6, Points:12, Net Run Rate: -0.125

Fixtures left:

Delhi Daredevils vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

Date: 20 May – 3.30pm BST

Venue: Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur

Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

Date: 22 May – 3.30pm BST

Venue: Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur

Permutations:

- Winning their two remaining games will put them on 16 points but even then they are not guaranteed to qualify as a top-two finish will depend on the results of Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians.

- A loss in either of the games will ensure that they are eliminated

Sunrisers Hyderabad Kolkata Knight Riders Royal Challengers Bangalore Mumbai Indians