IPL: Courtesy of Delhi's triumph, Eoin Morgan's KKR remains uncertain about playoff qualification

On Monday, a young and vibrant Delhi Capitals ensured that they finish second in the Indian Premier League preliminary stage. The Shreyas Iyer-led side defeated Indian skipper Virat Kohli's side by six wickets with one over to spare.

Courtesy of such a short margin of victory by the Delhi franchise, Kohli and his team could breathe easy as they also qualified for the playoffs based on a satisfactory Net Run Rate (NRR).

At a certain point during Monday's game, Bangalore was facing the risk of elimination, as Delhi looked convincing on the pitch. In case Delhi had beaten the Bangalore-based franchise within the 17.3 overs mark, it could have severely impacted the latter's run-rate. When Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane were batting, RCB looked tense and hopeless.

The duo added 88 runs for the second wicket. But as soon as the partnership was broken, RCB bowlers did as much they could to avoid elimination from the tournament. The match was already lost. All they needed to ensure was that they don't lose it by a massive margin. Consequently, Bangalore entered the play-offs despite four consecutive defeats.

Now, as it stands, Tuesday's game between league leaders Mumbai Indians and number five Sunrisers Hyderabad will decide who will be the fourth team to get a ticket for the playoffs.

As of now, Eoin Morgan's Kolkata Knight Riders are in the fourth spot with 14 points from 14 matches. If Hyderabad wins on Tuesday, they will also have 14 points, but the Sunrisers will get through to the last four, thanks to a superior NRR.

In fact, SRH is the only team after Mumbai Indians to have a positive NRR this season. So, according to BBC, they must win their remaining game at all costs to ensure last-four qualification. And if that happens, Bangalore, who are third right now, will slip to the fourth spot based on their inferior NRR as compared to SRH.

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Mumbai and Delhi, who occupy the number one and two spots, respectively, will get two opportunities to book their place in the final. They will take on each other in the first qualifier on November 5.

The winner of the match will directly qualify for the final, due on November 10. On the other hand, the loser of the qualifier will face the winner of the elimination game, scheduled to be held between the third and fourth teams.