Top Three Teams That Are Set To Qualify For 2022 IPL Playoffs
The 2022 IPL has been an astounding success so far as the IPL committee has done really well in sailing through the few hiccups they have faced in recent weeks. The 2022 IPL is winding down as teams get closer to qualifying for the IPL playoffs. Four teams will qualify for the playoffs and the remaining six IPL franchises will be eliminated.
IPL Points Table
At the time of this writing, the four teams that are at the top of the IPL points table are the Gujarat Titans (GT), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The big surprise for most IPL fans comes from GT and LSG as they are the two new IPL franchises that have made their debut this season.
This has been a rather successful debut for GT and LSG as they surprised the usual favorites in the Mumbai Indians (MI) and defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) who occupy the last two spots on the points table. CSK is currently ranked in 9th place after playing 8 games and only winning 2 while MI is in last place after losing 8 games on the trot. They won their last game and their current record is 9 games, 1 win, and 8 losses.
Three Teams To Make IPL Playoffs
These three teams are very close to making the 2022 IPL playoffs and unless they have a terrible run in the next few games, GT, RR and LSG will book themselves a spot in the 2022 IPL playoffs. The competition will be for the fourth playoff spot as the likes of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC), and Punjab Kings (PK) battle it out in the coming week.
We take a look at GT, RR, and LSG and see what they have done right this IPL season to stand on the verge of qualifying for the IPL playoffs.
Gujarat Titans: This new IPL franchise does not have a star-studded line-up of players but what they do have is a great leader in H Pandya. The franchise took a calculated risk in appointing H Pandya as the captain even though he was not playing consistently for the Indian cricket team.
Pandya has taken up the challenge and has done a great job in commanding the resources he had at his disposal and bringing the team together. He has given each player the confidence to go out and perform and GT is winning because of this formula. GT is not winning games because they have one-star players but they are winning because they are combining as a team and delivering. The way they are playing right now, they look like favorites to win the 2022 IPL Championship.
Rajasthan Royals: were the first team to win the IPL championship but haven’t been able to establish themselves as a serious title challenger in the last decade. Something changed for the Royals this season and they are definitely in the running to make a serious push to become two-time IPL Champions.
One of the main reasons why the Royals have done well this season is due to the performance of J Butler at the top of the order. Butler is currently the leading run-scorer in the IPL and has been supported at times by captain S Samson. The Royals have done well in the bowling with the spin twins of Y Chahal and K Yadav while the experience and pace of T Boult have helped them win more consistently.
The Royals will need to fix their middle-order batting failures if they are going to make the playoffs and then book a spot in the 2022 IPL finals.
Lucknow Super Giants: LSG has also done a great job in their first IPL season. One of the reasons for their success is that their owners have done a great job in putting together a well-balanced team and picking up some great overseas players. Captain KL Rahul has done a great job with the bat and also led the squad to some great wins.
LSG can win any game with both the bat and ball. They have two world-class all-rounders in J Holder and M Stoinis who have yet to set the IPL on fire. If LSG can get their overseas players to contribute more, they are going to be very hard to beat.
MS Dhoni Back As CSK Captain: CSK made a strategic move at the start of the 2022 IPL when MS Dhoni stepped down as captain and R Jadeja took over the leadership. It backfired and now CSK is highly unlikely to make it to the playoffs. R Jadeja has stepped down from the captaincy and MS Dhoni is back in the role but it is a little too late for CSK this season.
