PBKS’ chances down to 45.7% after 5th loss, elimination looming?:How MI’s win boosted CSK’s playoff hopes, check scenarios

From being considered ‘favourites’ after winning the first six matches to losing five straight games, Punjab Kings (PBKS) have had a wild campaign in IPL 2026 so far. On 14 May, PBKS slumped to their fifth consecutive defeat, losing by six wickets to the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Dharamshala. With this loss, the Shreyas Iyer-led side remained fourth on the IPL 2026 points table, stuck with 13 points. Meanwhile, MI, already out of the playoff race, registered their fourth win of the season and remained ninth on the points table. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will face each other in match 59 this season and this game will be pretty significant for CSK, pushing for a top-four finish. IPL 2026 Points Table after Match 58 Punjab Kings lose fifth consecutive match Punjab Kings are in trouble after their fifth consecutive loss. While the road to the playoffs have become tougher for Punjab Kings, they are not yet out of the race. Shreyas Iyer and his team now have two more matches remaining and need to win both to have any chance of securing a top-four spot. PBKS next face defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a rematch of last year’s final on 17 May. Their last group stage game is against LSG on 23 May. How MI beating PBKS helped CSK While MI did not move up the points table despite beating the Punjab Kings, their victory certainly boosted CSK’s hopes of a top-four finish. PBKS now have 13 points and CSK sit just behind them at fifth spot, with 12 points. Chennai Super Kings will face Lucknow Super Giants today and a win will take them to the fourth spot, displacing Punjab Kings. CSK have reached fifth place after winning three consecutive matches, having 12 points from 11 matches. To keep their playoff hopes alive, CSK need to win all three of their remaining matches. After facing LSG at Ekana, CSK will take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Gujarat Titans (GT). Even a single loss would jeopardise their journey to the playoffs. PBKS’ loss also helped Sunrisers Hyderabad Sunrisers Hyderabad benefited from Punjab’s loss. The 2016 champions are in third place with 14 points with a Net Run Rate (NRR) of +0.331. Sunrisers Hyderabad will now play against CSK and RCB and need atleast one win to make it to the playoffs. RCB, GT in strong position to make playoffs Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans are in first and second place with 16 points each. Both teams are almost certain to play in the playoffs. They now need one more win each. RCB’s net run rate (+1.053) is the best in the league. RCB’s remaining matches are against the Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad while GT have to play against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and CSK. Rajasthan Royals still in playoff race Rajasthan Royals remain in the playoff race with 12 points despite losing five out of their last seven matches. Rajasthan Royals now have Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants and the Mumbai Indians as their opponents. And to reach the top four, they have to win all matches. Playoffs path tough for KKR, Delhi Capitals Kolkata Knight Riders are in eighth place with nine points from 11 matches. To keep their playoff hopes alive, they will have to win all three of their remaining matches. Kolkata’s next matches are against Gujarat, Mumbai, and Delhi. Delhi Capitals’ playoff aspirations are also bleak. The Axar Patel-led side has 10 points from 12 matches and its net run rate (-0.993) is the worst in the league. Delhi Capitals will have to win both their remaining matches by a large margin. They will also have to depend on the results of other teams. Also read: Tilak Varma shows ’45’ for Rohit Sharma after MI’s win: Mumbai star shows his abs; Chahal aggressively celebrates Hitman’s wicket Top Players of the Tournament No change in Orange Cap After the Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians match, there has been no change in the top three positions in the Orange Cap race. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Heinrich Klaasen remains at the top with 508 runs, while Gujarat Titans’ Sai Sudharsan is in second place with 501 runs. Virat Kohli is at number three with 484 runs in 12 matches. Abhishek Sharma and KL Rahul are fourth and fifth with 481 runs and 477 runs respectively.
Bhuvneshwar Purple Cap Holder with 22 Wickets RCB pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar remains the highest wicket-taker in IPL 2026. He has 22 wickets in 12 matches. Gujarat Titans’ Kagiso Rabada is in second place with 21 wickets. Chennai’s Super Kings Anshul Kamboj is in third place with 19 wickets. GT star spinner Rashid Khan and LSG fast bowler both have 16 wickets each and occupy the fourth and fifth spots on this list, respectively.