We are less than 2 weeks away from the league stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season ending. Two teams, the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), have already been eliminated. From here on, every result will affect the IPL 2026 playoffs qualification scenario for the remaining 8 teams since no one has officially qualified yet.
Promising start leads nowhere
Exactly one month back, the Delhi Capitals (DC) were among the top teams. They had claimed two comfortable wins, and their only defeat was by a margin of 1 run. However, since then, DC has been on a slide. They’ve won just 2 more games since, losing the remaining 6. Almost all of their defeats have been comprehensive. However, a win against PBKS on Monday has saved them from elimination from the IPL 2026 playoffs.
Can DC qualify for IPL 2026 Playoffs?
Mathematically, DC can still qualify for the IPL 2026 Playoffs. Firstly, they’ll need to win their remaining games and then hope everything goes wrong for the others. If they somehow pull it off, it’ll be the greatest road to redemption for any team in the IPL since it’s virtually impossible.
If DC wins the remaining 2 matches – will finish with 14 points. Will need at least one of RCB, GT, PBKS, and SRH to not win any more matches. Furthermore, CSK and RR can’t win more than one game and must end with a worse NRR. KKR can’t win more than 2 matches.
If DC wins just 1 match – will not qualify.
DC remaining IPL 2026 fixtures
| Date | Opposition | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17 | RR | Delhi | 7:30 PM |
| May 24 | KKR (away) | Kolkata | 7:30 PM |
IPL 2026 Points Table (after match 55)
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RCB | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 14 | +1.103 |
| 2 | SRH | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 14 | +0.737 |
| 3 | GT | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 14 | +0.228 |
| 4 | PBKS | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 13 | +0.428 |
| 5 | CSK | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 12 | +0.185 |
| 6 | RR | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 12 | +0.082 |
| 7 | DC | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 10 | -0.993 |
| 8 | KKR | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 9 | -0.169 |
| 9 | MI (E) | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 6 | -0.585 |
| 10 | LSG (E) | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 6 | -0.907 |
