By: Aditya Ahuja

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), a team that was on the verge of elimination just a month ago, has clawed its way back and is now on the brink of securing a shock playoff berth.

RCB were rock-bottom on the points table of May 3, but in a matter of just nine days, they had risen to fifth position.

In what can be called a virtual quarter-final to determine the fourth and last semi-finalist, RCB will not only be up against the five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), but also the weather gods.

The city of gardens has received consistent rainfall in the last couple of weeks. While it was relatively dry on 15 and 16 May, central Bengaluru, where the Chinnaswamy Stadium is located, woke up on Friday to overnight rain that continued until the morning. It has been cloudy all morning on the eve of the match, and the forecast suggests there could be rain and thunderstorms in the evening.

This game is also significant because it could be the last time fan favourite MS Dhoni takes the field.

Having lost seven of their first eight games, RCB have turned a corner by winning their next five games on the bounce. They currently have 12 points and a net run rate of 0.387, while CSK have 14 points and an NRR of 0.538.

The equation is simple: to go past CSK’s NRR and make it to the playoffs, assuming a score of 200, RCB need to beat CSK by 18 runs or chase down the target with about 11 balls to spare. A truncated game will mean that CSK will be in the playoffs.

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have already qualified.