New Delhi: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) is one of those franchises in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, which has had a bumpy ride throughout their campaign. On Sunday, they endured their sixth defeat of the season and a third successive one as well, as they went down against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala.
LSG had started their campaign on dull note with a loss against Delhi Capitals (DC) bur returned to winning ways in the next game, sadly followed by another loss. They went on to bag the next three games in succession followed by yet another loss, this time from Chennai Super Kings (CSK). They registered a narrow win against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) next before making a three-match losing streak.
With the kind of story they have been a part of so far, the season has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride for them. From a distance, one could safely say that LSG currently has a 50-50 chance of making it into the playoffs. Their toughest competitor currently has to be Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) which share similar kind of table stats, sitting only a place above them, which has been the case for most part of the ongoing tournament.
Can LSG still qualify for IPL 2025 play-offs?
Yes they can! Even at the post-match presentation on Sunday night, skipper Rishabh Pant expressed hope over it, saying that the dream is still alive. He disclosed LSG’s qualification scenario himself, saying that they need to win their last three games to “turn it around.” Well… it won’t be a cakewalk for the sandwiched LSG even if they register wins in all the three matches.
Talking about their position in the points table, they sit seventh with five wins in 11 games, resulting in 10 points to their credit. As each of the 10 teams is bound to play 14 games, LSG too have three games left (vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans, and Sunrisers Hyderabad). It is understood that the safe cut-off for a playoff qualification is 16 points. A win in all three games for LSG would take them to 16 points.
This would surely brighten their hopes but to their dismay, the teams in the upper echelons too have 3-4 games left. Their winning probability can’t be ruled out as well and it is quite clear that the team with most points would make it to the top-four. Currently the top-four placed team already boast more than 14 points and only a single or a couple of wins would guarantee them a playoff spot, making it difficult for teams likes LSG and KKR.
This is where the net run rate factore would come into consideration. If LSG, which faces two highly ranked teams – RCB and GT, defeat them by huge margin (runs or wickets) and even say SRH as well, they will stand an outside chance of making it to top four. Although the possibility for this is quite low as their NRR is -0.469, far lower than the in-positive NRRs of the higher teams.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say the LSG’s playoff chances are hanging by a thread, and all they can do is hope that the stars align in the exact manner they require, while ensuring that they win their next three fixtures.
Rishabh Pant-led LSG went down for the sixth time in IPL 2025, against PBKS by 37 runs on Sunday. With three league games still remaining, it’s not yet over for LSG which can still qualify for the knockout stage. Here’s how! Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
