Ishan Kishan struck a fluent 70 after Pat Cummins displayed his mastery over length and pace with a three-wicket burst as Sunrisers Hyderabad ensured an IPL 2026 playoff berth with a smooth five-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings on Monday.
Chasing 181 was never going to be easy on a slowish Chepauk track. But Kishan, who hammered seven fours and three sixes in his 47-ball knock, and an equally enterprising Heinrich Klaasen (47 off 26 balls) added 75 runs for the third wicket, powering Hyderabad to 181 for five in 19 overs.
SRH now have 16 points with a game in hand -- good enough to carry them to the playoffs and the night’s result meant that Gujarat Titans (16 points) also marched into the knockouts.
What will each team need if SRH beat CSK?
Punjab Kings (13 points in 13 matches)
Punjab Kings will need to win their final league-stage match against already eliminated Lucknow Super Giants. A victory would take PBKS to 15 points, which would keep them ahead of most rivals unless Rajasthan Royals win both of their remaining matches.
Chennai Super Kings (12 points in 12 matches)
With SRH beating CSK, Chennai will have to defeat Gujarat Titans in their final match and hope Punjab Kings lose to LSG. CSK will also need Rajasthan Royals to avoid winning more than one of their remaining games, with qualification potentially coming down to net run rate.
Rajasthan Royals (12 points in 12 matches)
RR can still qualify if they manage to win both their remaining matches against LSG and Mumbai Indians.
Delhi Capitals (12 points in 13 matches)
Delhi Capitals require multiple results to go in their favour. They need PBKS to lose to LSG, RR to lose both their remaining matches, and CSK to lose to GT. If those outcomes happen, DC could sneak into the Playoffs with a win over KKR in their final game.
Kolkata Knight Riders (11 points in 12 matches)
KKR’s hopes would improve significantly if PBKS lose their last game. If Kolkata beat Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals to reach 15 points, they would remain firmly in contention. They would also need RR to win no more than one of their final two matches.
