Kolkata Knight Riders Keep IPL 2026 Playoff Hopes Alive with Win Over Mumbai Indians

New Delhi. Kolkata Knight Riders kept their IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive by registering a significant four-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians at Eden Gardens on Wednesday.

However, despite Kolkata's strong comeback in the latter half of the season, Rajasthan Royals still appears to be the strong contender for the final playoff spot.

All teams have now played 13 games each. Three teams, Royal Challengers Bangalore (18 points), Gujarat Titans (16 points), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (16 points), have already secured their places in the playoffs. Now, for the remaining one spot, five teams are in contention: Rajasthan Royals (14 points), Punjab Kings (13 points), Kolkata (13 points), Chennai Super Kings (12 points), and Delhi Capitals (12 points). All these teams are under pressure to win their final match to advance to the next stage.

Kolkata has climbed to sixth place in the points table with 13 points from 13 games, having won six of their last seven matches. Kolkata, which suffered six consecutive losses at the start of the season, made a dramatic comeback towards the end of the season. To reach the playoffs, Kolkata must defeat Delhi Capitals in their final league match and hope that both Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals lose their remaining games.

Among the teams competing for the final playoff spot, fourth-placed Rajasthan Royals has the easiest equation, with their fate in their own hands. If Rajasthan defeats Mumbai Indians in their final match, they will qualify for the playoffs regardless of the results of other matches.

If Rajasthan loses the match, the equation will become more complicated. In that scenario, if Punjab Kings defeat Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata also defeats Delhi Capitals, both these teams will have 15 points each. Then, the team qualifying will be decided based on net run rate.

Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals still have mathematical possibilities, but for both these teams to reach the next stage, the results of many other teams must go in their favor. They will have to win their respective matches by a large margin to improve their net run rate and hope that Rajasthan, Punjab, and Kolkata lose their matches by a significant margin.