IPL 2020: Tight race for play-off spots shows IPL among top leagues in the world

IPL 2020: As the race for the playoffs gain steam, AB de Villiers, in his recent column for HT, examines how the fact that teams are still fighting for a place in the top four shows the greatness of the Indian Premier League.

If somebody tells you IPL is probably the most competitive and exciting elite sports league in the world at the moment, just nod. They are right.

IPL 2020: AB de Villiers in the nets for RCB. (RCB/Twitter)

As of Tuesday morning, seven of the eight sides can still finish on 14 points and squeeze into the play-offs. Any team can beat any other team on any given day, and all around the world the watching millions should expect the unexpected. (IPL 2020 Full Coverage)

IPL 2020 Live Score, MI vs RCB

MI, DC and RCB have been setting the pace at the top of the table in recent days, but all three suffered sobering defeats at the weekend. Even so, each of these sides knows that one more win from their last three pool matches should be enough to take them through.

That’s the first goal. Then, each of MI, DC and RCB will want to add a second or third win in these closing pool matches, and ensure they finish in the top two on the table, securing the prized reward of not one but two opportunities to book a place in the 2020 IPL final.

Nothing will come easy. At RCB, we play MI on Wednesday and SRH on Saturday before ending the pool phase with a match against DC in Abu Dhabi on Monday. It seems likely we will have to beat MI and DC - and maybe beat one of them twice - if we are to emerge winners and take a first ever IPL title back to Bengaluru.

And yet this story is not just about the top three. Far from it.

Every team in this tournament is stacked with world-class cricketers with the capacity to win any match on their own. Is it is possible for any of the chasing pack - KXIP, KKR, RR or SRH - to find their best form, develop some winning momentum and charge through the field when it matters to seize the title in the final in Dubai on November 10.

Of course, it’s possible. Believe me! At the IPL, anything is possible.

Look at KXIP, they lost six of their first seven matches and were being dismissed as also rans. Now, they have won five in row, played some outstanding cricket, stormed back into contention, built real momentum, and may well be the form team.

Buckle up! All aboard the 2020 IPL rollercoaster. Let’s go!

(The writer is RCB’s wicket-keeper and batsman)