KKR kept the qualifier dream alive by winning the last match. They have a match against Gujarat Titans today, if they win today's match, Kolkata will go a long way in qualifying for IPL. But no matter how the team performs I think any four teams out of these five teams Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Titans, LSG, and Bengaluru will qualify in this IPL.
I would not call it a good batting performance by Kolkata Knight Riders today however in the end they end up with a reasonable score of 179. Except for Rahmanullah Gurbaz who scored 81 runs in only 39 balls, no other batsmen scored any big runs. As a result, they ended up under 200 runs.
When your opponent is as strong as Gujarat Titans, then it is extremely hard for KKR to defend this moderate total. GT has already scored 78 runs and lost only one wicket. If they do not lose some quick wickets, they will easily win this match. Andre Russell took one wicket. Kolkata Knight Riders needs more wickets from their bowlers right now else match will slip away from them.
179 was not enough for Kolkata to win against Gujarat Titans. Gujarat Titans won this in just 17 overs. By winning this match, Kolkata had a chance to make it to the playoffs but Kolkata missed that opportunity and now it is very difficult for Kolkata to secure the playoffs. Because so far Kolkata have played maximum number of matches. nine matches already where they have won only three matches. They have only five matches left. Out of five matches, four matches will be very challenging for them as their opponents for four matches are very strong.
Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Lucknow Super Giants, Chennai Super Kings these four teams are in a very good position in the points table and their performances are also very good. Considering these statistics, it can be assumed that KKR's playoff is almost certain.