Sunrisers Hyderabad created Indian Premier League (IPL) history on Sunday by becoming the first-ever team to qualify for the playoffs (or the knockout stages) of the tournament with just 12 points in the league phase.
While Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians sealed their playoffs spots last week, the race for the final spot continued until the last match of the round-robin league phase.
In what has been one of the most hard-fought league stages of IPL so far, three teams were in the fray to seal the final berth on Sunday. Eventually, Sunrisers Hyderabad piped Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab with better net run rate after the three teams were locked in a three-way tie on 12 points.
While Kings XI Punjab’s mathematical chances went up in smoke despite their six-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in the penultimate league stage of the match on Sunday, Kolkata Knight Riders had their fate in their own hands as they needed just a win over Mumbai Indians to finish with 14 points and qualify for the playoffs.
However, a shoddy batting show, including a rare failure from Andre Russell, saw Kolkata Knight Riders suffer a nine-wicket thrashing at the Wankhede Stadium. KKR’s defeat meant SRH progressed to the playoffs with just 12 points.
