The IPL 2022 playoffs were finalized after the round-robin league round ended on Sunday (May 22). A new arrival to the Indian Premier League, Gujarat Titans ended the league phase in first position with 20 points. Understandably, they will be favourites to advance to the knockout stage. In addition, the Rajasthan Royals, Lucknow SuperGiants, and Royal Challengers Bangalore have all qualified for the playoffs. Let's take a look at the schedule and the favourites to make it to the championship game. Lineups for the IPL 2022 Playoffs The Gujarat Titans were the No. 1 team in the points table. The Rajasthan Royals, Lucknow SuperGiants, and Royal Challengers finished second, third, and fourth, respectively, in the league phase. There will be three matches in the playoffs: Qualifier 1, Eliminator, and Qualifier 2. The final match of the IPL 15 will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (May 29). Read IPL 2022: Who will make the playoffs from Delhi and Bangalore? Qualifier 1 (Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals) Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata | Date: May 24 | Time (Bangladesh Standard Time): 8 pm Gujarat Titans are having a fantastic season in IPL 15. They secured 10 wins out of 14 in the league phase, including a 37-run victory over Rajasthan Royals. Gujarat have found the right balance and they are the most confident side at the moment. On the other hand, the Rajasthan Royals are also having a great season. For the first time since winning the inaugural IPL in 2008, they have seemed like a competitive team to win another edition of the tournament. It will be a tough game, but Gujarat can consider themselves the favourite. Verdict: Gujarat Titans Gujarat Titans predicted playing XI Top-Order: Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Middle-Order: Matthew Wade, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Yash Dayal, Lower-Order: R Sai Kishore, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami Rajasthan Royals predicted playing XI Top-Order: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Middle-Order: Riyan Parag, Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Lower-Order: Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Obed McCoy. Read RR vs MI: Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2022 playoff dream is about to sink Eliminator (Lucknow SuperGiants vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore) Venue: Eden Gardens | Date: May 25 | Time (Bangladesh Standard Time): 8 pm Lucknow is one of the new teams in the IPL. Like the Gujarat Titans, they have done an excellent job so far and have secured a place in the playoffs by finishing third in the league phase. They will be up against Royal Challengers Bangalore, who tipped Delhi Capitals to finish fourth in the points table. Predicting the winner of this match is difficult as both teams are pretty confident of overcoming each other. Verdict: Lucknow SuperGiants Lucknow SuperGiants Predicted Playing XI Top-Order: KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Evin Lewis, Middle-Order: Deepak Hooda, Manan Vohra, Marcus Stoinis, Jason Holder, K Gowtham, Lower-Order: Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi Royal Challengers Bangalore’s probable playing XI Top-Order: Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Middle-Order: Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lower-Order: Mohammed Siraj, Siddharth Kaul, Josh Hazlewood. Read IPL leader Gujarat beats Bangalore despite Kohli 58 Qualifier 2 (GT/RR vs LSG/RCB) Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | Date: May 27 | Time (Bangladesh Standard Time): 8 pm The winner of the eliminator and the loser of qualifier 1 will battle for the last berth in qualification 2. No one stands out as a clear favourite at this stage. Whomever plays to their best capacity can defeat their opponent on that particular day. Given the teams' accomplishments this season, the loser of qualifier 1 may be the favourite to win qualifier 2. Verdict The Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals are the favourites to reach the IPL 15 final this season. They will try to continue their good run of form into the playoffs round for the quest for the championship match. Oppositely, the Lucknow SuperGiants and Royal Challengers are also very competitive teams. They will hope to find a way to reach the championship game. However, they will have to win two matches in the playoffs round to do so. Three of the four knockout round teams have never won an IPL trophy. Therefore, a new team can win the IPL 2022 this year.  Read IPL 2022: Favourites to Reach the Playoffs

The round-robin league phase of the ongoing IPL 2022 season will come to an end on Sunday (May 22). Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants have already secured their place in the playoffs, while Rajasthan Royals’ participation in the knockout phase is all but confirmed given their current position in the points table and significant edge over others in terms of run rates. Therefore, only one spot is left for the playoffs, and as per the latest standings, a team from Delhi or Bangalore will advance to the next stage. Let's have a look at who has the best chance of making it to the playoffs round. Also read: IPL 2022: Favourites to Reach the Playoffs Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore: Who are the favourites to reach 2022 IPL Playoffs? The Delhi Capitals are ahead of Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2022 round-robin league points table at the moment. Delhi also have better run rates than Bangalore, which could be vital in the end if both teams finish the first phase with the same points. Both Delhi and Bangalore have accumulated 14 points in 13 games. However, what really separates the two teams are the run rates. Delhi have a 0.255 in comparison to Bangalore’s -0.323 run rate. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals’ place in the playoffs haven’t been secured yet. If they lose against Chennai Super Kings and both Delhi and Bangalore register big wins in their respective final fixtures, then Rajasthan won’t advance to the next stage. However, this scenario is highly unlikely, just like Punjab and Hyderabad’s chances of securing a place in the next round. The Punjab and Hyderabad teams will play against each other in their final fixture of the league stage, and the winner of this match has a chance to advance to the playoffs. However, to make that happen, both Delhi and Bangalore have to lose their respective matches. The IPL 2022 playoffs scenario is now down to the last few games, which will determine which two teams will join Gujarat and Lucknow in the next round. Also read: IPL leader Gujarat beats Bangalore despite Kohli 58   Delhi Capitals The 2022 IPL season has been an up and down season for the Delhi Capitals. They have won seven matches and lost six so far in the league phase. With one game remaining in the league stage, the Delhi Capitals have yet to confirm a playoff spot. However, they have maintained a solid position in the race for the playoffs since the beginning of the season. Delhi’s fate is in their hands, which means they will advance if they beat Mumbai Indians in their league stage final fixture. Delhi Capitals’ final fixture 21/05/2022 (Saturday): Mumbai Indians (at Wankhede) | Time: 8 p.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time) Royal Challengers Bangalore Like the Delhi Capitals, the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL 2022 season hasn’t been so consistent. They have also won seven matches and conceded six defeats so far this season. They have to push hard against Gujarat Titans in their final league fixture in order to increase the run rates. Because only winning won’t take them to the next round if Delhi win against Mumbai.  Royal Challengers Bangalore’s final fixture  19/05/2022: Gujarat Titans (at Wankhede) | Time: 8 p.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time) Also read: RR vs MI: Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2022 playoff dream is about to sink Verdict As per the current scenario, the Delhi Capitals team should feel confident in advancing to the IPL 2022 playoffs as they will face the bottom team, Mumbai Indians, in their last fixture of the league phase. On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bangalore will take on Gujarat Titans, the top team in the points table. So, they not only have to win the fixture but also have to rely on the outcome of the Delhi vs Mumbai fixture. Therefore, the RCB vs GT match on Thursday evening will be a do-or-die contest for the Bangalore side.