How the teams stack up

With two thirds of the tournament over, there is still no clarity on just which teams amongst all the ones in contention look likely to make the semi-finals now. Deccan looked to be down and out for the count, but they came roaring back in style against Bangalore. Meanwhile, Bangalore - who had found themselves near the top of the table for the most part of the tournament, are suddenly fourth, and being fourth in such a tightly packed race is a precarious position to be in. Rajasthan, who seemed to start the tournament like no-hopers, are suddenly very well placed to make the semi-finals. With the Twenty20 format being what it is, the matches after the semi-final are more or less a lottery. An inspired spell, a cameo innings - even one manic over in which the Robin Uthappa goes berserk and benefits his side, or S Sreesanth goes berserk and benefits the opposition - can change the course of the match. And if you have batsmen like Virender Sehwag, David Warner or Sachin Tendulkar playing in the semi-finals, then any amount of planning and strategizing can be made to look extremely foolish. However, it might be instructive to look at how the teams have stacked up recently and what their numbers look like.Mumbai Indians: They are the surest bet to make the semi-finals. They have 14 points from 9 games. Not only have they the most points right now, but they have played the least games. The sides they have to play now are Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata. Of these matches, they play Delhi at home, while the rest are away. Assuming they win at least two of these matches, they would end up with 18 points.Delhi Daredevils: They have 12 points from 10 matches so far. The matches they have left are against Punjab, Mumbai, Chennai and Deccan. Of these, they play Punjab and Deccan at home and Mumbai and Chennai away. Again assuming Delhi win at least 2 of these matches, they would end up on 16 points. For the matches against Chennai and Deccan, Delhi are likely to be at full strength with Ashish Nehra and Dirk Nannes likely to have recovered fully.Rajasthan Royals: They have 12 points from 11 matches so far. The teams they have to play are Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata - of which only Kolkata is an away match. Assuming Rajasthan win one of these matches, they would move to a total of 14 points.Royal Challengers Bangalore: They have 10 points from 10 matches so far. The teams they have to play are Kolkata, Deccan, Rajasthan and Mumbai. Of these, they play Kolkata and Mumbai at home. After winning 4 out of their first 5 matches, Bangalore have lost 4 of their next five matches for a very up-and-down performance. Assuming they continue their trend, they should win 2 of the next four matches, which would see them end up with 14 points.Chennai Super Kings: The Chennai Super Kings have been on the opposite side of Bangalore, winning just 2 of their first 7 matches, and then winning 3 on the trot to give them 10 points from 10 matches. The games they have in hand are against Deccan, Kolkata, Delhi and Punjab. They play Kolkata and Delhi at home. Considering their recent upswing in fortunes, Chennai look good enough to win 3 of their remaining four games, which would put them at 16 points.Kolkata Knight Riders: They have been possibly the most inconsistent - and therefore unpredictable side - so far. They also have 10 points from 10 matches, but apart from their first two matches, they haven't been able to string together two consecutive victories. The games they have in hand are against Bangalore, Chennai, Rajasthan and Mumbai. Though they have the same number of points as Chennai and Bangalore, they somehow don't inspire the same confidence as the other two, and retain an air of fragility coupled with the ability to turn the heat on at unexpected moments as Delhi discovered to their chagrin. Kolkata play Chennai and Bangalore away, and Rajasthan and Mumbai at home. Assuming they win one of their remaining matches, they would end up with 12 points.Deccan Chargers: The Deccan Chargers have just 8 points from 10 matches, and a negative net run-rate, which means they would need to win all their remaining matches to have a realistic chance of qualifying. Their opponents are Chennai, Bangalore, Punjab and Delhi. They play Chennai and Bangalore at home. It will be extremely tough for Deccan to beat all of the teams above. Assuming they win only 2 of the 4 matches, they would end up on 12 pointsKings XI Punjab: The Kings XI Punjab have just 4 points from 10 matches, and even if they win all their remaining matches, they are not going to qualify for the semi-finals. This might free them up and make them play better cricket than they have, but for the most part in the tournament they have existed as comic relief, with S Sreesanth providing most of the antics, and often being their opposition's greatest match-winner. The opponents they have to play are Mumbai, Delhi, Deccan and Chennai. Of these only Delhi is an away match for them. Punjab are likely to spoil the party of at least one team, and should gather one more win, which would see them end up with 6 points. This whole analysis can of course be redundant just three days later, during which 5 more matches would have been played, but as it stands now, this could be the final league standings: Mumbai - 18 points; Delhi - 16 points; Chennai - 16 points; Bangalore - 14 points; Rajasthan - 14 points; Kolkata - 12 points; Deccan - 12 points; Punjab - 6 points. As can be seen it will be a veritable scrap for the semi-finals. Currently, Bangalore enjoy a net run-rate of almost 0.5 better than Rajasthan, which should be enough to see them through if both teams end up on the same number of points, which would make the semi-final lineup thus: Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore. However, a win here or there could easily throw all the equations out of the kilter. From the current standings though, it is certain that at least 5 teams have a very realistic chance of qualifying for the semi-finals, while Kolkata has a decent shot and Deccan have an outside chance. For once, Ravi Shastri would be right when he quotes, "This is going to go down to the wire."