IPL 2023: Can RCB still qualify for the playoffs? Check what Royal Challengers Bangalore need to do

If past records are to be believed, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have stopped Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) from going ahead in IPL tournaments multiple times in the past. However, on May 18, it was a superhuman effort for Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis. SRH set a target of 187 for the Royal Challengers. RCB reached there in 19.2 overs, thanks to Kohli (100 off 63) and Faf (71 off 47).

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Now, Bangalore are up against Gujarat Titans (GT), the table-toppers. This will probably be RCB's toughest match in IPL 2023 for two reasons. GT would like to continue their winning momentum as they will play Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the first qualifier. 

Secondly, RCB will be under tremendous pressure to win this match as losing it may technically mean elimination from the tournament. 

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Can they win against the mighty GT? Of course, they can…on paper. However, as we all know, they have been jinxed since the beginning of the Indian Premier League (IPL). They have always lost at crucial moments and never managed to win the trophy.

Nobody knows it better than the Royal Challengers themselves. They want to learn from their past and make things better this time. The fact is, if they lose against GT, they can still qualify if Mumbai Indians (MI) lose it against SRH as RCB are enjoying a far better Net Run Rate (NRR) of +0.180. 

However, in that case, it will be a close fight between RCB and Rajasthan Royals (RR) in terms of NRR as Rajasthan are close behind with +0.148. 

So, the idea is simple for Bangalore: win the match and qualify for playoffs. They have shown their capabilities against SRH. Now, it's time to repeat what they did in the last match.