Lucknow must win six straight to keep playoff hopes alive

Lucknow Super Giants now need to win their last six league matches to give themselves a realistic shot at the IPL 2026 playoffs. (news18.com) (espncricinfo.com) That equation hardened on Sunday, April 26, when Kolkata Knight Riders beat Lucknow in a Super Over after both teams finished on 155 at Ekana Stadium. Sunil Narine gave up just one run in the Super Over, and Rinku Singh finished the chase with a boundary. (news18.com) (iplt20.com) The defeat left Lucknow 10th in the table with 4 points from 8 matches and a net run rate of -1.106. Kolkata moved to 8th with 5 points from 8 matches. (news18.com) (espncricinfo.com) In the IPL league phase, a team plays 14 matches, with two points for a win. Lucknow have six matches left, so their maximum is now 16 points. (espncricinfo.com) (lucknowsupergiants.in) That does not guarantee a top-four finish, but it keeps Lucknow in the conversation. A single additional loss would leave them on a maximum of 14 points, which usually is not enough once the table tightens in the second half. (espncricinfo.com) The climb is steep because four teams were already on 10 points or more by Sunday night: Punjab Kings on 13, Royal Challengers Bengaluru on 10, Sunrisers Hyderabad on 10, and Rajasthan Royals on 10. Gujarat Titans were next on 8. (espncricinfo.com) (news18.com) Lucknow’s recent results explain the squeeze. They lost to Rajasthan Royals by 40 runs on April 22, and their own team site listed them at 2 wins and 6 losses even before Sunday’s chase against Kolkata ended. (lucknowsupergiants.in) Their next listed fixtures are away to Mumbai Indians on May 4 and home to Royal Challengers Bengaluru on May 7. By then, the margin for error will still be zero. (lucknowsupergiants.in)