Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans share top spot on the log with 14 points from seven wins and four losses in 11 games but Punjab Kings will move to 15 points and reclaim top spot if they win their game in hand. Chennai Super Kings (12) and Rajasthan Royals (12) are fifth and sixth respectively and needing to win at least two of their remaining three matches to sneak into the top four.
Neil Manthorp reviews: IPL WEEK SIX
MATCH OF THE WEEK: Lucknow Super Giants were clinging to the thinnest of straws for a play-off place and 203-8 against CSK gave them a good chance. Urvil Patel’s record-equalling 13-ball 50 and 65 from 23 put CSK so far ahead of the asking rate that Kartik Sharma and Dewald Brevis threw adventure to the wind and opted for caution, neither scoring at better than a run-a-ball.
Suddenly the pressure returned in spades and Shivam Dube and Impact Sub Prashant Veer were required to hit two sixes each in the final two overs to get CSK over the line with four balls to spare. LSG were eliminated.
But the real thriller came on Sunday night when RCB scrambled home with a two off the final ball to win by just two wickets and officially eliminate Mumbai Indians.
BATTER: Travishek. They just keep doing it. Abhishek Sharma’s 35 from 13 balls and Travis Head’s 38 from 19 gave the Sunrisers yet another monster start against Punjab allowing Ishan Kishan (55 from 32) and Heinrich Klaasen (69 from 43) the opportunity to ‘play themselves in’ on route to a match-winning total of 235-4 against Punjab.
BOWLER: Noor Ah will be mad he missed out on bags of wickets but his combined analysis of 8-0-46-3 played a huge role in Chennai Super Kings victories against DC and LSG. Left arm wrist-spin is the most mysterious of all and when the Afghani gets it right the opposition batsmen look like they’re reading ancient hieroglyphics. Countryman Rashid Khan (4-0-33-4) did the same for Gujarat against the Royals – but with a bag of wickets.
NOOR AHMAD IPL 2026 SPELL:
— MK Sharma ✍️ (@EmediaManoj) May 10, 2026
1/36 (3)
3/21 (4)
0/33 (4)
2/24 (4)
1/29 (4)
2/26 (4)
2/22 (4)
1/24 (4)
Consistent wicket-taking spells make him a key performer for CSK this season.#LSGvsCSK #CSKvsLSG #Cricket #IPL2026 pic.twitter.com/ZuKvQsM2jc
PERFORMANCE: Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed 4-23 with his peerless swing bowling and then hit the fourth ball of the final over for six to help RCB to one of the best and most unlikely victories of this year’s tournament.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have plenty of big name players delivering ‘big’ performances but sometimes the ‘smaller’ performances are just as important in the big picture.
Nitish Kumar Reddy belted 29* off 13 balls to push the total against Punjab Kings to 235-4 and then took 1-11 from two overs as Punjab stumbled to 202-7. Neither eye-catching, but both match-winning.
𝘽𝙝𝙪𝙫𝙞-𝙛𝙪𝙡 exhibition of new-ball magic! 🤌
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 10, 2026
🎥 Just sit back and admire the swing of things! ❤️
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/wYlCB10dhm#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #RCBvMI | @RCBTweets | @BhuviOfficial pic.twitter.com/STbZ16mzbj
INDIAN PLAYER: Shubman Gill is a machine for Gujarat Titans, even more impressive that he is captain and one part of a top three – with Sai Sudharsan an Jos Buttler - upon whom the team rely for over half their runs. At least two of the three almost always deliver. Sudharsan’s 55 from 36 balls against the Royals was pedestrian by his standards but Gill’s 84 from 44 was anything but and GT’s 229-4 was good enough by 77-runs.
OVERSEAS PLAYER: Mitchell Marsh is an ‘all or nothing’ sort of player with dazzling performances interspersed with fallow periods of not much. But when he’s hot, he’s very hot. His 111 from 56 balls led LSG to 209-3 against RCB although Rishabh Pant’s 32 from 10 balls at the end played an equally important role in the victory as RCB finished on 203-6.
SOUTH AFRICAN: Ryan Rickelton followed a century last week with a dazzling 83 from 32 balls (6x4, 8x6) and continued his often glittering partnership with Rohit Sharma (84 off 44) as Mumbai Indians claimed a consolation victory with 229-4 against LSG’s 228-5. Teammate Corbin Bosch produced magnificent figures of 4-1-26-4 in the final game of the week but it wasn’t good enough for victory against RCB.
OUCH: Jofra Archer’s first over for RR against Gujarat equalled the record for the longest at 11-balls and cost 18 runs. As a consolation, it is a record shared by six other bowlers. But nobody expects wides and no-balls from such a star bowler. His figures of 3-0-46-0 were painful enough but his fourth over being entrusted to part-time offspinner Donovan Ferreira (1-0-11-0) must have hurt.
BEST LOSER: Cooper Connolly became the youngest overseas centurion in IPL history with 107* from 59 balls for Punjab against SRH. It was defiance in a losing cause from early in the innings but it was impressive nonetheless from the 21-year-old Aussie.
Countryman Josh Inglis belted 85 from only 33 balls for LSG against CSK but his teammates were unable to build on his flying start or defend 203-8 against CSK. And Nicholas Pooran finally came good with eight sixes in his 63 from 21 balls for LSG who couldn’t defend 228-5 against Mumbai.
TALKING POINT: The ‘Impact Player’ has become a joke. Call it one it is. The IPL is twelve-a-side. It’s not real cricket. Discuss.
LOOK OUT FOR: Rajasthan Royals have a history of fast starts and late wobbles. They’re doing it again. They’ll almost certainly need to win their three remaining games to make the Play-Offs.