Two multiple title winners, one new franchise with a fair few old heads and the defending champions – the IPL 2017 playoffs promises to be a humdinger of a series of matches.
With the playoff picture now set, it will be over to the four teams that remain in the Indian Premier League to go on and clinch that title everyone wants to win.
The key to that is building and maintaining momentum.
In that regard, in many ways, the advantage goes to the teams that finished third and fourth, because they must play three back-to-back games to win the IPL title.
After getting through the Eliminator, the Qualifier 2 comes calling, before the final is all set and ready to go on Sunday.
The two teams that will have the opportunity to play three games in a row and with it get that momentum thing going for them will be the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Kolkata Knight Riders.
SRH have been down this path before – last season.
They had to go through the three matches to clinch the title, and the interesting fact is that they faced the same opponents – KKR – in the Eliminator in IPL 2016 as well. And that too after these two teams finished in the exact same positions – SRH in third and KKR fourth.
Before these two sides contemplate playing three games to clinch the IPL 2017 title, though, we will already know one of the finalists of IPL 2017.
And what a Qualifier 1 it is going to be.
The Maharashtra derby between two sides filled with superstars and keen to make sure all that hard work done in the league phase isn't undone with one defeat.
Of course, both Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant will have two bites at the cherry at reaching the final, which is why finishing in the top two is so crucial, and while that momentum thing has eluded the teams that have gone straight into the IPL final with a win in Qualifier 1, there is little doubt that neither Mumbai Indians nor RPS will want to contemplate having to beat either SRH or KKR to make it to the summit clash in Hyderabad on Sunday.
The fact that Qualifier 1 will be played at the Wankhede certainly helps MI, but RPS were one of only two teams to beat the Mumbai Indians at home in the league phase of IPL 2017. Kings XI Punjab were the other team, and that was when MI had already qualified for the playoffs.
So, MI will know this match isn't going to be a "oh, we'll just chase down anything they put up" game. RPS have the chops to beat any side in the world, even if Ben Stokes, who is back in England, will be a huge miss.
Qualifier 2 on a slow and low (ok, ok, boring) pitch at the Chinnaswamy should also be interesting. Both SRH and KKR have the bowlers to take advantage of the slow nature of the wicket – which is what makes the Eliminator so fascinating – and that could be key in the end.
The Hyderabad final should be a nail-biter as well, because the beauty of the IPL is that there really is very little to choose between the teams. One might go on a tear and top the points table; another might just scrape in. But, such is the strength in depth of all squads, that only a brave man would bet against any of these four teams getting to that final and clinching the IPL 2017 title.
IPL 2017 playoffs schedule:
Qualifier 1: Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Supergiant.
Date: Tuesday, May 16.
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
Time: 8 pm IST, 6.30pm GST, 3.30pm BST, 10.30am ET.
Eliminator: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders.
Date: Wednesday, May 17.
Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Time: 8pm IST, 6.30pm GST, 3.30pm BST, 10.30am ET.
Qualifier 2: Loser of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Eliminator.
Date: Friday, May 19.
Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Time: 8pm IST, 6.30pm GST, 3.30pm BST, 10.30am ET.
IPL 2017 Final: Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2.
Date: Sunday, May 21.
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
Time: 8pm IST, 6.30pm GST, 3.30pm BST, 10.30am ET.
TV guide: India: Sony Six, Sony ESPN and Sony Max. UK, Ireland: Sky Sports. USA: Willow TV. Middle East: OSN Sports Cricket HD. South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa: SuperSport. International: Cricketgateway (online).
