The Indian Premier League has reached the halfway mark and already a gap has emerged between the most competitive teams and those whose campaign seems as good as over.
All 10 teams have played at least seven matches each, with a similar number of games remaining for all sides.
The top four teams at the end of the league phase will qualify for the IPL playoffs.
Below we take a look at where the teams stand with half the tournament remaining. Data up to Saturday's match between Rajasthan and Lucknow.
Table toppers
The top three sides in the table – Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans – are also the best teams in the tournament so far. Delhi and Punjab have not won the IPL so far but are transformed this time, led by inspiring captains Axar Patel (Delhi) and Shreyas Iyer (Punjab) and boasting the two most balanced sides in the tournament.
The three teams are on 10 points each, alongside Lucknow Super Giants who eked out a stunning two-run win over Rajasthan Royals on Saturday. Gujarat also recorded a win on Saturday over Delhi to top the table.
All four teams – Gujarat, Delhi, Punjab and Lucknow – need eight wins and 16 points to be all but guaranteed of a place in the playoffs. However last year, Royal Challengers Bengaluru squeezed past Chennai Super Kings and into the playoffs while on 14 points but with a better net run rate.
Still, just three more wins in the next seven games should be enough for qualification for Gujarat, Delhi and Punjab. Lucknow too have a similar target but have one less game in hand.
Mid-table battle
This is where the battle is intense, as always. The middle of the table has sides who are either gaining or losing momentum.
Mumbai Indians had a terrible start to the season, as is almost always the case, but have won two in a row to get some belief back into the camp. They are still precariously placed with three wins and four defeats, but have a seriously good squad to make a genuine push for the playoffs. Mumbai need to win five of their remaining seven matches to be in contention.
Defending champions Kolkata looked good for the most part this season, but a shocking defeat while chasing just 112 against Punjab, getting bowled out for 95, could prove to be a body blow to their campaign. They too have three wins and four defeats to their name and should have been in the top half of the table.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are just outside the top four with four wins and three defeats. However, they just can't seem to win at home and with such a poor record in their backyard, getting four more wins might not be so easy.
Staying alive
This season, the teams propping up the league table are the most shocking ones. Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad have just two wins and five defeats so far in the tournament, although Chennai have arguably been the worst team so far.
The Super Kings have two of the top eight wicket takers this season but their batting has been shockingly conservative, weakened further by the injury to captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. Chennai, now led by MS Dhoni, must win six of their last seven matches to qualify. Two more defeats and Chennai will be out. Hyderabad are in similar position, and they have been a plagued by one-dimensional batting that either scores 240 or goes nowhere. Two more defeats and Hyderabad's season will be as good as over.
Rajasthan, meanwhile, are one step away from early elimination. Their shock loss to Lucknow on Saturday was their sixth of the season from eight games, and second in succession from a winning position, and the Royals should theoretically be out of contention with one more loss. And this despite having a red-hot Jofra Archer leading their bowling and a strong Indian batting line-up.
