The path to the Playoffs is clearly cut out for Royal Challengers Bangalore. If they defeat Lucknow Super Giants in the last league match of the IPL here at the Ekana Stadium on Tuesday, they will play the Qualifier 1 on Thursday, and if they lose, it will be the Eliminator on Friday.

Either way, it’s not going to be easy as they will be hurried into the Playoffs with hardly any time to recuperate and recover, while the other three qualified teams — Punjab Kings, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans — will have a couple of days rest before they get into the decisive phase of the tournament.