The third quarter of the DLF IPL has almost ended, yet there is little clarity over who will make it to semi’s (save for of course The Rajasthan Royals, who with Tuesday’s win over the Kolkata Knight Riders have absolutely made it certain that they will make it). This shows us how keenly contested this tournament truly has been. Except for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers, the rest of the teams are still in the hunt for one of the three remaining semi-final slots. If things shape up the way I see, here’s who I think should go to the semis

The Kings XI Punjab: For a team that started it’s campaign with back to back losses, this team has put up one impressive performance after the other. Miss Zinta’s jadoo ki jhappis certainly seem to have done the trick as the King’s did not lose their winning momentum even after the exit of key players like Brett Lee and Simon Katich. The Mohali men found a new hero in young Shaun Marsh (legendary Aussie stumper Geoff Marsh’s son). Young Marsh, with his consistent batting has certainly put his hand up for selection into the Aussie side in the near future. I hope Miss Zinta has contracted him for 3 years because his contract value is sure to go through the roof for the next season. Another surprise has been yet another hard-hitting left hander, Luke Pomersbach. His knock under pressure against the Delhi Daredevils and his match winning 79 against the Mumbai Indians has shown glimpses of the devastation this man can cause on his day. Add Yuvraj Singh’s clean hitting and Mahela Jayawardane’s conventional yet effective cricket to that and you have one hell of a batting line up. The bowling department seems to be in good touch as well. Irfan Pathan who was until recently the leading wicket taker of the tournament, seems to have regained his swing. His partner , the mercurial S Sreesanth too is coming good more often than not. With a good balance and 16 points to their name,the Kings XI Punjab are silencing critics with every passing performance. Their semi-final ticket looks just about confirmed.

The Chennai SuperKings: You just can’t write of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team off in a T20 tournament. The SuperKings who had a dream start to the IPL lost their way in the middle with 3 successive losses, but they soon picked up the slack and got back to winning ways. Sunday’s crucial win over the Kolkata KnightRiders means that one more win would seal a semi-final berth for the SuperKings. What has been impressive is that after the exit of the Aussie stars Matthew Hayden and Mike Hussey, Indian players have stepped up to the plate and delivered. Suresh Raina and S Badrinath have surely given the Indian selectors something to think about with their impressive showing with the bat. MS Dhoni’s captaincy continues to impress time and again which only proves that the Indian side is in safe hands. Dhoni has been more or less in extracting the desired perfomances from his men. He definitely deserves applause for they way he has shown faith in rank newcomers like Palani Amarnath and Manpreet Goni, who in turn have met their captain’s expectations. Though the net run rate and Wednesday’s loss to the Royal Challengers might be a cause of concern for the SuperKings, they should still make it to the semis.

The Mumbai Indians: The only thing that can be said about this team is ‘What a turn-around!’ The Mumbai Indians were subjected to ridicule even before the tournament thanks to their unusual name. The four consecutive losses at the start of the tournament and the shameful Harbhajan - Sreesanth incident only increased their woes. But one victory changed everything for this team. Despite Tendulkar’s absence in the first seven matches and Sanath Jayasuriya’s poor showing in the initial stages of the tournament, the Mumbai Indians managed to string three wins together thanks to brilliant performances by their youngsters. Be it Yogesh Takawale’s clean work behind the stumps or Dhawal Kulkarni’s ability to pick up wickets at important situations or Rohan Raje’s emergence as a bankable option, youth power is undoubtedly a strong reason for the success of the Mumbai Indians. Robin Uthappa at number three hasn’t been shabby at all with the bat or in the field. And what can one say about Dwayne Bravo! The man was brought in at one of the toughest times and how well he’s delivered. It is rumored that he was brought for a throw-away price by Mukesh Ambani, but as he departs for the home series against the Australian’s , there is no doubt that the Mumbai Indians will sorely miss his presence. Last but definitely not the least, one has to acknowledge the importance of experience. Players like Shaun Pollock and Sanath Jayasuriya have shown the world that a world class player is a world class player in any format. As Sachin Tendulkar put, ‘It not about age, it’s about confidence.’ The Mumbai Indians won no less than six times in a row before the Kings XI finally ended their winning streak in a cliff-hanger! However the momentum is definitely with the Mumbai Indians and with just two more wins needed to secure a semi final berth, the Mumbai Indians look poised to script one of the finest comeback stories in cricketing history.

Outside Chances: Chennai’s loss to the Royal Challengers Bangalore has thrown up an interesting scenario in the road to the semis. If the Rajasthan Royals and the Deccan Chargers both manage to defeat the Chennai Superkings, their points tally will stay on 14.  This would make Thursday 22nd May’s clash between the Delhi Daredevils and the Kolkata Knightriders a knock-out affair. Whoever wins that contest has a chance to register 14 points on the table. As mentioned earlier if Chennai Superkings or Mumbai Indians fail to score 16 points from their remaining matches, either the Delhi Daredevils or the Kolkata Knightriders come back into contention. It’s not all over yet folks, don’t forget to tune into Thursdays do-or-die clash between Kolkata and Delhi!