CAPE TOWN - The CSA T20 Challenge has provided some fair entertainment over the past week. The competition has now reached the business stage with teams fighting it out for playoff spots.
IOL Sport's Zaahier Adams takes a closer look at the permutations...
WARRIORS: 5 points
Robbie Peterson's team opened up the competition with a shock bonus point win over the Titans on Wednesday.
Their route to qualification is straightforward now: Beat the Knights on Thursday and hope the Cobras and Titans lose their last games against the Lions and Dolphins respectively.
KNIGHTS: 4 points
The central franchise's path is a little trickier.
They have to beat the Warriors with a bonus point that will hopefully significantly raise their net run-rate, which is currently the lowest at -0.687.
They then require the Cobras and Titans to lose their respective matches to stand any chance.
CAPE COBRAS: 4 points
Considering their start to the tournament its amazing that Ashwill Prince's team still have any hope of qualifying for the playoffs.
Equally, they will now seriously be miffed with their last- ball defeat to the Knights, as a victory would have left qualification in their own hands.
Instead, now they nead to beat the Lions, preferably with a bonus point depending on the outcome of other matches. It may still not be enough depending if the Knights or Warriors win with a bonus point in their clash on Thursday, while they also need the Titans to lose to the Dolphins.
It's the longest shot of all the teams, but at least it's mathematically still possible and stranger things have indeed happened.
TITANS: 8 points
The much-vaunted Sky Blues have faltered in their last two matches, losing to both the Lions and Warriors.
This has provided the teams below with a sniff.
However, their fate remains solely in their own control. Beat the Dolphins on Friday in a virtual quarter-final and it renders all the other results meaningless.
*The Dolphins and Lions have already qualified for the playoffs.