In 2014, Mumbai Indians lost their first five games and made it among the top four teams. Remember, the magic number to qualify for the IPL playoffs is 7. That's a maximum of seven matches that a team is allowed to lose in the league stage to have any chance of progressing to the knockouts.

from Times of India https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl/top-stories/ipl-2019-can-rcb-still-make-it-to-the-playoffs/articleshow/69035024.cms