The last season of the IPL was a revolutionary one, witnessing an unprecedented domination of bat over ball- there were record totals, sixes galore and the run-rate soared higher and higher like never before. There was mayhem in the powerplay with teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders redefined batting in the first six overs – incidentally, they were the two finalists last season. The 2025 edition has also started with a bang and if the first week is anything to go by, the bar has already been raised by the batters. We look at the early trends and numbers that define the first week in IPL 2025.
Note: All numbers updated till end of Match 10
Run-Rate at an all-time high
If the batters scaled K2 last season, they seem set to trek Mount Everest in IPL 2025! The collective run-rate in the first 10 matches this season is a stunning 9.91, a few notches higher than the 9.53 at the same point last year. There has been some outstanding hitting already in this edition. A total of 194 sixes were hammered in the first 10 encounters in IPL 2024. That number has been surpassed quite comfortably this season and stands at 204! The 200-run mark was breached five times in the first 10 matches in IPL 2024. It has already been crossed six times this season.
Powerplay Carnage
The major feature of IPL 2024 was the carnage witnessed in the powerplay.
Teams went helter-skelter in the first six overs with maximizing runs the mantra of the season. Conserving wickets and accelerating later was a thing of the past! The run-rate in the first six overs in the first 10 matches in IPL 2024 was 9.34 and there was a strong correlation between teams who maximized the powerplay and success – Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders were the two most destructive teams in the powerplay and it was not a coincidence that they played each other in the final. Powerplay batting has been taken to another level this season with the average run-rate in the first six overs in the first 10 matches at a mind-boggling 10.2. Teams have already scored 70 or more six times in the tournament.
Chasing slight advantage
The team chasing has won six of the first 10 matches this season, keeping with the historic trend, where batting second has always been an advantage. However, batting second is the overwhelming preference this season with the captain winning the toss electing to chase on nine occasions!
Left-handers ruling the roost
The three leading run-getters so far this season are all left-handers. Five on the top 7 list are southpaws. Nicholas Pooran is the highest impact batter so far with two stunning performances to start his campaign for Lucknow Super Giants. He hammered a sensational 75 off just 30 deliveries against Delhi Capitals at Visakhapatnam before smashing 70 off just 26 deliveries in a successful 191-run chase against Sunrisers in Hyderabad. The feature of his batting has been the clean striking – Pooran has blasted a total of 13 sixes in his two innings this season!
Spinners more restrictive
Spinners have bagged 54 wickets so far this season at an average of 28.7, strike rate of 18.7 and economy of 9.18. The pacers, on the other hand, have picked 69 wickets at an average of 31.7, strike rate of 18.4 and economy of 10.28.
The struggle of the Big 3
Still early days but interesting trends are emerging in season 18 of the IPL. The Big 3 – Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders – who have 13 of the 17 titles between them – have had an indifferent start in the tournament. MI’s batting has let them down in both matches and the bowling also lacks the firepower without Jasprit Bumrah. CSK have also struggled with the bat and depend heavily on Rachin Ravindra and Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top of the order. Defending champions, KKR, need their middle-order – the likes of Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer and Andre Russell to fire if they are to compete with the more formidable batting line-ups like SRH, DC and LSG in the tournament. Like CSK, they have won one and lost one encounter. RCB and DC have looked to be the two best units so far this season and have won both their matches. Both the franchises are yet to win the IPL!
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