It has been a fascinating 18th edition of the Indian Premier League. The biggest talking point of the season has been the dominance of the perennial underachievers and the poor performance of most of the powerhouses. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings – who don’t have even one IPL title between them – have set the stage on fire and been in the top cluster since the start of the tournament. Meanwhile, five-time winners – Chennai Super Kings, three-time champions – Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals – who have lifted the trophy on one occasion each – have been below par and struggled to build any sort of momentum in their campaign this season. And then there is Mumbai Indians – who had a disastrous start and looked down and out before staging one of the most remarkable turnarounds in IPL history!
So, who are the favourites to make the playoffs? Will RCB finish on pole position? Is DC in a spot of bother? Can MI spoil PBKS’ party and storm into the last four? We explore.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have had a breakthrough year and are currently in pole position with seven wins from 10 encounters. They have built some momentum winning their last three matches and look good to make the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons. RCB have been very aggressive in the death overs (run-rate of 11.7) and also very restrictive with the ball through the competition (best economy rate of 8.8 in IPL 2025).
Virat Kohli has been their playmaker with the bat and is the leading run-getter of the season with 443 runs at a strike rate of 139. He has been very consistent registering six fifties in 10 innings. Josh Hazlewood has been brilliant with the ball and with 18 dismissals at a strike rate of 12.2, is the leading wicket-taker of the tournament.
RCB’s remaining four encounters are with teams in the lower cluster – one each with Lucknow Super Giants, Sunrisers, Knight Riders and CSK. They would fancy themselves of winning at least three of these matches which would take them to 20 points and guarantee a top-two finish.
Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans, with six wins from eight matches have been formidable with the bat and have the best combined batting average (43.1) and the highest strike rate (167.9) this season. Their top-order has fired big-time and they are the only team who has lost just two matches in the competition. Their top 3 have a combined batting average of 54 this season – by far, the best in the competition.
Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler and Shubman Gill have all scored in excess of 300 runs at a strike rate of 150+. The Titans have also been outstanding with the ball with the best average and strike rate for pacers this season. Prasidh Krishna has been their unsung hero with the ball and has returned with 16 wickets at a strike rate of 11.6 and economy of 7.3 this season.
Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals started the season with a bang winning their first four encounters but have stumbled a bit thereafter facing defeat in three of their last five matches. They are currently at number 3 on the points table with six wins from nine matches. The next two fixtures – against KKR and SRH – are very critical for DC and they need to win both before they clash with other teams in the top cluster.
The batters have done well for DC this season – they have been aggressive with five of the main six striking at a rate of above 150! KL Rahul has been the pick of the batters with an aggregate of 364 runs which include three fifties.
Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings have been the most aggressive team upfront in the tournament and looked the most sought-after till mid-season. However, indifferent results in the last couple of matches and they suddenly find themselves in a spot of bother at number 5 on the table. PBKS need to win at least three of their last five encounters. Their games against Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians at Dharamsala could well decide the fourth spot for the playoffs.
Priyansh Arya has been the star for PBKS this season. He has smashed 323 runs at a rate of 200.6 and stolen the limelight from Shreyas Iyer, who began the tournament in breathtaking fashion but has seen in form dip in the last few encounters.
Mumbai Indians
The five-time champions have staged the most stunning comeback this season and are now knocking heavily on the door to the playoffs! They looked down and out and completely out of form at the start of their campaign, losing four of their first five encounters but since then have witnessed a remarkable transformation winning their last five matches. MI have jumped to number 3 on the points table and with most of their top-order firing, have the force and momentum with them.
Suryakumar Yadav has been their highest impact batter of the season with an aggregate of 427 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of almost 170. Jasprit Bumrah has made an impact after his late entry into the competition and bagged nine wickets in six matches at an economy of just 7.5. Trent Boult is also peaking at the right juncture for MI with seven wickets in his last two encounters.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans should qualify for the playoffs without breaking too much sweat. The scramble will be for the other two spots with three teams in the fray – Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians.
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