The Indian Premier League (IPL) is back. And it feels like it never left.
Season number eighteen will begin on Saturday, and it will throw ten teams into the mixer, with only four qualifying for the playoffs and dreaming beyond.
On the back of a mega-auction, there are narratives galore. Some players have returned to franchises where they first made their name, while there are several new associations. All of which might make predicting the top four a futile and pointless exercise.
But what fun is an IPL season without sticking your neck out, being bold and predicting how it will unfold, knowing fully well that it could backfire dramatically. Or, paint the one predicting as the next oracle.
IPL 2025: These 4 teams have the best shot at the title
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at who might qualify for the playoffs.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Let’s start off with the boring prediction first, although this team is anything but boring. SRH, having blitzed their way to the final in 2024, have retained the core that got them there. This means Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins and Travis Head all return to don orange.
They have added to that as well. Ishan Kishan may be another left-hander in the top-order, but suits this team to the tee. Their bowling has undergone an overhaul too, and has seemingly levelled up, with Adam Zampa, Mohammed Shami and Rahul Chahar in the fray. Harshal Patel, who is prone to being expensive, meanwhile, won the Purple Cap last year.
Also Read |
IPL growth story: Unpredictability, unparalleled entertainment, and big bucks
In 2024, SRH made their 20 overs of batting often feel like 120 balls of a six-hitting contest. With greater firepower to burn, and with that tactic working out fairly fine last time out, there is no reason for them to tinker. And in this sort of game, there aren’t many teams that can match them.
Combine that with Cummins’ inspirational captaincy, Head’s tendency to dominate the big moments and Shami’s dexterity with the new ball, and this looks like a recipe for success.
Mumbai Indians
The Mumbai Indians made plenty of headlines last year, but most of them were for off-field shenanigans. The handing-over of captaincy to Hardik Pandya was not seamless (to put it mildly) and most MI home games were marred by the crowd chanting against the guy who was supposed to lead them to a historic sixth title.
But the dynamics have changed since. Rohit Sharma, replaced as captain ahead of the 2024 iteration, has led India to two ICC titles, cast himself as one of the GOAT white-ball skippers, with Pandya, the source of much ire in 2024 and at the helm again in 2025, playing pivotal roles in both triumphs.
Suryakumar Yadav, meanwhile, seems secure as India’s new T20I leader, and Jasprit Bumrah, in that period, has done Jasprit Bumrah things. Tilak Varma has also raised his game a couple of notches.
So, this particular quintet (although
Bumrah is not fit to start the season), along with those who generate white noise in the stands and on social media, can solely concentrate on the cricket that is in front of them. Which, suddenly, makes MI feel like a team to beat.
Also Read |
IPL 2025: What’s new! golden badge, two-ball rule, captains, coaches & BCCI’s fresh diktat
Their overseas contingent does not look as shiny years gone by, but they have Trent Boult in their arsenal. Mitchell Santner, Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks, with their talent, could be vital cogs too. Deepak Chahar, in need of a redemption himself, might also thrive in Mumbai.
The keenest IPL eyes may say MI have a few bases uncovered, namely the lack of a high-profile finisher alongside Pandya, and the absence of a death-bowler not named Bumrah. But the things they have going for them seem so powerful that they can offset the rest.
And after a tenth-placed finish in 2024, that is what might happen in 2025.
Chennai Super Kings
Till COVID became a thing, the IPL resembled a tournament where seven teams (eight or nine in some editions) would compete to contest the final against CSK. While that final-reaching rate has come down (only two playoff appearances in the last five seasons), the aura has not. Even though that man wearing No.7 is no longer in charge.
CSK will have seven home games at Chepauk, which, if you were not aware, qualifies as a bit of a fortress. Their bowling attack, packed with spin, seems perfectly cut out for those slightly sluggish surfaces, with Noor Ahmad and R Ashwin joining forces with Ravindra Jadeja.
Their batting, if you compare it with the other teams, might feel a little lightweight. But CSK have that nous of knowing what total will be enough on any particular day and ensuring there are as few hiccups as possible in attaining it.
Also Read |
IPL 2025: From slapgate to Dhoni losing cool, biggest controversies in Indian Premier League
That, of course, has its virtues and its drawbacks, but with seven games in Chennai, where scores in excess of 220 are not very commonplace, this strategy might just nudge them ahead of teams that play on flatter and more unforgiving tracks.
Plus, CSK have a knack of getting the best out of the players at their disposal – something most teams grapple with each year. So, Deepak Hooda, Devon Conway, Khaleel Ahmed, Rahul Tripathi, Sam Curran and Vijay Shankar – all of whom could do with a turnaround in fortunes, could end up playing starring roles for a franchise that just knows how to be in the top four.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has had a season under his belt as CSK skipper too, and this could be the year where his IPL captaincy career really hits the high notes.
Punjab Kings
This is where things get really tricky. Especially because there are so many sides that could realistically reach the playoffs. But it just feels like a playoff appearance is long-overdue for PBKS. And no, this is not based on the law of averages, or vibes.
The nucleus of that argument is Ricky Ponting (PBKS head coach) and Shreyas Iyer (PBKS captain) back working together, having previously plotted a path to the final while at Delhi.
Azmatullah Omarzai, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen and Lockie Ferguson are match-winners too, even if not always consistent, whereas Josh Inglis, fresh off his Champions Trophy heroics, could have an impact similar to Shaun Marsh all those years ago.
PBKS’ bowling also seems in fine fettle, with Arshdeep Singh the spearhead, and Harpreet Brar, Yash Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal and Jansen forming a solid ensemble cast.
Their Indian complement, while it does not jump out, has plenty of talent. Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh were retained. Nehal Wadhera, Suryansh Shedge and Priyansh Arya, meanwhile, arrive with burgeoning reputations.
The Kings, of course, have been here before. In possession of a playoff-challenging squad, but still not delivering enough to make a sustained fist of it. Ponting and Shreyas, too, have endured their ups and downs in the IPL.
But with Shreyas, in particular, riding a crest of success, and with PBKS having some sort of continuity (albeit from an association at a different franchise), things might just click for them this time.
DC and KKR are strong contenders, but key changes could backfire
Honourable mentions: Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders
DC and KKR could easily have been a part of this article much before. The Capitals, who went big on fast-bowling at the auction, have a well-rounded squad and have players with a point to prove. But they also have a new captain, who despite being at the very top of his game, has never been the skipper of an IPL side for an entire season before.
The coaching staff, including the head coach (Hemang Badani), has been revamped as well, meaning there are several moving parts. All of those could fall into place and align, but with other teams probably knowing from the off what could or could not work for them, DC might just narrowly miss out.
KKR went the other way and kept hold of six players, while also acquiring a lot of their title-winning players at the auction. But they are missing two key components: former captain Shreyas, and mentor Gautam Gambhir.
Both played crucial roles, and even though Dwayne Bravo arrives (as mentor) with enormous tournament-winning pedigree, it remains to be seen how quickly he can hit the ground running, alongside new captain Ajinkya Rahane. Not to mention the rapport that might need forming between Bravo and Chandrakant Pandit (KKR head coach) – two people who, on paper, seem diametrically different characters.
Apart from that, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine have endured slight lulls recently. The latter’s batting form has suffered and he managed only 69 runs in seven innings in CPL 2024, and has 58 runs in seven T20 innings this year – a significant departure from his pyrotechnics last campaign. Russell did not set the ILT20 alight either. And with Mitchell Starc missing too, KKR may not be able to replicate their success from 2025.