IPL 2025: Power Rankings - Episode 2

There's been a lot more movement in the rankings this time, and a lot more action.

A new power rankings, and it’s been another week in which the highly rated teams have decided to have a sleep in. But some of the sides down in our expectations are shining.

As always, the power rankings don't represent the points table, but really are passed down to us by golden pigeons who look at strength of schedule, future games, who you beat and how, and then make it all up before crapping on us as they fly away.

1. RCB

RCB have 2 wins out of 3. They did well to recover after losing 4 wickets for less than 45 runs against GT (although Rabada wasn’t playing), and then bowled well in the first 5 overs. However, there was an evident lack of wicket-taking threat in the middle overs.

Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar have combined figures of 5/65 in 12 overs in the powerplay. In this phase, RCB are first on economy and fourth on strike rate. However, they then slip to fifth on economy and are fourth again on strike rate from overs 7 to 16. Although Suyash Sharma did get the big wicket of Andre Russell in the first game, his overall figures in this period are 1/65 in 7 overs vs KKR and CSK.

Among their next games, so far, MI have been struggling in the tournament. But all their losses have come away from home, and with Bumrah back they’ll be stronger. DC are playing some seriously good cricket, and RR have also picked up pace, going from 0-2 to 2-2. 2-1 for RCB in the next three games puts them in good stead, while 1-2 could make things tricky.

2. DC

DC are the only undefeated team so far in IPL 2025. However, they could have been 2-1 as well, had they not won by one wicket against LSG. But their next two matches have been very convincing wins. It’s also worth remembering that they didn’t have Faf du Plessis in the last game, and KL Rahul in the first one.

Delhi have now picked up 8 wickets in the powerplay in three games, and they have the best strike rate in this phase. The economy of 9.33 is slightly on the higher side, but the early wickets played a critical role in their wins against SRH and CSK. Their highest wicket-taker, Mitchell Starc, has figures of 4/72 in 7 overs in the powerplay. Although their batting has been impressive, Jake Fraser-McGurk's form has been a concern. He took 32 balls to score 38 versus SRH, and has two single digit scores otherwise.

They are going up against three pretty good sides on paper. MI haven’t clicked so far, but Bumrah is now available for them. With the head start that they have, even 1-2 wouldn’t cause a massive issue. But a loss in momentum is never ideal, and they seem to have the tools to go 2-1 in this run of games.

3. PBKS

Like RCB, Punjab won both their games on the road but lost at home. They eventually won the GT game relatively easily, but 75 in 6 overs with 8 wickets in hand with Jos Buttler and Sherfane Rutherford at the crease wasn’t an impossible run chase. They won by a significant margin against LSG, but also lost convincingly against RR.

Shreyas has the led the way for Punjab with the bat, scoring 97*(42) and 52*(30) in both wins. He started off well against RR too, but was eventually out clean bowled by Jofra Archer. Despite his decline, Chahal was one of the best legspinners available in the auction. But he has only picked up one wicket (which to be fair, was of Nicholas Pooran) and gone at 10.2 runs per over.

They play two games at home and one away. CSK and SRH have been struggling, and KKR are also 2-2. If they go 2-1 here, they'll be in a reasonable place before their back to back games against RCB on the 18th and 20th.

4. GT

After losing their first game to Punjab, they've won three consecutive games now – all fairly comfortably. They also didn't have Kagiso Rabada in the last two games, and Glenn Phillips is still on the bench.

Mohammed Siraj has been breathing fire. We know that he's a rhythm bowler, and he's back after a long break. He’s played a significant role by picking up early wickets and then also not conceding runs at the end of games. However, Rashid Khan has been a pale shadow of himself. He didn't do great last year, but now he only has one wicket to show at an economy of over 10.

They're playing two teams ranked below them in the points table as of now, while DC have won every game. 2-1 here means they're in a comfortable situation in the context of the tournament.

5. KKR

KKR have two wins in four games – 1-1 at home, 1-1 away. Neither their wins nor their losses have been close encounters. Their net run-rate is slightly positive.

They have the best bowling strike rate (14.73) in the middle overs. It’s worth remembering that MI and RCB were well ahead of the game by the end of the powerplay, but their middle overs bowling created a difference against RR. Their bowling in the first six overs was solid against SRH, but they also did well from 7 to 16 – striking regularly. And speaking of their new ball bowling, they had picked up only two wickets in the first three games. Spencer Johnson was their frontline overseas quick, and he’s not taken early wickets. Going into the tournament, they will hope the SRH game is the norm and not an outlier.

KKR will play Lucknow at home, and then be on the road for their games against Chennai and Punjab. Can they win all three games? If their powerplay bowling clicks and Narine makes runs, it isn't improbable.

6. LSG

LSG are currently 2-2, but they could have been 3-1 if not for a close loss against Delhi in their first game. They've won and lost a game each at home, and the same on the road. They did win a relatively close game against Mumbai.

Nicholas Pooran is right up there in the conversation of the best T20 batters in the world at the moment. He is the highest run-getter in the tournament, and has done so at a mind-boggling strike rate of 218. But Mitchell Marsh has also started brilliantly, adding 184 runs at an SR of 186. However, Rishabh Pant – the most expensive player in the league – has scored only 19 runs off 32 deliveries, getting out all four times.

They play KKR next, who have a similar record as them. It could be a pivotal game, as GT seem to be a level above while CSK haven't started well at all.

7. MI

MI smashed KKR at home, but lost both their away games in Lucknow and Ahmedabad. They weren't out of it in terms of the required run rate, but Tilak Varma got stuck in both run-chases, scoring 39 off 36 and 25 off 23 before being retired out in the latter case. Hardik Pandya also could not get going against GT (11 off 17 balls), and then couldn’t finish the game against LSG either.

Suryakumar Yadav’s form has certainly been a positive for them. He wasn’t dominating for India the same way in recent times, but he now has 171 runs in four innings at a strike rate of over 160. Plus, Jasprit Bumrah is available as well, so that makes them an even stronger unit

They will be up against two in-form sides in RCB and DC, while SRH are in a similar situation as them. If they manage to win 2 games out of 3, they still wouldn’t be in a great spot, but that would at least keep them alive in the competition.

8. RR

Rajasthan seem to have found form after two big losses against KKR and SRH. They defeated CSK by six runs, and won by a grand margin of 50 runs against Punjab away.

Much of it has to do with Archer's return to form. He has created an immediate impact in both their wins, striking in the first over – once against CSK and twice against PBKS. If he can keep up this form, RR will be a serious force to reckon with going into the tournament. As far as their batting is concerned, they start well (51/176 in the powerplay) but don't quite seem to maintain a similar tempo through the middle overs – averaging 22 at a strike rate of 129.

GT, RCB and DC have all started well in the tournament, so their road ahead doesn't seem to be the easiest. If they can come out of this run with two wins, it will be a very good result.

9. CSK

The closest CSK have come to winning in the last three games was against RR, when they had to make 20 in the last over. They lost by six runs. But the other two games were margins of 50 and 25 runs each – both at home against teams that hadn't defeated them at Chepauk for ages.

Noor and Khaleel’s form has been a positive takeaway for Chennai in their first four games. Noor hasn't gone for too many runs, while also being the highest wicket-taker of IPL 2025 so far. Khaleel has taken wickets in both the powerplay and the death overs. But CSK’s most significant concern has certainly been their batting against the new ball. They have the lowest average (21) and strike rate (116.67) in the tournament in this phase.

They are playing Kolkata at home, who have two of the best spinners in the league. Punjab have played better cricket than them, while Lucknow have also done alright despite not having a strong bowling unit on paper.

10. SRH

We started the tournament asking when SRH were going to cross 300 after seeing what they did against RR. But things seem to have gone horribly wrong for them ever since. They did make 190-odd against LSG, but lost by 23 balls to spare. They've been losing early wickets, and the Travishek duo hasn't been able to repeat the heroics of last year. Travis Head started well in the first three innings, but now has two single-digit scores. And Abhishek Sharma averages slightly more than 10.

At this point, the SRH bowling attack doesn't inspire any confidence either. They have strike bowlers, but they've neither picked up enough wickets nor put pressure on teams with economy. Their frontline spinner is Zeeshan Ansari, who is playing his first tournament. That’s never ideal.

Their biggest positive has certainly been Aniket Verma – his six-hitting ability against spin seems to be incredible.

We've seen teams pull off some incredible comebacks in this competition – RCB last year, MI all those years are a few examples. Can the Sunrisers still do it? They play MI twice in their next three games, but even they have Bumrah coming back in the side. Punjab have started the tournament much better than them.

So the order this week is:

1. RCB

2. DC

3. PBKS

4. GT

5. KKR

6. LSG

7. MI

8. RR

9. CSK

10. SRH

I wanted to push Delhi up, but their two wins are against low-rated teams, and they just snuck by against LSG. RCB lost versus Gujarat, who I also like right now. PK justified my high spot, so a loss hasn’t shaken me, yet. KKR I don't really know, but it looks good on paper, and I don’t trust LSG yet. MI is probably too high, but I want to see them once they have Bumrah before I dump them. RR won two matches, so I have upgraded them. I think CSK might have less chance of turning this around than SRH, but the extra loss has me shook. Also, SRH blocked last game, what was that about?

As always these power rankings have been fact checked, and we got the 100% verified tag. So please tell us how much you agree with every single decision as well.

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