Which team looks the most dangerous after the first 15 matches of IPL 2025?
The ongoing season of the Indian Premier League has thrown up a lot of surprises for spectators. With the trophyless Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) leading the table for the better part of a week, supporters were left in awe of all the spectacles they would witness.
At the moment, however, RCB have been dethroned from the top spot of the standings, and Punjab Kings (PBKS) - another franchise with zero titles in their armoury - have replaced them. Are we finally going to see a new winner in this edition of the cash-rich league? The opening weeks seem to suggest so.
Delhi Capitals (DC), who do not have a title in their possession either, are currently ranked second in the table with four points inside their kitty. To their eternal misfortune - some would say embarrassment - Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who finished as runners-up in 2024 with a path-charting season, are last this year.
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have not had the easiest of rides either. After playing four matches, Ajinkya Rahane's men find themselves ranked fifth in the table with four points - two losses in these fixtures have left their confidence shattered, especially as one came at home.
Gujarat Titans (GT), who won the title in their maiden season in 2022, and came excruciatingly close to doing so in 2023, have got off to a good start. They look one of the most dangerous sides, at the moment, and have four points inside their bag after three matches. Shubman Gill's men seem to be a team to be feared.
Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians have disappointed so far
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI), the Real Madrid and Barcelona of Indian franchise cricket, have made indifferent starts to this edition of the IPL, and are ranked eighth and sixth, respectively. Sharing 10 titles between them out of the 17 seasons played, these teams have not lived up to expectations so far.
CSK started the season by going against the grain and choosing to play on slow-burning, turning pitches at home, but their batters have let the team down on multiple occasions. MI's woes have largely been based on their stalwart Rohit Sharma's agony at the top of the order, and both teams have just two points.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) have awed their supporters with their occasionally stellar showings, but neither side has been consistent enough to merit a reference in the IPL Hall of Fame, so to speak. While RR have not won a title since their initial foray under the late Shane Warne in 2008, LSG have been haunted enough by their inability to make it to the playoffs in 2024.
Last year's runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad seem to be the most balanced outfit on paper
On paper, SRH seem to be among the most balanced outfits on offer this IPL, but their performances have not lived up to such expectations. Having belittled their opponents with gargantuan totals in 2024, they have come a cropper so far this season after the initial high they gave to their fans in their opening fixture against RR.
RCB too seem to have covered most bases this season, but their weaknesses in spin bowling seem a bit too obvious. PBKS deserve the pole position in the table, but they have played the least number of matches when compared to other sides (2) and little can be made of such inexperience in such a tournament.
The same holds true for DC. Led by the indefatigable Axar Patel - who has come into his own as a batter for Team India in recent times - a lot of water needs to pass under the silt-filled, gloomy Yamuna for anyone to confirm their credentials in the upper echelons of the IPL table.
GT, meanwhile, look a team that have rightly ticked most boxes this season. An exciting combination of youth and experience, to match the balance created by overseas professionals and Indian stars, is helping tilt the balance in their favor. Most importantly, their bowling resources seem extremely well-stocked.
It is far too early to predict a winner of this year's IPL, but GT seem to possess all the characteristics to go all the way and dismantle the barriers created by their opponents. Defending champions KKR too have a balanced outfit, but it remains to be seen how well they start faring outside of home.