Rohit Sharma of Mumbai Indians plays a shot during the 2025 IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)
It has been a fascinating 18th edition in the Indian Premier League (IPL), with some of the heavyweights struggling to keep up the tempo this season even as the underachievers continue to top the points table. The other big talking point has been around the scoring rates. 2025 started in similar fashion, but then things seemed to have normalized. However, the overall run-rate mid-season in 2025 is almost identical to the run-rate mid-tournament last year! Also, while the chasing team has overall tasted more success in the competition, there has been no home advantage, with several franchises struggling to cope with the ‘different’ conditions in their own backyard.
RG analyses the trends and patterns of the 2025 IPL.
2025 Carnage Mirrors 2024
The 2024 IPL was a revolutionary season which saw bat dominate ball like never before. 2025 started in a similar vein, but since then things have normalized, and there seems to be a more even contest between bat and ball. However, the average run-rate after the first 35 matches last season was a staggering 9.49, which was, by some distance, the highest ever mid-season in any edition of the IPL. Interestingly, the average run-rate mid-season in 2025 is also 9.49, just decimal points lower than last season! This suggests that the carnage has continued and batters have dominated to the same degree as last season. Most fans and even some experts got so immune to the mayhem last season that the same level of destruction this season was considered ‘normal’. However, numbers don’t lie!
There were 15 200-plus team totals mid-season in 2024. That number has jumped to 21 after 35 matches this season! There were a total of 1051 fours and 618 sixes hit at the halfway mark last season. While the number of maximums is 607 in 2025, the number of fours has gone up to 1066!
Mayhem in Powerplay Continues
The real transformation last season was seen in the approach and attitude of teams in the powerplay. ‘Saving wickets first and attacking later’ was thrown into the dustbin, and the strategy was to maximize runs in the powerplay at any cost! The average run-rate in the powerplay mid-season in 2024 was 9.34. It has gone up substantially this season to 9.6 per over! 70-plus was breached 12 times after the first 35 matches in 2024. That number has risen to 14 this season.
The numbers suggest that the bar has been raised even higher by the batters this season. The only difference is that the protagonists have changed (somewhat!). While Sunrisers Hyderabad (run-rate of 12.4), Kolkata Knight Riders (10.7), and Mumbai Indians (10.4) created mayhem in the powerplay last season, it is Punjab Kings (run-rate of 10.5) who have dominated in the first 6 overs this season. Also, unlike last season, where at the halfway stage only five teams had a run-rate of 9+ in the powerplay, the carnage has been more evenly divided in this edition. As many as nine teams (all with the exception of Chennai Super Kings) have a run-rate of 9+ in the powerplay in the competition.
Chasing Marginal Advantage
Chasing has been a historical advantage in the IPL and in T20 cricket, and that trend continues in this edition as well! The team batting second has won 19 of the first 35 matches. The team chasing had won 18 matches at a similar stage last season!
No Home Advantage
The home team won 20 of the 35 matches at the midway stage in 2024. That trend seems to have reversed this season, with the ‘away’ team winning 18 of the 35 matches (there was one Tie). Royal Challengers Bengaluru have lost all their three matches at home thus far in the season. Chennai Super Kings, who historically boast of the best record at home in Chepauk, have also struggled, losing three of the four matches in their bastion this season. Kolkata Knight Riders have also lost two of their three matches at Eden Gardens in the tournament.
A New Winner on the Cards?
The Big 3 – MI, CSK, and KKR – with 13 of the 17 IPL trophies between them – are languishing at the bottom of the table. Only Gujarat Titans (GT) amongst the top 5 teams have ever won the league. The four others – Punjab Kings, RCB, Lucknow Super Giants, and Delhi Capitals – have no title between them. Only once in IPL history have none of CSK, MI, or KKR made it to the playoffs – and that was in 2022! If the trends continue, there is a high chance that we may well see a new IPL winner this season!
Nikhil Narain is a die-hard cricket romantic, published author, and has worked for some of the leading digital websites and broadcasters in India and overseas. An alumnus of the London School of Economics, Nikhil's forte is using data and numbers creatively to weave interesting stories and revolutionize the way cricket statistics are generated and analyzed.
