It is deja vu. The carnage has continued. The mayhem in the powerplay hasn’t stopped. It is raining fours and sixes. Yes, IPL 2025 has mirrored the previous edition and batters have only taken their domination to a level higher this season. It is the same annihilation – only the annihilators have somewhat changed! While Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals led the mini-revolution last year, this time around the assault has been led by Punjab Kings.
The other big talking point of the 18th edition of the IPL has been the spectacular failure of the BIG 3 – Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders – have struggled to keep pace in the competition and it is the perennial underachievers – Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru – who have made the initial waves this season. Chasing continues to be an advantage but playing at home is not – that is another trend from the season.
We look at the trends, patterns and other talking points mid-season from IPL 2025.
Run-rate continues to soar
Most fans and pundits classified 2024 as an aberration in the 17-year history of the IPL! The batters plundered runs and how, there was mayhem in the powerplay, it was flooding fours and sixes, record totals were set and broken and run-rates soared to an all-time high. Well, unfortunately for the bowlers, the experts got their forecast wrong. 2024 was not an exception. It was indeed a revolutionary year in the IPL which set the benchmark for the seasons to come.
The average run-rate after the first 35 matches last season was 9.49. 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 extent as in 2024. 200 was breached on as many as 15 occasions at the half-way stage in 2024. That number has risen to 21 this season!
There have been 1066 fours hit so far in IPL 2025 (till after 35 matches) which is 15 more hits to the fence than at a similar stage last season.
The Carnage in the Powerplay
The tectonic change last season was seen in the first six overs when batters tore into the opposition bowlers like never before and led an unprecedented assault. All-time records for the highest team total in the powerplay were set as teams like Sunrisers, KKR, Delhi Capitals and MI led the carnage. According to Cricket-21 deep analytics, the average run-rate in the powerplay mid-season in 2024 was 9.34.
Well, remarkably, the scoring rate in the first six overs has gone up even further this season and stood at 9.6 mid-season in 2025! 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. 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. Another interesting change in 2025 is that the loot in the powerplay is more evenly distributed. Only five teams had a run-rate of 9+ in the powerplay last season whereas as many as nine teams (all with the exception of Chennai Super Kings) have a run-rate of 9+ in the powerplay in this edition.
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! RCB are the most successful team batting second having won all their three matches chasing this season.
No Home Advantage
The home team won 20 of the 35 matches at the mid-way stage in 2024. That trend seems to have reversed this season and 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.
GT – the best batting unit, CSK – worst
The Titans have been the most prolific batting unit this season with the best combined batting average of 41 and run-rate of 10.1 per over. Their balls per boundary ratio of 4.5 also puts them in the top cluster. GT have also got the best starts in the competition with the best average for the opening wicket (47.7). They also have the best run-rate in the middle overs (9.9). CSK, not surprisingly, have been the worst batting unit so far in the tournament.
They have the second-worst batting average (26.2) and also been the most sluggish unit of the season with a run-rate of just 8.1. Just for perspective, all other teams have a run-rate of 9+ in the competition which showcases how poor CSK have been with the bat this season. They have fallen short in all four 180+ chases in the tournament.
A New Winner on the Cards?
There is just one IPL trophy between the top 5 teams on the points table mid-season this year. While Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants are the new entrants, the other three – Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings – have been perennial underachievers. They have never won the IPL. With the BIG 3 (MI, CSK and KKR) struggling to cope with the pace of the tournament this season, will 2025 finally break the jinx for one of RCB, DC or PBKS?
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