IPL 2025: Ranking every team’s playoff chances at the halfway stage of the season

On Saturday, Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 officially completed its halfway stage of the season. Gujarat Titans’ (GT) win over Delhi Capitals (DC) meant that Shubman Gill’s side ended the midway point of the tournament at the top of the points table. Delhi Capitals (DC) are second in the table, while Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) round off the top four spots. 

With seven games left for each side, the race to make it to the playoffs is set to intensify. Each of the top four teams have ten points each so far with their run-rates in the positive. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are fifth in the table with eight points from seven games having slid out of the playoff spots post their loss to PBKS. 

Former IPL winners, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are bottom of the table along with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Both sides have four points each and their run-rate has taken severe beating after few huge losses. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Mumbai Indians (MI), and Rajasthan Royals (RR) find themselves in the mid-table after few inconsistent performances in the first half of the season. 

Here are each team's chances of making it to the playoffs after half-way point of the season

10- Chennai Super Kings – 3/10 

MS Dhoni’s return as the captain has already seen CSK snap their five-match losing streak. Their next huge game is against arch rivals Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night. Chennai have three home games left to play out of the seven matches remaining in the season. If CSK has to make it to the playoffs they have to win at least six out of the seven matches left and that to with a huge margin. The former champions will also have to hope that other results go their way to keep their hopes alive. 

9 – Sunrisers Hyderabad – 3/10 

IPL 2024 runners-up Pat Cummins side have three home matches left to play this season. Their first game in the return fixtures will see SRH host Mumbai Indians in a key encounter. SRH’s run-rate is currently an abysmal -1.217 which is slightly better than CSK who are tenth in the table. Hyderabad after playing MI will take on Gujarat and Delhi, in what will be difficult encounters as both teams are flying high at the moment. SRH will have to win at least six games and have to try and better their run-rate to make it to the top four spot. 

8- Rajasthan Royals – 3/10 

Former IPL winners, Rajasthan Royals are one of the two sides to have played eight games so far this campaign, Royals are eighth in the table with four points  and have six games left to play. Their next three matches are against RCB, Gujarat, and Mumbai and each of those encounters could be season defining. One more loss in the tournament could be the end of RR’s chances of making it to the playoffs. RR has to win all their games and even that will not guarantee qualification as they also have to hope other results go their way. 

7- Mumbai Indians – 4/10 

Hardik Pandya and his side went into the halfway stages of IPL 2025 with two successive wins. The one positive that MI has is that their run-rate is on the healthier side. That being said, MI face a hard task of realizing their dream of making it to the playoff spot. Pandya’s men face off CSK before heading to Hyderabad and then host LSG in a home encounter. The matches against Chennai and Hyderabad could very well define which way MI’s season is head. Men in Blue and Gold will need to win at least six games to stay in contention for a playoff spot. 

6- Kolkata Knight Riders – 5/10 

Defending champions KKR have had a poor first half of the current campaign. One major positive for Rahane and his men will be that they will play four home games in the second half of the campaign. This could swing the tide in KKR’s favor, as they look to storm back into the tournament. KKR’s first challenge will be at home to Gujarat and then hosting Punjab Kings before playing Delhi away from home. 

5- Royal Challengers Bengaluru – 6/10

IPL 2025 season has been a tale of two halves for RCB, with impeccable away record and dismal home record. Rajat Patidar and his men have won all their four games away from home, but have lost three games at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. RCB will play four home games including their final two matches to end the league stages. If RCB has to make it to the playoffs, they have to start winning games at home and put pressure on the top four. 

4- Lucknow Super Giants – 7/10 

It has been a huge season for Rishabh Pant to showcase his talents as a captain. LSG beat Rajasthan by two runs in a pulsating game to start their second half of IPL 2025 season on a high. The going gets tougher from here as LSG face Delhi, Mumbai, and Punjab in their next three games. One loss could potentially turn into a banana skin and see LSG slide down the points table. With RCB, KKR, and MI breathing down their necks, Lucknow will be looking over their shoulders cautiously and will want to win at least four out of the six games left. 

3- Punjab Kings – 7/10 

Shreyas Iyer has continued his amazing run as the captain since taking over the role at Punjab Kings this year. Iyer was at the helm when KKR won their title last year and ended their decade long wait. Punjab are set to take on RCB in their return fixture on Sunday afternoon in what is the final fixture at the Mullanpur stadium. PBKS’  have to win at least five out of the next seven games to safely secure their passage to the knockout phases. 

2- Delhi Capitals -8/10 

After years of being a team that was making up the numbers in the league, Delhi Capitals have finally realized their full potential this season. Axar Patel’s captaincy as well the blazing form of KL Rahul, Mitchell Starc has served them well. Talents like Abhishek Porel, Karun Nair, Ashutosh Sharma, and Kuldeep Yadav as well as the hard work of Mukesh Kumar and Mohit Sharma has been a huge factor. Delhi will bank on their form in the first half of the season and look to win a minimum of five games to make it to the playoffs.

1- Gujarat Titans – 9/10 

The 2022 IPL champions Gujarat Titans perhaps have the most well-rounded team in the IPL this season. At this stage of the tournament, Titans are the outright favorites to become the first to make it to the playoff stages. Shubman Gill and his side have a few potentially tricky away matches that could define their season. One positive for GT is that they finish their season with two home games and win in at least five games will see the Titans make it to the playoffs.