The Indian Premier League 2025 is barreling toward its climax, and the playoff picture is sharpening with every match. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Mumbai= Mumbai Indians, and Gujarat Titans are charging toward the top four, while Sunrisers Hyderabad clings to fading hopes, staring down the same fate as the already-eliminated Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. With just weeks left in the league stage, the stakes are sky-high, and the numbers tell a brutal story.
RCB sits pretty at the top of the points table with 14 points from 10 matches, their batsmen firing on all cylinders. On May 1, they crushed Chennai Super Kings in Bengaluru, a win that all but buried CSK’s campaign. With four games left, RCB needs just one more victory to lock in a playoff spot, though they’re gunning for a top-two finish to get two cracks at the final. Their net run rate, a tidy +0.482, gives them a cushion if things get tight.
Mumbai Indians, with 12 points from 10 matches, are riding a five-game winning streak that’s turned their season around. Their April 28 thrashing of Rajasthan Royals by 100 runs sent a message: they’re peaking at the right time. Hardik Pandya’s side needs two wins from their last four to secure a berth, and their net run rate of +0.483 could be a tiebreaker trump card. The five-time champions are hitting their stride, with Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah leading the charge.
Gujarat Titans, also on 12 points but with a game in hand, are in a sweet spot. Their May 2 win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Ahmedabad tightened the screws on SRH’s hopes. With five matches left, including two at home where they’ve lost just once this season, GT needs two wins to clinch a spot. Shubman Gill’s steady leadership and a net run rate of +1.104 make them a lock for at least third, with a shot at overtaking RCB for the top spot.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, however, are in deep trouble. With only 6 points from 10 matches and a dismal net run rate of -1.192, they need to win all five remaining games to even sniff 16 points—a tall order given their shaky form. Their April 25 loss to Chennai was a brief flicker of hope, but defeats to Mumbai and Gujarat since have them on the ropes. Even a perfect finish might not be enough if other teams hit 14 points, as SRH’s net run rate is a death knell.
Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals are already out, their seasons unraveling in starkly different ways. CSK, with just 4 points from 10 matches, were officially eliminated after a string of losses, including a April 28 defeat to Punjab Kings. Their net run rate of -1.211 is the league’s worst, and even a miracle run of five wins wouldn’t get them to the 14-point threshold. Rajasthan, with 8 points from 11 matches, kept faint hopes alive with an April 28 win over Gujarat but needed to run the table and pray for chaos elsewhere. Their net run rate of -0.780 and tough remaining fixtures sealed their fate.
The playoff format is unforgiving. The top two teams meet in Qualifier 1 on May 20 in Hyderabad, with the winner advancing to the May 25 final in Kolkata. The third- and fourth-placed teams slug it out in the Eliminator, also in Hyderabad, with the winner facing the Qualifier 1 loser in Qualifier 2. Historically, 16 points is the safe cutoff, but 14 has snuck teams in before—like RCB last year—when net run rates and results align.
Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, both on 12 and 11 points respectively, are still in the mix, while Lucknow Super Giants (10 points) and Kolkata Knight Riders (7 points) face uphill battles. But the spotlight is on RCB, MI, and GT, who’ve turned the heat up, and SRH, who’s running out of runway fast. The IPL’s final stretch is set to deliver drama, with every match a do-or-die affair for those still dreaming of glory.