IPL 2025 playoff race: With just two weeks remaining in the league stage, the race for the IPL 2025 Playoffs is heating up. Former champions Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals are the only two teams officially eliminated, while eight out of the ten franchises remain mathematically in contention for a playoff spot, with 18 league matches still to be played.
At least three teams are in a position to reach 20 points or more, making the battle in the top half of the table especially intense.
While no team has officially secured a place in the top four yet, Royal Challengers Bengaluru lead the pack with 16 points, closely followed by Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans on 14 points each—a mark that was enough to confirm at least one playoff berth last season. This time, however, the qualification cut-off could be as high as 18 points, with MI, GT, and RCB all still capable of hitting the 20-point mark.
IPL 2025 team-wise playoffs qualifying scenarios:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: If RCB win all of their remaining games they can go straight to 22 points as they don't have any fixtures left against MI or GT. Notwithstanding the Chinnaswamy, RCB will be certain of securing a playoff berth if they win at least one more match to collect 18 points. With Saturday's victory over CSK, Rajat Patidar's team is under less pressure.
Also Read - CSK’s fall in IPL 2025: A story of stubborn strategies and fading legends
Mumbai Indians: Currently one of the clear favorites to finish at the top of the table, Mumbai Indians are in strong form after six consecutive wins. If they continue this streak and win their remaining matches, they can extend it to nine victories and reach a maximum of 20 points. To confirm qualification, MI must win at least two of their remaining games. A top-of-the-table clash with Gujarat Titans is also likely.
Gujarat Titans: GT still have a realistic path to 20 points even if they lose their upcoming away match against Mumbai. Winning their next three games would allow them to reach 20 points, and if they win all four remaining matches, they could finish with 22 points and possibly take the top spot. Like MI, Gujarat needs to win at least two more games to safely surpass the expected qualification cut-off.
Punjab Kings: Punjab remains in the race but must win at least two of their next few games, which include direct clashes against fellow playoff hopefuls—Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and Lucknow Super Giants. Even if they win those, they will be sitting on 18 points before their final game against Rajasthan Royals, still potentially one point short of the likely qualification mark.
Delhi Capitals: After a promising start to the season, DC have stumbled and now face a tough road ahead. With 12 points from 10 matches, they must win their next three games—all against current top-four teams—to reach 20 points. While the qualification cut-off might still drop below 18 depending on other results, DC can only be confident of progressing if they win at least three more games.
Lucknow Super Giants: LSG are currently sixth with 10 points and have a narrow path to qualification. They need to win all four of their remaining matches to reach 18 points, which might just be enough depending on net run rate and other results.
Kolkata Knight Riders: KKR no longer face either of the top two teams (MI and GT), so their best shot is aiming for one of the lower playoff spots. If they win all of their remaining games, they can get to 17 points. However, they'll also need other results to go their way—specifically, RCB, PBKS, and LSG must not win more than two games each.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Last year’s runners-up, SRH, now rely on mathematical chances after a crucial defeat to GT. They can still reach 14 points if they win their final four matches. However, with at least four other teams easily capable of going beyond 14 with just one more win, SRH’s hopes are slim and hinge heavily on a dramatic turn of events.
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