Four teams among the top contenders for playoff spots will figure in the Sunday double-header in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Interestingly, teams contesting each match have the same number of points.
Mumbai Indians (MI) meet Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the first match of the day at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, while in the second game, Delhi Capitals (DC) take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
MI get into Sunday's clash with four wins in a row behind them and will be hoping to continue to maintain the momentum against Lucknow Super Giants.
Mumbai Indians are currently in fifth place with 10 points from nine matches and aim to strengthen their case for a place in the playoffs with another win. Their opponents, Lucknow Super Giants, also have 10 points from nine matches and are occupying seventh position in the points table due to their inferior net run rate.
Though things are going great for Mumwell for them, their batting coach Kieron Pollard admitted the, re is still scope for improvement in their squad.
We always want things to be better, and that goes for us as well as a human being. So, we just continue to look to improve in all three facets of the game. We're going to continue to improve our fielding, from a catching efficiency perspective. We are right up there, you know, to the top, but you're still not 100%.
Hardik Pandya's team has finally found its mojo after starting their IPL 2025 campaign with back-to-back defeats and suffering losses in two successive matches again. One of those defeats was against LSG at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
Sunday's clash at the Wankhede Stadium presents them with an opportunity for revenge. MI have fought back from a poor start and have jumped into contention with four wins in a row.
Talismanic opener Rohit Sharma is getting back into form with back-to-back half-centuries, while Suryakumar Yadav is their highest run-scorer. Ryan Rickelton, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, and Hardik Pandya have also made vital contributions in their surge up the points table.
Jasprit Bumrah's return to action after a long injury layoff coincides with Mumbai Indians' resurgence. He has got good support from Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, and youngsters Vignesh Puthur and Ashwani Kumar.
Lucknow Super Giants, on the other hand, have an up-and-down season. Revenge will also be on their mind as they had lost the corresponding fixture last year to Lucknow Super Giants.
Batting has carried LSG to this position with Nicholas Pooran (377), Mitchell Marsh (344), and Aiden Markram (328) all in the top 10 in the Orange Cap rankings.
Ayush Badoni has held their middle order together, having scored 217 runs in nine matches with David Miller (118) and Abdul Samad (113) contributing to the cause. On the bowling front, Shardul Thakur has made the most of his chances coming in as an injury substitute and has bagged 12 wickets so far. Digvesh Singh has been a revelation with nine wickets, while Avesh Khan (8) and Ravi Bishnoi (8) have also made vital contributions.
On recent form, Mumbai Indians have an edge having won, four of their last five matches while LSG ,have three wins. However, in the overall reckoning, Lucknow Super Giants have an edge having won, six of the seven matches played between them. MI now have an opportunity to rectify the stats a bit.
Probable playing XIs: Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (capt), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah.
Lucknow Super Giants: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Digvesh Rathi, Avesh Khan
Big test for Delhi Capitals vs RCB
The focus will be on KL Rahul and Virat Kohli when Delhi Capitals take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a crucial match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Both are the top scorers for their teams and will be hoping to continue in the same vein on Sunday.
Delhi Capitals are placed second behind Gujarat Titans on net run rate, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru are placed third with the same points as DC and GT. All three teams have 12 points from six wins, but RCB have played nine matches while the other two have figured in eight games. Both teams have won three of their last five matches and come into the game with a win behind their backs.
Delhi have made a brilliant start as they went four matches unbeaten at the start. They have suffered a few setbacks but have maintained the momentum and are currently tied for the top spot with 12 points. KL Rahul has carried them on his shoulders with a couple of brilliant knocks that came at a crucial juncture.
He has moved up and down the batting order and scored 323 runs from seven matches with an unbeaten 93 as his highest. Abhishek Porel has contributed 225 runs while Tristian Stubbs has held the middle-order and has scored 183 runs so far.
Kuldeep Yadav has led their bowling efforts with 12 wickets, while Mitchell Starc has claimed 11 wickets from eight matches. Mukesh Kumar and Vipraj Nigam have made vital contributions.
Virat Kohli needs eight runs to complete 400 runs at a strike rate of 144.11. He has played a tactical game and instead of going hammer and tongs from the start has paced his innings and has scored five half-centuries so far. Phil Salt is a distant second with 239 runs, while Devdutt Padikkar and skipper Rajat Patidar have also done well in some matches.ks
It is clear that RCB's batting has revolved around Kohli, and the 36-year-old will be hoping to do well again at his original home ground.
On the bowling front, pacer Josh Hazlewood has done well in the last couple of matches, while Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma have troubled the opposition batters with their spin bowling, and the Delhi batters will have to be careful against them, even though the pitch is not expected to provide them much assistance.
The two teams have met on 32 occasions, with RCB dominating the head-to-head series with 19 wins while Delhi Capitals have won 12 games.
Probable playing XIs: Delhi Capitals: Abishek Porel, Faf du Plessis, Karun Nair, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel (capt), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Michell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (capt), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shephard, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal.
