Deepak Chahar of Mumbai Indians celebrates the wicket of Sherfane Rutherford of Gujrat Titans (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
The 2024 IPL was a path-breaking season for the coveted T20 league as it redefined batting norms, witnessing unprecedented domination of bat over ball. There were record totals and chases, all-time high run-rates and sixes galore – such destruction had never been seen in any T20 tournament before in the history of the sport! Many pundits described this as an aberration and a freak season in the IPL. However, from what has unfolded in the first week of IPL 2025, it seems like the carnage will not only continue in this edition but be taken to newer heights.
RG analyses the trends and patterns from the first week of IPL 2025.
Run-Rate at an All-Time High
The combined run-rate in the first 10 matches of IPL 2025 is a staggering 9.91 – the corresponding run-rate after the first 10 matches last season was 9.53. A total of 194 sixes were hit in the first 10 encounters in IPL 2024. That number has been surpassed quite comfortably this season and stands at 204!
200 has been breached six times already in IPL 2025, whereas it was crossed five times after the first 10 matches last season.
Mayhem in the Powerplay
One of the major transformations in IPL 2024 was seen in the approach of batters against the new ball. The old philosophy of conserving wickets in the initial overs and exploding later was thrown in the dustbin as batters unleashed their destructive game from ball 1! The run-rate in the first 6 overs in the first 10 matches in IPL 2024 was 9.34 and there was a strong correlation between teams who maximized the powerplay and success – Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders were the first two teams to start the carnage and it was not a coincidence that they played in the final a couple of months later.
That philosophy of maximizing returns in the powerplay has continued in IPL 2025, and the combined run-rate in this phase is a staggering 10.2! It has crossed 10 for the first time in the history of the IPL.
Left-Handers in Dominant Form
The three leading run-getters so far this season are all left-handers. Five of the top seven are southpaws. Nicholas Pooran is the highest impact batter so far with two stunning performances to start his campaign for Lucknow Super Giants. He hammered a sensational 75 off just 30 deliveries against Delhi Capitals at Visakhapatnam before smashing 70 off just 26 deliveries in a successful 191-run chase against Sunrisers in Hyderabad. The feature of his batting has been the clean striking – Pooran has blasted a total of 13 sixes in his two innings this season!
Chasing Slight Advantage
Chasing has historically been an advantage in the IPL and the trend has continued over the last few seasons of the tournament. This year too, the team batting second has a slight edge in the first 10 matches with a 6-4 head-to-head. Interestingly, the team chasing had won just four of the first 10 matches last season. However, it was 36-35 in favour of the team chasing by the end of the season.
Spinners More Restrictive
Spinners have bagged 54 wickets so far this season at an average of 28.7, strike rate of 18.7 and economy of 9.18. The pacers, on the other hand, have picked 69 wickets at an average of 31.7, strike rate of 18.4 and economy of 10.28.
The Struggle of the Big 3
Still early days, but interesting trends are emerging in season 18 of the IPL. The Big 3 – Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders – who have 13 of the 17 titles between them – have had an indifferent start to the tournament.
MI’s batting has let them down in both matches and the bowling also lacks the firepower without Jasprit Bumrah. CSK have also struggled with the bat and depend heavily on Rachin Ravindra and Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top of the order. Defending champions, KKR, need their middle-order – the likes of Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer and Andre Russell – to fire if they are to compete with the more formidable batting line-ups like SRH, DC and LSG in the tournament. Like CSK, they have won one and lost one encounter.
RCB and DC have looked to be the two best units so far this season and have won both their matches. Both franchises are yet to win the IPL!
Nikhil Narain is a die-hard cricket romantic, published author, and has worked for some of the leading digital websites and broadcasters in India and overseas. An alumnus of the London School of Economics, Nikhil's forte is using data and numbers creatively to weave interesting stories and revolutionize the way cricket statistics are generated and analyzed.
