The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season is heating up, with the teams fighting hard to reach the Playoffs. As the tournament is inching toward the Playoffs qualification, former cricketing greats Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Pollock have shared their predictions for the top two teams in the Points Table.
Adam Gilchrist’s picks
Adam Gilchrist expressed his confidence in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians to end up at the first and second positions in the IPL 2025 standings. During a discussion on Cricbuzz, Gilchrist highlighted RCB’s strong campaign and appreciated Virat Kohli’s ability to anchor innings. He also praised the current bowling form of Josh Hazelwood.
“RCB and Mumbai are in 1st and 2nd positions, aren’t they? I think the way Virat is controlling innings, coupled with the skill of Hazelwood at the moment, is sublime,” Gilchrist said.
“So I think there’s plenty of talent around them. But I’m saying the two that are there will be 1 and 2,” he added.
Shaun Pollock’s picks
Shaun Pollock’s top two are similar to that of Gilchrist’s. However, he expects Mumbai Indians to top the table and RCB to take second place. Pollock showed his confidence in Mumbai Indians who have bounced back and registered their five-match winning streak. He is optimistic about MI cementing their position at the top.
“I can’t see Mumbai faltering. I think they’re going to win at least three or so of their next games. I actually think Mumbai are going to finish on top,” Pollock said.
“At the moment, Mumbai looks like the most dangerous side, the most in-form team with the most players performing consistently,” he added.
Backing RCB for the second place, he said, “Looking at their remaining fixtures, I don’t see them losing more than one, maybe they win two or even three of their last four.”
RCB’s way to the Playoffs
Currently, Royal Challengers Bengaluru are placed at the top of the table. They have won 7 out of the 10 matches played and have an NRR of +0.521. They are the only team to bag 14 points, so far. Winning just two of their remaining four matches will guarantee RCB a top-four spot. However, they will want to finish in the top two in order to get an extra chance to reach the final.
MI’s way to the Playoffs
Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, sit in second place with six wins from ten matches. They have 12 points and an impressive NRR of +0.889. If they win at least two matches from the remaining four, they will have a significant chance to make it to the top four.
