IPL 2025: MI vs DC – Which team has a stronger chance to reach the playoffs?

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 playoff race has come down to just two teams following the Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) elimination after their loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Monday evening. 

With Gujarat Titans (GT), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and Punjab Kings (PBKS) already sealing three of the four playoff spots, the fight for the final berth is between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC). Both are set to lock horns on May 21 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Eliminated Sides

Monday’s result confirmed LSG as the fifth team to be knocked out of the playoff race, joining Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), SRH, Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on the sidelines. With MI and DC now battling for the final spot, and their game on Wednesday could very well decide who goes through.

Current Standings

Currently, MI sit in 4th place with 14 points from 12 games and a positive net run rate (NRR) of 1.156. On the other hand, DC are 5th with 13 points and a NRR of 0.260. This gives the five-time champions a slight advantage in qualification.

Qualification Scenarios

• If Mumbai beats Delhi, they’ll move to 16 points and seal their playoff spot with one match to spare. The Axar Patel-led side will be knocked out since the best they could then manage is 15 points.

• If the Capitals come out victorious, they move to 15 points, and MI remain on 14. The fight then goes down to their respective final games against PBKS:

  1. For DC to qualify, they must beat MI and follow it up with another win over the Shreyas Iyer-led side. That would take them to 17 points, knocking out MI regardless of their result against Punjab.

  2. But if DC beats MI and then loses to PBKS, MI can still make it into the playoffs by beating PBKS and reaching 16 points.

• If MI lose both remaining matches, their campaign ends.