IPL 2025: Delhi Capitals Continue Dominance at the Top of the Leaderboard
Delhi Capitals Announce Themselves as the Team to Beat
After failing to reach the knockout stages of the Indian Premier League since 2021, Delhi Capitals' fans finally have a reason to cheer again, as their side has stormed out of the blocks this season and looks like a team that means business.
During the offseason, Axar Patel’s side made major investments to bolster their squad, splashing out ₹14 crore on India international KL Rahul, ₹11.75 crore on Aussie quick Mitchell Starc, and a combined ₹27.75 crore on the trio of Thangarasu Natarajan, Jake Fraser-Mcgurk and Mukesh Kumar.
As it turns out, their financial decisions have worked a treat, with Rahul seemingly finding his best form in their last match, while Starc is joint-second in the purple cap standings, just one wicket behind Noor Ahmad and Hardik Pandya, both of whom have played a game more.
The Capitals have now racked up three straight wins over the first three weeks of the competition and are currently the only team in the IPL that has yet to taste defeat, while also having a game in hand on the teams below them.
DC’s most recent victory was by far their sweetest, as they overcame five-time champions Chennai Super Kings by 25 runs last Saturday, marking their first victory over CSK at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in 15 years!
The victory in Chennai was led by the performance of KL Rahul, who was promoted to the top of the order in the absence of Faf du Plessis, and the result meant that the Capitals had won three IPL matches in succession for the first time since 2009.
While the likes of the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Punjab Kings have also made impressive starts to their IPL campaigns, Delhi look like the team on a mission - a mission to leave their poor performances in the past and secure their maiden IPL title.
Owing to their sensational start to the season, the Delhi Capitals have surged up the betting boards and are now second-favourite behind RCB to win this year’s tournament, according to the last IPL odds.
What’s Gone Wrong With CSK & MI?
While the Capitals are enjoying an excellent start to the 2025 IPL, two powerhouses of the competition, MI and CSK, are in the doldrums this season, currently in eighth and ninth place in the standings, respectively, after playing five games apiece.
The Super Kings picked up an opening round victory in the IPL’s El-Clasico but have suffered four defeats on the bounce since then, leaving them with a paltry net run rate of -0.889, which is the second-worst in the competition to date.
Mumbai, meanwhile, seemed to have found their form in their third match when they beat the Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets, but they were unable to build on that performance, losing to LSG and RCB, both by 12 runs, in their last two matches.
Notably, both these teams have had very few big contributions from their usually excellent batting orders. Mumbai’s opening pair have averaged just 17.2 this season, while Chennai’s middle order, which features Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Rahul Tripathi, looks well past their prime.
It seems like this year could mark the turning of the tide in the IPL, but can Delhi continue their excellent start to the season? The Capitals will put their unbeaten record on the line on Thursday when they face the Royal Challengers, and you can check out our DC vs. RCB prediction right here on SportyTrader!
