If you feel a sense of déjà vu approaching this game, you are completely forgiven – they last played each other on Friday in a game that saw the Punjab Kings winning a rain shortened game by five wickets.
Punjab Kings v Royal Challengers Bengaluru | IPL 2025 Game 37 | Sunday 20 April | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur | 12pm
Although the Kings won when these sides played on Friday, the three encounters before that all went the way of the Challengers.
Friday’s win sent PBKS to the summit of the IPL table where they are joint top with Delhi Capitals. But if the result had gone the other way it would have been RCB at the top instead. These are two good sides, and they are both in solid form.
Josh Hazlewood bagged an outstanding three for 14 from his three overs in Friday’s game. That performance took him to the top of the leading wicket-takers chart, where he is now level with Noor Ahmad. He is currently averaging 16.91 per wicket.
PBKS’ Priyansh Arya is one of the kings of scoring quickly. He is currently second on the list of highest strike rates in the tournament with a strike rate of 209 and an average of 33.14.
Venue: Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur
The Punjab Kings have struggled for results in Mullanpur. Last season, they won just one out of their five games there. In 2025, they have managed two wins (their last two games against CSK and KKR) and a loss.
PBKS have lost five of their last seven games in Mullanpur, but they have won the most recent two – this could spell an end to the poor run of form, although it may simply be an indictment of the poor recent form of CSK. Their win over KKR was anything but convincing given that they were dismissed for just 111 before entering the record books for the lowest ever score defended in IPL history.
The highest individual score at the venue, and the only century scored there to date is the 103 runs from 42 balls made by Priyansh Arya last time they played at home. Best bowling figures meanwhile are four for 28 by Yuzvendra Chahal which he returned in the record defence of their 111-run score last time out.
Weather:
Hot and humid with a reasonable breeze and no rain. This early-starting game will be played with temperatures of around 33 degrees.
Form (most recent game first):
Punjab Kings: W, W, L, W, L.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: L, W, L, W, L.
Key player:
Punjab Kings, Glenn Maxwell: The big Show has been in disastrous form recently, and he was dropped for the previous game. It’s not clear if he will be back for Sunday’s game, but if he is, it could be that the enforced break has come as a wake-up. Maxwell’s abilities are well known. He is one of the best power-hitters in the game, but with scores of 7, 3 and 1 in his last three innings, he needs to start contributing more. If he is brought back on Sunday, expect him to deliver a statement.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Josh Hazelwood: In a team whose batting is feared, with players like Virat Kohli, Phil Salt and Rajat Patidar at the top of the order, it is Australian quick Josh Hazelwood who has been the player grabbing the headlines. He is currently the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, and he was in excellent form last time out, claiming the wickets of three of the top four – and make no mistake, these were not lucky scalps caught on the midwicket fence, these were well-beaten batsmen caught behind the wicket. Expect Hazelwood to make another big impact on Sunday.
Verdict: Punjab Kings
Their record at Mullanpur hasn’t been great, but it feels like they have turned a corner. They are also playing some solid cricket. And while they certainly haven’t delivered the perfect team performance yet, they are moving in the right direction. When their batting has failed their bowling has stepped up and vice versa. While RCB have the players to do some serious damage their performance is currently on a downward trajectory as two losses in the last three suggest.
Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings | IPL 2025 Game 38 | Sunday 20 April | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 4pm
CSK may have won their most recent outing, a surprise win over high-flying LSG, but they have been struggling for form all tournament. They come into Sunday’s game with just two wins from seven games and at the bottom of the ten-team table.
The Mumbai Indian meanwhile are notoriously slow starters in the IPL. This has been the case once again in 2025, but they are definitely gaining momentum and they come into the game on the back of two consecutive wins and three wins in the last five.
CSK boast an excellent recent record against MI having won each of the last four games they have played. Indeed, one of their two wins this season was against the MI in their opening encounter.
Despite their struggle for results Noor Ahmad has been a shining light for CSK. He sits jointly atop the list of leading wicket takers with 12 scalps at an average of 14.25.
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Mumbai Indians have a great record at Wankhede Stadium having won 53 out of the 88 games they have played there (60.22%).
Chasing teams have traditionally done slightly better at Wankhede Stadium with the side batting second winning 66 times with the side batting first winning 54 of the 120 games played at the venue. There has also been one tie. However, momentum has swung a little in recent times with the team batting first have won five of the last ten games at the venue.
Weather:
The humidity will be high at around 70 per cent, but there will be a reasonable breeze of around 20kph. No rain is predicted, and the temperature will be in the high twenties.
Form (most recent game first):
Mumbai Indians: W, W, L, L, W.
Chennai Super Kings: W, L, L, L, L.
Key player:
Mumbai Indians, Jasprit Bumrah: It is no coincidence that MI return to form corresponds with Bumrah’s return to fitness. The unconventional Indian quick has yet to get back to his invincible best, but every game back is a step forward. Expect him to be amongst the wickets on Sunday, but know as well that his presence in the side is a huge boost to the whole MI unit. They are a better team when he is in it.
Chennai Super Kings, MS Dhoni: He may be getting old, but he is still the centre of so much that is good for CSK. He was named man-of-the-match last time out after his knock of 26 from 11 balls saw CSK past LSG. He is still lightning behind the stumps and has bagged just under a stumping per game thus far. He is a leader and a motivator, and he has a hunger to win. Expect him to have a big influence on what happens on Sunday.
Verdict: Mumbai Indians
These are two sides both still looking for form. But MI are ahead of CSK in their search, and frankly, they have more to work with. Playing at home they should have too much swagger and confidence for the struggling CSK.
