The Mumbai Indians are currently the form team of the IPL with three successive wins to their credit. They are traditionally slow starters, but they have stepped up their performance in the last few outings – notably since the return to fitness of Jasprit Bumrah.
Sunrisers Hyderabad v Mumbai Indians | IPL 2025 Game 41 | Wednesday 23 April | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad | 4pm
The Mumbai Indians have won four of the last five games between these two sides, including a four-wicket win less than a week ago when they met in Mumbai.
Mumbai batsman Suryakumar Yadav is in excellent form. He is currently the fourth-highest scorer of the season with 333 runs at an average of 55.50.
SRH have battled for form this season with only two wins to their credit. Their swagger of previous seasons has gone, and while they are still capable of scoring big runs, they just lack the fear factor and intimidation of old. Batsmen like Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen are all averaging in the mid-30s, but collectively they are not firing.
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
The SRH have a good record at home, having won 37 of the 61 matches they have played there – that’s a win rate of 60.65%. In the 2024 season, they were beaten just once at home. Thus far in 2025, they have won two and lost two at home.
The previous high IPL score at the venue was set last season, with SRH posting a huge 277 for four in their game against the Mumbai Indians. They surpassed that in their season opener against RR when they blasted 286 for six, the second-highest ever score in IPL history. But they haven’t played as well since then.
The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium is famous for its batsman-friendly nature – two of the three highest ever IPL scores were made there, and four of the top 20.
Last game at this venue saw a total of 492 runs scored for the loss of just eight wickets as SRH grabbed a rare win over the Punjab Kings.
In eight innings at the venue this season, there have been four scores of higher than 240; there is no reason to expect low scores on Wednesday.
Weather:
Tuesday’s weather in Hyderabad comes with an excessive heat warning from the weather bureau. The day’s high will be around 37 degrees, and while it will be a little cooler come the start of this game, it will still be well into the 30s. Humidity will be uncomfortably 40%, and there will be a light breeze. There is no chance of rain.
Form (most recent game first):
Sunrisers Hyderabad: L, W, L, L, L.
Mumbai Indians: W, W, W, L, L.
Key player:
Sunrisers Hyderabad, Abhishek Sharma: After a slow start to the season Abhishek can suddenly do no wrong. While it was expected that Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen would be the men dominating attacks, it has been Abhishek who has found form and banged 181 runs in his last two knocks. His 141 against Punjab Kings in the last game at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium is the highest score of the tournament thus far. Abhishek is a good bet to top score once again for SRH.
Mumbai Indians, Rohit Sharma: It has been a slow start to IPL 2025 for Sharma, but he has been getting better with each passing outing and on Sunday, he hit a match-winning 76 not out against CSK. The opening partnership has been a troubled area of MI this season, but with Sharma now firing, it will take some pressure off Ryan Rickelton and hopefully the rest who follow. On a pitch that’s set to be batsman-friendly, expect Sharma to shine again at the top of the order.
Verdict: Mumbai Indians
SRH are at home, and they do have a plethora of batsmen who can dominate bowling attacks, but it is Mumbai who are the form side and who are playing with confidence. Rohit Sharma said it after the weekend win over CSK when he pointed out that both the team and the players were coming into form at the right time. With Jasprit Bumrah getting better each game and Rohit now in form, MI will be hard to stop.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Rajasthan Royals | IPL 2025 Game 42 | Thursday 24 April | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 4pm
RCB have struggled for consistency this season, with almost every win followed by a defeat. Despite that, they have ten points to their credit and are tied for second place on the table. A win on Thursday could see them go top.
The Rajasthan Royals are the most out-of-form side in the IPL at the moment, with four defeats from their last four starts. They have won just twice all season and are level with CSK and SRH at the bottom of the table.
RCB have won three of the last five encounters between these two sides, including the most important fixture – the game earlier in the tournament, which RCB won by a comfortable nine wickets.
Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
RCB don’t have the best record at their home ground. Of the 94 games played there, they have won 43 and lost 46. There have also been four no results and a tie.
The venue used to be regarded as one of the higher-scoring grounds in IPL, with short straight boundaries of around 65m. The highest score at the venue was a massive 287 for three posted in 2024 by SRH.
However, recent trends suggest otherwise with RCB’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar commenting: “The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is known for being batting-friendly, but this pitch is not what it used to be…” Indeed, the last game at the ground (at the start of the Easter weekend) saw RCB score just 95 for nine in a 14-over game.
RCB have lost their last two home games.
Typically, this is a venue that favours sides batting second as the track tends to ease up. Chasing teams have won 52.61% of IPL matches played there. It’s 51 wins versus 41 between chasing and setting.
Not surprisingly, Indian icon Virat Kohli has scored the most runs at the venue with a massive 3062 runs from 87 innings. But he doesn’t boast the venue’s highest score – that belongs to Chris Gayle, who smashed an incredible 175* against Pune Warriors in 2013.
Given how much the pitch has been easing up in the second innings, expect whoever wins the toss on Thursday to bowl first.
Weather:
India has been scorching hot these past few weeks, so it will be a relief on Thursday when the temperature only hits a maximum of 34 degrees in Bengaluru. That’s still warm, of course, but it is a long way off 40, and by the time the game starts, it will have cooled considerably. Humidity is at 44%, and there will be a light breeze. There is no chance of rain.
Form (most recent game first):
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: W, L, W, L, W.
Rajasthan Royals: L, L, L, L, W.
Key player:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Virat Kohli: Averaging 64.40 in IPL 2025, Kohli is a man in form. He is also one of the best at what he does in terms of building innings and timing chases. Kohli is playing like a man in control, and he heads into Thursday’s game with three fifty-plus scores from his last five innings. Of those scores, two have been undefeated, suggesting that once he gets in, he doesn’t get out. Kohli has managed 322 runs this season and is averaging 64.40
Rajasthan Royals, Yashasvi Jaiswal: We have tipped him to top score for the Royals in the last handful of games, and he has not disappointed. It sometimes feels like he is playing a lone hand as he almost single-handedly keeps the Royals fighting. He has failed once in the last five knocks, when he scored six; aside from that failure, he has managed scores of 74, 51, 75 and 67. It is good going from the Indian opener, and no wonder that he has raced up the list of leading scorers. He is now the tournament’s eighth highest scorer with 37 runs at an average of 38.37.
Verdict: Royal Challengers Bengaluru
They may have lost their last two outings at the venue, but expect them to bounce back on Thursday. The Royals are struggling and just don’t seem to have the depth needed this season. With a place at the top of the table beckoning, it is hard to see RCB missing out here.
