The IPL returns with a bang!
Rajasthan Royals v Punjab Kings | IPL 2025 Game 59 | Sunday 18 May | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur | 12pm
The Rajasthan Royals are second from bottom on the table and unable to qualify for the playoffs.
The Punjab Kings are currently sitting in third place with just one loss from their last five games.
The Royals have won three of the last five meetings between the two sides including their meeting earlier this season which saw Jofra Archer return figures of three for 25 in a 50-run win – one of just three wins for the Royals all season.
The RR have added a couple of South Africans to their squad with both Nandre Burger and Lhuan-dre Pretorius signing just days before the tournament’s suspension.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been in great form for the Royals all season. While the team has struggled, he has been a fountain of runs at the top of the order with 473 runs thus far at an average of 43.00.
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
The Sawai Mansingh Stadium is the Royals primary home ground and Sunday’s game against the Punjab Kings will be their fifth at the venue in IPL 2025. Last season they won four of their five games at the ground, but they have won just once here this season.
Traditionally the Sawai Mansingh Stadium has favoured teams that chase. But despite that RR have an excellent record defending totals here, managing to win 50 percent of the 26 games where they have batted first.
The highest score in IPL at the venue is 217 for two made by the Mumbai Indian in the last game at the venue.
Weather:
Sunday’s early game will be played in oppressive heat in Jaipur with the temperature set to be more than 40 degrees. It is going to be baking. Humidity won’t be too bad and there is no hint of rain, but it comes as no surprise that the forecast for Sunday comes with an excessive heat warning.
Form (most recent game first):
Rajasthan Royals: L, L, W, L, L.
Punjab Kings: W, W, NR, L, W.
Key player:
Rajasthan Royals, Lhuan-dre Pretorius: Pretorius shone for Paarl Royals during the SA20 where he ended as the tournament’s leading run scorer. He was signed by the Royals just days before the leagues suspension and has yet to play for them. But expect him to get a run at the top of the RR order on Sunday where he could be drafted in alongside the in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal. It would mean switching out 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, but despite scoring quickly the young teen has struggled for big runs aside from his blistering century. Pretorius wasn’t signed to sit on the bench, expect him to play and to try and dominate.
Punjab Kings, Shreyas Iyer: The PBKS skipper has been in great touch all tournament and is averaging 50.62 per knock at a strike-rate of 180.80. He looks like a man at the top of his game, unafraid to play his shots because of the knowledge that he’s surrounded by plenty of quality.
Verdict: Punjab Kings
The kings are looking very good, and a win on Sunday will all but guarantee their place in the top four. Despite their struggles this season the Royals have had some good moments, but it is hard to see them taking PBKS down, the men from Mohali are organized, confident and playing as a very solid unit.
Delhi Capitals v Gujarat Titans | IPL 2025 Game 60 | Sunday 18 May | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | 4pm
Gujarat Titans won the encounter between these two sides when they met earlier in the season. That game saw the Titans time their chase to perfection as they chased down a score of 203 for 8 to win by seven wickets with Jos Buttler leading the way with an undefeated 97 runs.
Before the Titan’s win in April the previous three games between the sides were won by the Capitals.
With 13 points from 11 games the Delhi Capitals are not out of the running for a place in the top four, but they certainly have their work cut out for them with each of their final three fixtures against teams ahead of them in the table. While they could easily end with 19 points and a place in the play-offs, they could just as easily end with the 13 points they have already. The Capitals follow up the Titans game with fixtures against Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings. While their fate is still in their own hands, each game for them from here on in is like a cup final.
The Capitals will be hoping that the recent pause in league action has acted as a reset. Ahead of the break they were in poor form and had only won once in their last five games – although one of those games was abandoned due to rain. They have lost momentum after an excellent start that saw them win five of their first six encounters.
The Gujarat Titans were top of the table when the break happened. They have been sensational this season and it’s no surprise that their players are dominant on all the key tournament stats. Three of the top five highest scoring batsmen (Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler) are from GT while Prasidh Krishna tops the list of wicket-takers.
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Formerly known as Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium this is the primary home of the Delhi Capitals and Sunday will be their fifth game at the venue this season after their first two home games were played at ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
Last season the venue was a fortress for the Capitals as they only lost one game in five there. They lost their first outing in Delhi this year however as Mumbai Indians snuck home. But they won their second game here against the Rajasthan Royals – triumphing via a super over. They were then comfortably beaten by RCB and KKR, meaning they have yet to win at home inside 20 overs this season.
The stadium slightly favours the chasing teams, but the advantage is marginal with 45 wins for the team batting first and 46 for the team batting second. There has also been a tie and a no result at the venue.
The highest individual score made at the ground came back in 2012 when the home side were the Delhi Daredevils – West Indian legend Chris Gayle smashed a fantastic, undefeated 128 for RCB.
The highest team score made here was 266/7 by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2024.
Weather:
Sunday in Delhi is not going to be easy with the mercury peaking at 42 degrees. That’s uncomfortably hot especially with humidity at over 30 percent. Although this is the late starting game, the temperature is still set to be above 30 at midnight, so respite will be minimal. There’s no rain predicted, and the wind will be negligible.
Form (most recent game first):
Delhi Capitals: NR, L, L, W, L.
Gujarat Titans: W, W, L, W, W.
Key player:
Delhi Capitals, Faf du Plessis: An IPL veteran and a man for the big occasion. Faf was injured for a large part of the season, but he back and a good bet to come good at the top of the Capitals’ order. Never one to shirk a challenge, Faf likes to lead, and this is an opportunity to do so. When you are up against the league leaders in a game you cannot afford to lose, Faf is the man you want in your corner!
Gujarat Titans, Jos Buttler: This really is a chance to take your pick between any one of the Titans top three – Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler are in in great form and currently occupy three of the top five spaces in the Orange Cap rankings. In the first encounter between these sides in April Buttler made an undefeated 97 and his lowest score in the last five innings is 30. He is in cracking form and there is no reason to expect that to change on Sunday.
Verdict: Gujarat Titans
Delhi’s recent form has been poor and their home record this season leaves a lot to be desired. They have yet to win at home inside 20 overs. But as much as Delhi have dipped, the Titans continue to build and grow. They are a side in form and looking excellent bets to finish top of the table.
Lucknow Super Giants vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | IPL 2025 Game 61 | Monday 19 May | Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow | 4pm
LSG were the winners when they faced SRH earlier this season – they ran out victors by five wickets.
LSG have won four of the last five games between these two sides.
SRH have no chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of the competition. They come into the game in eighth place on the table with three wins from 11 games.
While theoretically LSG could qualify for the play-offs, realistically that boat has sailed. They are currently in seventh place on the table with 10 points from 11 games.
LSG started the season like a house on fire and for a long time they were the team to beat as Nicholas Pooran dominated opposition attacks. But with three losses from their last three games, and four defeats in the last five, LSG have now lost form and momentum entirely.
Both sides come into the game in poor form, each boasting just a single win from their last five games.
Venue: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
No batsman has ever reached three figures at the ground in IPL. The highest IPL score at the Ekana Cricket Stadium was 89* made by Marcus Stoinis against the Mumbai Indians.
There is no real advantage at the ground between batting first or second with results shared almost evenly between sides setting (eight wins) and sides chasing (ten wins).
The Ekana Cricket Stadium pitch has been very good this season. In previous years it was very bowler friendly but 2025 has seen it dishing up a series of very fair contests between bat and ball.
The par score batting first at Ekana is 169 runs.
Weather:
It’s not ideal weather for cricket in Lucknow on Monday – it is going to be sweltering. A maximum temperature of 39 degrees and humidity at close to 50 percent, this is going to be a sticky day. Naturally the temperature dips slightly after sunset but it will still be in the low 30s for the game. It’s no wonder that the forecast comes with an Excessive Heat warning.
Form (most recent game first):
Lucknow Super Giants: L, L, L, W, L.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: NR, L, W, L, L.
Key player:
Lucknow Super Giants, Ayush Badoni: For almost every LSG game this seaso2n we’ve tipped one of their top three batters to shine – Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran or Mitch Marsh. But they have started to falter and LSG are no longer as unbeatable as they once were. Their failures have seen the responsibility of run making shift down the order and Ayush Badoni has stepped up well with several key innings. He has made useful contribution in each of his last five innings with knocks of 74, 35, 36, 50 and 22. Back him to make runs again. He may not top score, but he will contribute.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pat Cummins: T20 is usually the domain of the batsmen but last time out SRH skipper Pat Cummins was in fearsome form. Rain saw the game end as a no result, but not before Cummins ripped the heart out of the Capitals top order with an opening spell that saw him claim three for 19 in four overs. His efforts at the start of the innings saw DC restricted to 133 in their 20 overs, a total that would surely have been chased down had it not been for the weather. Cummins has been in good form of late with nine wickets from his last five outings.
Verdict: Lucknow Super Giants
This is a tough one to call as both sides have been struggling badly in recent games. Is it better to have had form and lost it or to never have had form at all? Both sides have some fantastic players, and the result will depend entirely on who comes good on the day. But we give it to LSG based on their good early form and their home ground advantage.
