IPL 2025: Ranking Teams based on final squads

5. Lucknow Super Giants - 7.5/10

Lucknow Super Giants had a stunning auction if only the batting unit is considered. Getting Rishabh Pant, David Miller, Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram in a single auction is a terrific business, especially when the franchise already had Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni in the mix. They have arguably got everyone they asked for but as they spent heavily in the batting department, the bowling unit looks slightly underprepared.

They retained Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan which was a great call and signed Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, M Siddharth, Shahbaz Ahmed and Shamar Joseph among others. It looks like a good core but they needed an overseas fast bowler to complete the pack, which is missing. Someone like Josh Hazlewood, Kagiso Rabada and Gerald Coetzee could have been an excellent add but they missed that trick.

Overall, Lucknow should be happy with what they have got. In the 2024 edition, the franchise co-owner was unhappy with the intent of the batters and that is one area that they have covered very well. LSG have got the squad that can challenge for the title but they need the support of the bowlers.

4. Delhi Capitals - 8/10

Delhi Capitals have built a very strong unit. They used the RTM card to get back Jake Fraser-McGurk in the auction and bought KL Rahul for INR 14 crore. The duo is very likely to open the innings, with Harry Brook at number three, Tristan Stubbs at four and Abishek Porel at number five. This looks like a very strong unit and the has good backups in Faf du Plessis and Sameer Rizvi.

Ashutosh Sharma was excellent for Punjab Kings in the last edition, and he will have the role of the finisher alongside Axar Patel. Their bowling unit meanwhile looks extremely strong. The duo of Mitchell Starc and T Natarajan can wreak havoc and Kuldeep Yadav will take care of the spin department. Mukesh Kumar or Mohit Sharma will be their number XI, which makes it a deadly bowling unit.

They however lack a bit of experience in the middle. It won’t be surprising if Faf du Plessis is preferred ahead of Harry Brook, who doesn’t have a very good record in the IPL. In that case, Faf can open with Jake and Rahul can play at number three. This is one area that the management needs to fix. How the backroom staff works will play a big part in how the franchise plays next season.

3. Punjab Kings - 8.5/10

Punjab have arguably built the strongest squad in their history. They have signed the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen and Yuzvendra Chahal and got back Arshdeep Singh and Harpreet Brar as well. They have been smart in buying the players and the squad looks good enough to challenge for the title. However, they lack a quality Indian keeper, which is slightly concerning.

PBKS may open with Prabhsimran Singh and Australia international Josh Inglis. Shreyas Iyer is likely to bat at three, followed by Maxwell, Nehal Wadhera and Stoinis at number four, five and six. The middle order looks power-packed and at number seven, they have Shashank Singh, who proved to be their most important player in the last edition of the IPL. 

As long as they sort out the opening combination, the batting unit can scare any opponent. The bowling unit seems even better on paper. Marco Jansen was an excellent buy and he can prove to be a big difference with both bat and bowl. Harpreet Brar and Chahal will be taking care of the spin department while Arshdeep Singh will be the new-ball bowler and can also deliver in the death. Overall, Punjab look sorted on paper.

2. Mumbai Indians - 9/10

Mumbai Indians retained Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma and Tilak Varma ahead of the mega-auction. It was brilliant from the team management to retain all five cricketers, especially after a season-long episode regarding the captaincy change from Rohit to Hardik. Notably, they had a great core and on top of that, the five-time champions have added Trent Boult, Naman Dhir, Deepak Chahar and Allah Ghazanfar among others.

They have covered all the bases this time around and can challenge for the title. The trio of Bumrah, Boult and Chahar looks deadly and young Ghazanfar is a surprise package that has all the ability to shine bright in a team that features legends of the game. They have got good backups as well in Mitchell Santner, Reece Topley, and Karn Sharma among others.

Their only concern will be the keeping department. Ryan Rickelton may open with Rohit Sharma but the South Africa international doesn’t have enough experience of playing in the IPL. In case he flops, Suryakumar may end up opening and Robin Minz will fit in the playing XI. However, he too lacks experience.

1. Sunrisers Hyderabad - 9.5/10

Sunrisers Hyderabad have got the best squad at the moment. They retained Heinrich Klaasen, Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Nitish Reddy and on top of that, the 2016 champions signed Ishan Kishan for INR 11.25 crore, Mohammed Shami for INR 10 crore, Harshal Patel for INR 8 crore, Rahul Chahar for INR 3.2 crore and Adam Zampa for INR 2.4 crore, making it a star-studded team.

They have covered all the bases. The Cummins-led side built a new bowling attack that features the captain himself, Shami, Harshal, Chahar, Jaydev Unadkat and Simarjeet Singh among others. In the batting department, they have added Atharva Taide, who can replace Abhishek Sharma if required and Abhinav Manohar can also be an excellent fit or can be used as an Impact Sub if required.

Hyderabad qualified for the final in the IPL 2024 and this time around, they can go the distance and lift the trophy for the second time. Be it playing XI or backups, they have got everything sorted. However, they will only hope that the players remain injury-free.