Before the IPL season began, I made four playoff predictions: Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians.
How did I fare? Well, two out of four. And of these, one miss turned into one of the biggest surprises of the season.
Let’s start with Mumbai. On paper, they looked immensely strong. There was batting depth, international quality, experience, match-winners … everything you’d expect from a playoff-calibre side. Yet, throughout the season, MI never looked settled. Their campaign lacked rhythm, consistency and urgency. Instead of mounting a serious challenge for the top four, they drifted through the season and finished miles away from the playoff conversation. Considering the talent in that squad, it has to go down as one of the more disappointing campaigns of the year.
Punjab, meanwhile, looked like they would fully justify my prediction for a long time. They started brilliantly, spent much of the season inside the top four and played aggressive, confident cricket. But somewhere along the way, things unravelled dramatically.
Six consecutive defeats destroyed their momentum. Their bowling attack began leaking runs at alarming rates. Their fielding standards dipped badly — they dropped more catches than any other side — and suddenly a team that looked fearless began looking fragile. There was also an over-reliance on a handful of players, and once those individuals stopped delivering consistently, the cracks widened quickly. In the end, PBKS only have themselves to blame for missing out.
RCB, however, were exactly what I expected them to be.
The defending champions played like a mature, balanced unit throughout the season. Winning nine of their fourteen league games, they showed consistency, adaptability and composure under pressure. Securing top spot on the table never really felt surprising. This is a side with clarity, experience and belief — all essential ingredients for another deep playoff run.
Then there’s Hyderabad – my wild-card pick before the tournament began.
Very few people backed SRH to reach the playoffs because their bowling attack looked vulnerable at the start of the season. But I believed their batting power could compensate for some of those weaknesses. The big hitters eventually delivered exactly as expected, and while the bowling unit was never the tournament’s best, it consistently did just enough.
More importantly, the return of Pat Cummins transformed the team’s energy and balance. His presence alone elevates SRH. He brings calmness, tactical awareness and belief — qualities that become invaluable in pressure situations. Once Cummins rejoined the squad, Hyderabad immediately looked more dangerous.
The fourth playoff spot, however, went to a team I had not predicted at all: Gujarat Titans.
In fact, before the season, I thought Gujarat might finish around fifth. Instead, they emerged as one of the most professional and efficient sides in the competition. Their top three batters were consistently productive, their bowling attack delivered under pressure, and Shubman Gill impressed as captain. They certainly had off-days, but crucially, they had far more good days than bad ones. That consistency is what separates contenders from pretenders.
Elsewhere, some predictions landed almost perfectly. I had Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings finishing in the bottom three. KKR recovered admirably after losing five consecutive games early in the season, eventually climbing to seventh. CSK briefly threatened a comeback after rising to fifth at one stage, but eventually finished eighth – which is exactly where I had expected them to end up.
Lucknow Super Giants were perhaps the biggest disappointment after Mumbai. I genuinely believed their pace attack could make them dark horses, but poor team selection, out-of-form overseas players and an underwhelming season from captain Rishabh Pant completely derailed their campaign.
As for Delhi Capitals, I never truly rated their playoff chances, and they ultimately failed to mount any serious challenge.
