Who will win IPL 2025? Mid-season contenders

More than halfway into the 2025 Indian Premier League, the tournament has been anything but predictable. Traditional heavyweights Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings endured a rocky start, but the latter is showing signs of a comeback as the playoff race heats up.

Teams have generally made the most of home advantage this season, but not Royal Challengers Bengaluru — they’ve lost several times at Chinnaswamy while staying flawless away.

We have looked at bookmakers to see what their odds are saying about the potential 2025 IPL champions. Here they are:

1. Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians began their campaign in familiar fashion — slow off the blocks with four losses in their opening five. However, a run of consecutive victories since then has reignited their campaign.

Rohit Sharma has found his rhythm with back-to-back 70s, Trent Boult is delivering at the death, and Jasprit Bumrah, back after missing the first four matches, is already back to his best.

The Indians are still trailing at this point, but their mid-season resurgence has made cricket betting sites believe that they have the best prospects of winning the title this season. As the race to the playoffs gets more intense, Hardik Pandya and company find themselves with the most favourable odds to lift the trophy at Eden Gardens on May 25.

Pandya said he always believed his team would start dominating once everyone clicked together. As the key players of the squad have started performing, we can expect another title charge from the five-time champions.

2. Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Virat Kohli has been on the hunt for the Orange Cap once again, and this time, his form looks identical to RCB’s 2016 campaign, when they reached the final. Age seems just a number for the 36-year-old. Kohli has adapted his approach masterfully, attacking when required and anchoring the innings when the situation demands.

With Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, and Tim David stepping up as reliable support acts, and the bowlers holding their nerve in key moments, RCB have carved out an impressive away record.

There have been struggles at home, however. They lost their first three home matches and set an unwanted IPL record. Josh Hazlewood's superb 4/33 gave RCB a hard-fought 11-run win over Rajasthan Royals — their first home win in four attempts. While they've struggled at the Chinnaswamy, their solid away form is keeping their IPL title winning odds strong.

3. Gujarat Titans

Rashid Khan hasn’t quite been at his best, but that hasn’t stopped Gujarat Titans from putting together one of the most balanced bowling units this season.

Prasidh Krishna has returned from a long injury break in sensational form, while R Sai Kishore has been equally impressive with the ball. Mohammed Siraj, meanwhile, has been a menace in the powerplay, combining pace with late swing. All three have already hit double figures in the wickets column this season.

The batting line-up is just as stable. Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan might not come out swinging, but they know exactly how to pace an innings, and it’s paying off. They are one of the top-scoring partnerships in the league this season.

Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, and Jos Buttler have each faced more than 80 balls combined in seven of Gujarat Titans’ first eight matches. Their strong starts have taken the pressure off a middle order that might look a bit undercooked but has still delivered, like when Rahul Tewatia sealed the win in the final over against Delhi Capitals.

Overall, the Titans look incredibly balanced at the moment. So, they could be a safer pick to bet on going all the way in this year’s IPL.

4. Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals got off to a dream start under new skipper Axar Patel, winning their first four games in IPL 2025. However, their homecoming has been far less fruitful. Of their first three fixtures at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, they’ve lost twice, with their sole win requiring a Super Over.

Form issues for some big names, including KL Rahul and Mitchell Starc, haven’t helped. With the playoff battle heating up, they’ll need to regroup and find their rhythm again. That said, they’re still among the top picks to win it all.

5. Punjab Kings

Punjab Kings have had batting issues this season. Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya bring aggression and flair at the top, but cracks appear further down the order.

Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis have struggled to make meaningful contributions so far, leaving PBKS with one of the weakest middle-order records, both in terms of strike rate and average, among all 10 IPL teams.

Despite these shortcomings, the young blood of Punjab Kings have still kept them in contention for the title.