The IPL playoffs are coming, and the battle for the top two spots has intensified after the Gujarat Titans' defeat against the Lucknow Super Giants on Thursday. Royal Challengers Bengaluru are facing Sunrisers Hyderabad, and a win will strengthen their case for the first two spots in the points table.
Mitch Marsh's Ton
Mitchell Marsh hit the first ton of the IPL 2025 by an overseas player while batting for Lucknow Super Giants on Thursday against Gujarat Titans. This was his first IPL hundred. His brother Shaun Marsh had hit an IPL ton way back in 2008, and now they are the only brother duo to have IPL tons.
LSG won the match by 33 runs in Ahmedabad and will try to finish better on the points table with another win in their last group-stage fixture. They are already out of the race for the playoffs.
Southern Derby In Lucknow
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are facing Sunrisers Hyderabad in match 65 of the IPL 2025, at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. The Southern Derby was shifted to Lucknow after a request from RCB. The venue for the match was shifted from Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, to Lucknow as a result of a rain threat. RCB have an opportunity to finish in the top two of the points table.
Race For Orange Cap Intensifies
The race for the orange cap (most runs) has intensified. Sai Sudharsan has the cap after making 638 runs, while his GT captain, Shubman Gill, is just two runs behind with 636 runs. Suryakumar Yadav of MI has also played 13 matches like them but has made 583 runs.
RCB's Virat Kohli has 505 runs after his last match was abandoned due to rain. He has two innings left and can overtake Sudharsan in the race for the Orange cap.
Points Table
Four teams have been decided for the playoffs, namely Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings. The other six teams have been eliminated from the race for the playoffs, but they will decide which team will finish in the first two spots and will eventually play the first qualifier.
After GT's defeat against LSG, RCB have a golden opportunity to seal the first two spot with a win against SRH in Lucknow. Punjab Kings will also have to win their next two matches to overtake GT in the points table.
