At the halfway point of IPL 2025, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) find themselves tied with five wins each from nine matches. But while their records are identical, their trajectories couldn’t be more different.
Both teams have seen contributions from a range of players, with five different match-winners apiece. For MI, Ashwani Kumar, Karn Sharma, Will Jacks, Rohit Sharma, and Trent Boult have all earned Player-of-the-Match awards. For LSG, the honours have gone to Shardul Thakur, Digvesh Rathi, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, and Avesh Khan.
However, the similarities end there. After a familiar slow start—losing four of their first five matches—MI have found their rhythm, winning four games in a row. Rohit Sharma has hit top form with back-to-back 70s, Boult has been delivering in the death overs, and Jasprit Bumrah, now back after missing the first few games, is firing on all cylinders.
“I’ve always believed that once everything clicks for us, we would dominate,” said MI captain Hardik Pandya after their win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. Buoyed by that momentum, MI head into Sunday’s afternoon clash brimming with confidence.
LSG, in contrast, are stuttering. After recovering from a shaky start with three consecutive wins, they have lost two of their last three games. Their middle order has become a glaring weakness, with Rishabh Pant and David Miller struggling for form. Nicholas Pooran, who began the season brightly, has slumped with scores of 8, 11, and 9 in his last three innings, exposing LSG’s frailties even further.
One advantage for LSG is their dominance over MI historically, leading the head-to-head 6-1. That includes their earlier win this season, when MI’s bold decision to retire out Tilak Varma failed in a chase of 204. However, this time MI will have the home advantage, boasting three wins from four games at Wankhede.
Probable XIs
MI are expected to stick to their winning formula:
Mumbai Indians: 1. Ryan Rickelton (wk), 2. Rohit Sharma, 3. Will Jacks, 4. Suryakumar Yadav, 5. Tilak Varma, 6. Hardik Pandya (capt), 7. Naman Dhir, 8. Mitchell Santner, 9. Deepak Chahar, 10. Trent Boult, 11. Jasprit Bumrah, 12. Vignesh Puthur
LSG’s selection remains a talking point, particularly around Mayank Yadav’s absence in recent games despite Ayush Badoni being used early as the Impact Player.
Lucknow Super Giants: 1. Aiden Markram, 2. Mitchell Marsh, 3. Nicholas Pooran, 4. Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5. Ayush Badoni, 6. David Miller, 7. Abdul Samad, 8. Shardul Thakur, 9. Ravi Bishnoi, 10. Digvesh Rathi, 11. Avesh Khan, 12. Prince Yadav
Players to Watch: Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant
Suryakumar Yadav had plenty of questions hanging over him ahead of the season, after managing just 28 runs in five T20Is against England earlier this year. But in the IPL, he has answered emphatically, scoring at least 25 in each of his nine innings and leading MI’s run charts with 373 runs at a blistering strike rate of 166.51. The only thing missing is one of his signature, jaw-dropping innings.
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant has struggled to make an impact in what is effectively a trial run ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. With just 106 runs across eight innings at a strike rate of 96.36—and five single-digit dismissals—his form has been concerning. His decision to bat at No. 7 against Delhi Capitals after a visibly intense conversation with team mentor Zaheer Khan only added to the growing worries around his game.
As both teams fight for momentum heading into the business end of the season, Sunday’s clash could be decisive in shaping their respective playoff journeys.