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The league stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 concluded with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) taking on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 70th match of the season. The game was played on Tuesday, May 27, at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
After being asked to bat first, LSG delivered a dominant performance, posting a formidable total of 227/3 in their 20 overs. Mitchell Marsh contributed a quickfire 67 off 37 balls, while skipper Rishabh Pant finally found form, smashing an unbeaten 118 off 61 deliveries, which included 11 fours and eight sixes.
Chasing 228, Virat Kohli set the tone for RCB with a fluent 54 off 30 balls, laced with 10 boundaries. Later, stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma stole the show with a blistering unbeaten 85 off just 33 deliveries, smashing eight fours and six sixes to guide RCB to a six-wicket victory with eight balls to spare.
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The win propelled RCB to second place on the points table with 19 points from 14 matches. They will now take on table-toppers Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 1 on Thursday, May 29, in Mullanpur, Chandigarh. PBKS also finished with 19 points but edged ahead due to a superior net run rate.
Meanwhile, the Eliminator will feature Gujarat Titans (GT) and Mumbai Indians (MI), who finished third and fourth respectively. That clash is scheduled for Friday, May 30, also in Mullanpur, Chandigarh.
As the IPL 2025 league stage draws to a close, in this article, we take a look at the top five teams with the most top-two finishes since the introduction of the playoff format in the 2011 season.
Top 5 teams with most finishes in the top two of the IPL
#5 Delhi Capitals (3 times)
Delhi Capitals (DC) have finished in the top two on the points table three times in IPL history. Their first top-two finish came in the 2012 season when they topped the table with 22 points from 16 games. However, they were unable to reach the final after losing to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2, respectively.
Their other two top-two finishes occurred in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. In 2020, Delhi Capitals advanced to their first-ever IPL final but fell short of winning the title, losing to Mumbai Indians (MI). The following year, in 2021, they once again finished in the top two but were knocked out after losing to Kolkata Knight Riders in Qualifier 2.
#4 Royal Challengers Bengaluru (3 times)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) first secured a top-two finish in the 2011 season, leading the points table with 19 points from 14 matches. However, they missed out on the title after a 58-run loss to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final.
Their second top-two finish came in 2016 under the captaincy of Virat Kohli, when they once again reached the final but were defeated by SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). In the current 2025 season, RCB have achieved their third top-two finish since the playoffs began in 2011 and will be looking to win their first-ever IPL championship.
#3 Kolkata Knight Riders (3 times)
Under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured their first top-two finish in 2012 and went on to claim their maiden IPL title by defeating the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Two years later, in 2014, KKR again finished in the top two and reached the final, where they defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by three wickets to clinch their second championship.
Their most recent top-two finish came in the 2024 season under captain Shreyas Iyer. After winning Qualifier 1 against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), KKR faced them again in the final and convincingly secured their third IPL title with an eight-wicket victory.
#2 Mumbai Indians (5 times)
Mumbai Indians (MI) have secured a top-two finish five times in the IPL since the introduction of the playoffs format in 2011 — in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. Remarkably, they went on to win the title on each of these occasions.
All five championships came under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. Mumbai defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the finals of 2013, 2015, and 2019, while they overcame Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in 2017 and Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2020.
#1 Chennai Super Kings (7 times)
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) hold the record for the most top-two finishes in IPL history, achieving the feat seven times — in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2023. Impressively, they reached the final in each of these seasons, though they managed to clinch the title on only four occasions.
CSK defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 2011 final, overcame SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2018, beat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2021, and triumphed over Gujarat Titans (GT) in 2023. Overall, they remain one of the most successful teams in IPL history, alongside Mumbai Indians — both franchises having won five titles each.
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