IPL 2025: Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals And a Tale of Contrasting Fortunes Reinforcing The Art of Peaking at The Right Time

The Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians could not have made more contrasting starts to the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League. After both teams had played their first 5 games, their record read as follows - DC had won 4 games and lost 1, whereas MI had won 1 game and lost 4. 

Yet, on an overcast night in Mumbai on Wednesday (May 21), it was the Mumbai Indians who beat the Delhi Capitals to qualify for the IPL 2025 playoffs. 

ALSO READ | Updated IPL 2025 Points Table After MI vs DC

Who exactly MI will play - or whether they will be a part of Qualifier 1 or the Eliminator - remains unclear. What is clear for all to see, however, is that MI found form at absolutely the right time of the tournament.

Yet DC, who started like a house on fire, could not sustain that momentum and end up with yet another season outside of the playoffs. 

Mumbai - Masters of Timing

It is a well-known and oft-repeated fact that Mumbai Indians are slow starters in the IPL - the last time they won their opening game of the season was back in 2012, meaning they have now gone 13 seasons straight of losing their first game of the season. 

What is also well-known is that MI are also adept at peaking in the business end of the tournament - they did so in 2013 and 2015, years they lifted their first 2 titles and have arguably done so again in 2025. 

Following back-to-back losses to Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants in their 4th and 5th games of the season - with both losses, incidentally, being of the same 12-run margin - a switch seemed to flick inside the DNA of the five-time champions. 

They went on a six-match winning spree thereafter which included some huge victories - a win over rivals Chennai Super Kings by 9 wickets, a thrasing of LSG by 54 runs and an even bigger hammering of the Rajasthan Royals by a 100-run margin! 

Hardik Pandya's men could also count themselves unlucky to have lost to the Gujarat Titans thereafter, as the match was hit by rain interruptions and determined via the DLS method, but bounced back strong against DC to seal their playoffs spot. 

Delhi Left to Rue What Could Have Been

For Delhi, however, this is another season where they are left to pick up the pieces and their wait for a playoff appearance now stretches 4 years - they last made the knockouts in 2021. 

It wasn't supposed to be that way. A 12-run loss to MI - which, incidentally, was the start of their six-win run - was quickly followed by a Super Over win over Rajasthan. 

However, in the next 7 matches they played, DC managed just the sole win - an eight-wicket victory over Lucknow. 

Perhaps the match that showcased that their season was done was the humiliating 10-wicket loss against Gujarat Titans, a demoralising result that took the wind out of their sails. 

But truthfully, their race looked run well before that as they were plagued by inconsistencies in all departments - something that their coaches should take a long hard look at in the off-season. 

Man for man, this is a Delhi side that looked like they could not only make the play-offs but potentially make a run for the title as well. 

However, unlike Mumbai, their peak came too early in the season - and they paid the price for not being able to live up to their own high standards from earlier in the season.