What if we judged IPL teams not just by wins or Net run rate... but by their DNA? Over two full seasons of IPL (2024 & 2025), I analysed every ball - and profiled each team based on both batting and bowling performance.
Using k-means cluster analysis in 2024 and 2024 data, we classified teams into:
The result? A performance fingerprint for every team - and a clear view of who evolved and who stayed stuck.
We also derived the Batting Impact Score and Bowling Impact Score which showed us the shift from 2024 to 2025 and the winning formula!
The Batting Impact Score blends run rate and batting average to uncover the true offensive strength of IPL teams. It rewards not just aggression, but consistency showing which teams could score fast and sustain innings. From GT's meteoric rise to KKR's shocking collapse, this metric reveals the hidden patterns behind scoreboard fireworks.
The Bowling Impact Score distils the art of bowling into a powerful triad: dot ball percentage, economy rate, and strike rate. It shows which bowling units truly controlled the game, not just collected wickets. In 2025, RCB's bowling unit surged to elite status, while LSG's collapse turned them into a liability - all captured in a single, insightful score.
RCB's title win? Not a fluke - it was a shift.
MI? Quietly became the most complete team.
LSG, SRH, DC? Entertaining maybe, but strategically stagnant.
This is not post-match analysis. This is a team transformation tracker.
There's something incredibly powerful - even beautiful - about combining advanced analytics, AI tools, and human intuition. In a game as unpredictable as cricket, data doesn't lie. When analysed thoughtfully, it unveils stories beyond what the scoreboard shows.
The Batting and Bowling Impact Indices for IPL 2024 and 2025 are a testament to this. They reveal not just who scored more or bowled better - but how teams evolved, faltered, and found new identities. It's the kind of insight that only emerges when numbers are questioned, explored and innovative formulas are derived.
Metrics used for clustering
Batting: Run rate, Batting average
Bowling: Economy rate, Runs conceded per wicket, Strike rate, Dot balls
All values were standardized and analysed using KMeans clustering into 3 distinctive groups.
| Cluster | Cluster Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Elite All-Rounders | High scoring + tight bowling | Champions-in-the-making |
| Explosive Batting, Fragile Bowling | Run-heavy, leak runs too | Great for highlights, not trophies |
| Low Efficiency Teams | Below average in both bat and ball | Inconsistent and risky |
| Team | 2024 Style | 2025 Style | Key Observations |
|---|---|---|---|
| RCB | Low Efficiency Teams | Elite All-Rounders | Biggest leap: improved dot %, strike rate & stability - deserved champs |
| MI | Explosive Batting, Fragile Bowling | Elite All-Rounders | Batting remained sharp; bowling became lethal - the most complete side |
| GT | Low Efficiency Teams | Low Efficiency Teams | Slight bowling improvement, but no breakthrough in performance |
| LSG | Low Efficiency Teams | Low Efficiency Teams | Explosive batters but couldn't fix leaky bowling - stuck in a loop |
| PBKS | Explosive Batting, Fragile Bowling | Explosive Batting, Fragile Bowling | Consistent high run rate but weak containment - flat-curve team |
| KKR | Elite All-Rounders | Explosive Batting, Fragile Bowling | Lost some edge in 2025 - still strong, but more vulnerable |
| RR | Explosive Batting, Fragile Bowling | Low Efficiency Teams | Lost sharpness both in bat and ball - dipped in all dimensions |
| CSK | Low Efficiency Teams | Low Efficiency Teams | Slight dip in both years - lacked acceleration and control |
| DC | Explosive Batting, Fragile Bowling | Explosive Batting, Fragile Bowling | High scoring, low discipline with the ball - unchanged structure |
| SRH | Low Efficiency Teams | Low Efficiency Teams | Inconsistent, volatile style with no directional improvement |
While Punjab Kings (PBKS) sat in the middle of the table on overall impact rankings - neither elite in batting nor bowling - their run to the IPL 2025 finals can be attributed to a few data-backed tactical strengths:
PBKS didn't dominate the charts - they navigated them smartly. While others had the numbers, Punjab had the moments!
The Bowling Impact Score is a composite metric designed to capture the true effectiveness of a team's bowling unit - not just in terms of wickets or economy, but overall pressure and control.
It combines:
Unlike traditional bowling averages, this score reveals how disruptive a bowling unit truly is across all formats and game situations. Teams with high impact scores consistently dictate the game flow, not just react to it.
In IPL 2025:
| Team | 2024 Score | 2025 Score | Change | Observation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KKR | 2.40 | 0.88 | -1.52 | Huge decline. They went from most effective to average due to weaker economy rate & dot %. |
| CSK | 0.37 | 0.78 | +0.41 | Bit of improvement in bowling - their bowlers built more pressure and improved strike rate. |
| RCB | Low (-0.19) | Very High (1.13) | Massive (+1.32) | Massive leap - RCB transformed their bowling into a match-winning unit. |
| MI | High (0.67) | Highest (1.32) | +0.65 | MI was already efficient but perfected their attack in 2025. |
| LSG | 0.45 | -1.80 | -2.25 | Worst-performing bowling team in 2025 - high economy, low dot %. |
| DC | -0.44 | -0.86 | -0.42 | Weakest pressure-building unit - no significant fix. |
| GT | 0.28 | 0.02 | -0.26 | Consistently average; never quite lethal nor economical. |
| PBKS | -0.21 | -0.02 | +0.19 | Slight improvement - still below top tier. Weak bowling cost them the title. |
| SRH | Low (-0.67) | Low (-0.82) | -0.15 | Stayed a chaotic unit. Remained inefficient - no tactical adjustment seen. |
| RR | -0.02 | -0.52 | -0.50 | Lost bite in both strike rate, dot % and economy in 2025. |
The Batting Impact Score is a standardized metric that evaluates a team's offensive strength across two key dimensions:
These two metrics are combined to create a Batting Impact Raw Score, which is then standardized using z-scores across both 2024 and 2025 seasons for fair comparison.
Batting isn't just about hitting boundaries - it's about scoring fast and lasting long. Traditional metrics often isolate one dimension (like strike rate or average), but the Batting Impact Score brings them together to show:
In 2025, GT and MI surged to the top, proving that when aggression meets reliability, teams become title contenders - not just entertainers.
| Team | 2024 Score | 2025 Score | Change | Key Insight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GT | -1.39 | 2.02 | +3.41 | Biggest jump - transformed from weakest to strongest batting lineup. |
| MI | -0.90 | 1.08 | +1.98 | High efficiency in 2025 - turned aggressive without losing stability. But inconsistency in death overs cost them the title. |
| LSG | -0.29 | 0.98 | +1.27 | Improved strike rate and average - batting became a strength. |
| RCB | 0.02 | 0.69 | +0.67 | Steady climb - provided balanced starts and match-winning finishes. |
| PBKS | -0.53 | 0.48 | +1.01 | Boost in run rate - still erratic but more impactful. Opening batting won them matches. |
| RR | 0.69 | 0.24 | -0.45 | Declined marginally - lacked consistency across batting order. |
| SRH | 1.17 | 0.18 | -0.99 | Over-reliance on a few performers - dropped below average. |
| DC | -0.66 | -0.68 | Flat | Persistent struggle - no meaningful shift. |
| CSK | 0.67 | -1.38 | -2.04 | Steep decline - loss of top-order form and finishing firepower. |
| KKR | 1.63 | -1.69 | -3.32 | Most dramatic fall - from dominant to disjointed in scoring. |