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The defending South Asia Baseball champion Mumbai was the best in the Indian League at the all-star break at 65-34, followed by both Visakhapatnam and Pune at 60-39. The Meteors kept rolling with the best post-break record of 44-19, earning the #1 seed at 109-53. Mumbai won the West Division crown for the fifth consecutive season and had their fourth straight year of 104+ wins. They had the IL’s best run differential (+235) and the fewest runs allowed in SAB (528).

Visakhapatnam held onto the South Division lead despite tough competition and a lackluster 2-8 finish to the year. The Volts were 101-61 to repeat as division champs, growing their playoff streak to seven seasons. Since 2023, Visakhapatnam has only missed the playoffs twice. Bengaluru ended on a four-game winning streak to take second in the division at 97-65, earning the first wild card. It was their second wild card in five years and their best record in 37 years.

Chennai went 2-8 in their last ten games while the West Division’s Pune was the inverse, tying them for the second wild card at 94-68. In a one-game tiebreaker, the Purple Knights won at home 4-3, led by a three-run pinch hit homer by Thu Ko. Pune earned a third straight wild card and their sixth playoff berth in seven years, while the Cows’ playoff drought extended to 24 seasons. Madurai was fourth in the South at 87-75, ending a three-year playoff streak.



The Central Division was a tight race that came down to the final week. Jaipur entered the final series at 87-72, while Delhi and Kolkata were both 86-73. The Drillers hosted the Cosmos and took the first two games by 8-2 and 3-2 scores, but Kolkata grabbed the finale 3-2. The Jokers meanwhile played at Patna with a 3-1 win, 3-2 loss (10), and 12-3 win. They also critically took two of three at both Delhi and Kolkata in their final meetings. Jaipur held onto the division at 89-73, followed by Delhi (88-74), Kolkata (87-75), and Kanpur (83-79). It was the second playoff trip in four years for the Jokers, but their first division title since 2031.



Jaipur led the IL with 798 runs scored with 3B Niamur Bhuiyan earning his second Indian League MVP in three years. He earned 19 first place votes and 403 points, while Mumbai RF Pingyu Fei had 15 first place votes and 390 points. Visakhapatnam 1B Fanmouong Try also had two first place votes. For Bhuiyan, he led in hits (233), batting average (.381) and WAR (8.3). The 27-year old Bangladeshi added 116 runs, 55 doubles, 16 triples, 15 home runs, 115 RBI, 75 stolen bases, 1.003 OPS, and 169 wRC+. Bhuiyan is under contract through 2045 on a six-year, $170,400,000 extension signed in April 2039.

Mumbai’s Tuan Thai snagged Pitcher of the Year with 23 first place votes and 212 points. Pune’s Brian Truong was a competitive second with 11 first place votes and 166 points. The Meteors’ Adrian Pham and Chennai’s Kumar Saha each had a first place vote. The runner-up Truong notably was the leader in WAR (8.3).

It was the second POTY for Thai, who also did it back in 2035. The 33-year old Vietnamese lefty was in his ninth season for Mumbai, acquired in a November 2032 trade with Da Nang. Thai led in wins (21-8) and posted a 2.69 ERA, 244.2 innings, 287 strikeouts, 153 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 55.1 WAR. He has two more years under contract with the Meteors. Also of note, Bengaluru’s Lay Zaw Htun was both Rookie and Reliever of the Year in a rare awards combo. He posted 4.7 WAR over 99.2 innings with a 1.44 ERA, 41 saves, and 141 Ks.



The wild card round began with a 3-2 road win by Pune over Bengaluru. The Blazers battled back with 4-3 and 8-0 wins, the latter on a combined two-hitter. Mumbai started the divisional series with 10-6 and 3-0 wins over Bengaluru. The Blazers stayed alive in a 13-inning, 7-5 victory in game three. The Meteors locked it up on the road 3-2 in game four. The defending champs earned their sixth trip to the Indian League Championship Series in eight years.

On the other side, Jaipur stunned Visakhapatnam with a road sweep on 4-2, 12-1, and 4-3 results. That ended a three-year ILCS streak for the Volts. For the Jokers, their last ILCS appearance was 2028 and their only prior pennants were back in 2006 and 2009. Mumbai won 20 more games and had home field advantage, making them a heavy favorite to repeat.

Game one went ten innings, but the Meteors escaped 2-1 on a walkoff Nobin Ullah home run. A five-run eighth inning in game two pushed Jaipur to a 5-2 road win. Game three went 10 innings, ending 8-5 in a dramatic three-run walkoff bomb from Oz Sams. The Jokers then won game four by an 8-7 margin to take the 3-1 series lead. Mumbai stayed alive with their own 8-3 road win in game five. Back at home in game six, the Meteors needed a five-run ninth inning rally to force game seven. Mumbai’s 5-3 win saw two two-run homers in the ninth, the clincher from Ahsan Nadhim.

In game seven, Jaipur took a 5-2 lead into the ninth. The Meteors got one back and had the bases loaded. George Sammahung got an RBI single to score Champaka Santos. Suraj Paudel tried to score the tying run, but the throw from right field nabbed him for the final out, allowing the Jokers to escape with the 5-4 win and the series.



ILCS MVP went to Jaipur veteran 1B Thanh Thang Hoang, who had a monster series going 13-26 with six home runs, ten RBI, and ten runs. In game seven, Hoang was 3-3 with two homers, a double, three RBI, and three runs. The 32-year old Vietnamese righty was in his third year with the Jokers and led the IL in OPS at 1.082.