The players/teams in the Indian Premier League have certainly become a household name in India and few other cricketing nations. It all began in the year 2008, when the Board of Control for Cricket in India brought the revolutionary idea of bringing players from different countries into the same team. The concept gained instant success, as the cricket enthusiasts were hooked to their TV screens to watch their favorite cricketers playing in the same team.
Moreover, the T20 format also played a key role to pave the way for the product to gain early success. With fast-paced action, the matches took less than four hours to complete and was a closely contested one on most occasions. The fans continued their support to make the IPL, the biggest T20 league in the world. The other cricket boards followed the footsteps of the BCCI to organize their respective leagues as well, which expanded the reach and popularity of the T20 format.
The fame and performances of MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli helped Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively to be one of the most valuable sports teams in the world. Until this point, there is no looking back for IPL, and it has always been ‘onwards and upwards’.
Table of Contents
List of Most Successful IPL Teams
- Mumbai Indians are the most IPL winning team with five titles. They began their victorious run in the 2013 season, with Rohit Sharma taking on the leadership role. Then, the 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020 season saw them riding on the powerful performances of Rohit, Lendl Simmons, Pandya brothers, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga and Hardik Pandya and lifting the titles.
- Chennai Super Kings have four titles under their belt, and find themselves placed second on this list. The MS Dhoni-led side clinched their maiden title in 2010 and defended it well in 2011. The likes of Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay, Michael Hussey, Doug Bollinger and Subramaniam Badrinath played a key role in the team’s impressive run. Then, Ravindra Jadeja, Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo supported Dhoni to help CSK secure titles in 2018 and also crowned as IPL 2021 winner team. Interestingly, CSK have the most playoff appearances (11) among teams.
- Kolkata Knight Riders emerged as the best team under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir in 2012 and 2014. In the 2012 final, they prevailed over CSK, with contributions from Manvinder Bisla and Jacques Kallis. The 2014 final witnessed them winning against Kings XI Punjab, on the back of Manish Pandey and Piyush Chawla.
- In the inaugural edition, the Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals faced a humbling defeat to Delhi Daredevils in their first league match. However, they stunned everyone by topping the league table. Then, they thrashed Delhi in the semi-finals, and won a thrilling encounter against CSK in the final to lift the title. The likes of Shane Watson, Sohail Tanvir and Yusuf Pathan were the key performers for the team.
- Sunrisers Hyderabad made their IPL debut in 2013. They finally found a way to seal the playoffs spot in 2016 owing to their smart batting and impactful bowling performances. In the final, the David Warner-led side prevailed over Royal Challengers Bangalore by seven runs. Warner won the orange cap, while lead pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar secured a purple cap.
- In their debut season (2022), Gujarat Titans rode well under the leadership of Hardik Pandya. They topped the points table with 10 wins in 14 league games. Then, GT overcame the challenge of the Royals in the Qualifier 1 and final showdown. Along with Pandya, Shubman Gill and David Miller were key with the bat, while Rashid Khan and Mohammed Shami were impressive with the ball. The IPL 2022 winner team will look to defend his IPL title in 2013.
- Punjab Kings, Lucknow Super Giants, Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore have never won an IPL. Infact, DC, RCB and PBKS have played the final, but were unable to hold their nerves in crunch situations and win the tournament. It will be interesting to see whether they can attain success in 2023.
The First Team to Win 100 Matches in IPL
In a tournament like the Indian Premier League, several teams put together a strong squad, stacked with top T20 players from around the world. However, the home and away format, player’s strength and weakness also play a key role in taking the team to greater heights in the cash-rich league.
The experienced top-order, powerful middle-order and quality bowling attack paved the way for Mumbai Indians to become the first team to win 100 IPL games. They achieved this feat with a victory against Chennai Super Kings in the league game.
Batting first, MI posted 170 on the board, with key contributions of Suryakumar Yadav (59), Krunal Pandya (42). In reply, CSK got the only support of Kedar Jadhav (58) as they fell short by 37 runs. Hardik Pandya was awarded Player of the Match for figures of 3/20 and quickfire 25* off 8.
In the Qualifier 2 of 2019 season, CSK became the second team to 100 wins in the IPL history. Rishabh Pant and Colin Munro contributed 20+ to help DC post 147 on the board. Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja and Deepak Chahar picked two wickets apiece.
On the batting front, Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson scored half-centuries each to help CSK register their 100th win and seal the final spot. However, MI won by one run in a cliff-hanger to secure a title.
Kolkata Knight Riders became the third team in 2021 season to record 100 wins in the cash-rich league. They faced Sunrisers Hyderabad and batted first at Chennai. Nitish Rana (80) and Rahul Tripathi (50) were the top contributors as KKR posted 187. Then, SRH fought back hard, but Prasidh Krishna and other bowlers helped Kolkata to win the game by 10 runs.
In the same year, Royal Challengers Bangalore achieved this milestone against Delhi Capitals. They posted 171, with AB de Villiers scoring 75*. Then, the RCB bowling unit had a decent performance to register a one-run victory.
Capitals’ 100th win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) came against Punjab Kings in the 2022 season. They posted 159 on the board and won by 17 runs. Shardul Thakur picked four wickets, while MItchell Marsh scored 63 for DC.
The Most IPL Trophy Winning Team
Mumbai Indians – 5 IPL titles
In the first two seasons of the Indian Premier League, Mumbai Indians could not seal the playoffs spot, despite having a strong squad. However, they made a comeback in the 2010 season, by emerging as a runner-up. Then, they could not hold their nerves in the playoffs in the 2011 and 2012 season.
The 2013 season witnessed them securing a title, with Rohit Sharma at the helm. Rohit and Karthik were the top batters, while Harbhajan Singh and Mitchell Johnson topped the bowling charts.
In the 2015 season, Mumbai won their second title with Rohit and Lendl Simmons leading batting leaderboard, while Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh were the top bowlers.
The 2017 season saw them becoming the most IPL trophy winning team with a third title. Parthiv Patel and Kieron Pollard scored the most runs, while Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell McClenaghan were impressive with the ball.
In the 2019 season, MI dominated with their all-round performances, with Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav scoring most runs, while Bumrah and Malinga were the top bowlers.
In the 2020 season, Mumbai were crowned as the IPL 2020 winner team and became the second side to defend their title. Ishan Kishan and Quinton were the top batters, while Bumran and Boult returned as the stars in the bowling unit. The 2020 IPL winner team, MI lifted their fifth title and was a huge force to reckon with. However, the past two seasons have seen them regressing in every department.
IPL Teams with the Most Wins
| Team | Mat | Won | Lost | NR | Winning % |
| Chennai Super Kings | 214 | 124 | 88 | 1 | 58.45 |
| Delhi Capitals | 229 | 100 | 123 | 2 | 44.93 |
| Gujarat Titans | 21 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 71.42 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 228 | 115 | 109 | 0 | 51.31 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 20 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 60 |
| Mumbai Indians | 235 | 131 | 100 | 0 | 56.59 |
| Punjab Kings | 223 | 101 | 118 | 0 | 46.18 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 197 | 98 | 94 | 2 | 51.02 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 232 | 109 | 116 | 4 | 48.46 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 156 | 76 | 76 | 0 | 50 |
Mumbai Indians have the most wins in IPL by a team. In a total of 235 appearances, MI have been victorious in 131 games, with a winning percentage of 56.59. As mentioned above, they were the first team to reach the milestone of 100 wins in 2019.
Chennai Super Kings are second in the table with 124 wins in 214 matches of the cash-rich league and a winning percentage of 58.45.
The next teams on the list are Kolkata Knight Riders (115), Royal Challengers Bangalore (109) and Punjab Kings (101), Delhi Capitals (100) and Rajasthan Royals (98) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (76). From them, KKR have two titles, while RR and SRH have a single IPL trophy under their belt.
Interestingly, the IPL 2022 winning team Gujarat Titans have 15 wins in 21 appearances in the table, and have a winning rate of over 70 per cent. The Lucknow Super Giants have 12 wins in 20 games and have a 60% winning rate.
Conclusion
The IPL has lived up the expectations of fans, sponsors and stakeholder in each season since 2008. Every year, fans and cricket pundits discuss whether ‘they have seen a better match than they just witnessed’. The quality of the league is getting better with the batters employing innovation and presence of mind, while the bowlers become smart with their executions and variations.
The IPL has done a world of good for the game of cricket as well. The success of the league prompted the cricket administrators to adhere to fans’ demands of a shorter game with more entertainment than other two formats. To everyone’s astonishment, the league has retained its excitement over the years due to the tightly contested contests, and the fans have thronged the stadium to full capacity in nearly every game of the season.
The Indian as well as overseas players have managed to tackle pressure situations, after their participation in the biggest T20 league in the world. The foreign cricket boards have often focused on giving their players a freedom to gain an IPL experience, which might help them in the international circuit.
The last season witnessed Gujarat Titans lifting the IPL title in their debut year. Hardik Pandya led the GT outfit, who won 10 out of 14 league matches, and then won the Qualifier 1 and final against Rajasthan Royals. It will be interesting to see whether Titans can become the third team to defend their IPL title after CSK and MI.
