The 15th season of the IPL will start later this month as ten teams will get ready to win the biggest T20 league in the world. There have been 14 seasons of the IPL so far and three teams have been the winners multiple times. There have been six winners so far in the IPL. Of the eight original franchises, three teams haven’t managed to win the IPL even once. Two new teams will be entering the league from this season. So, let us have a look at the winners of each season of the IPL.
1. 2008 – Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals led by Shane Warne won the inaugural season of the IPL in 2008. In the first season, nobody knew what to expect and Rajasthan Royals who were the underdogs going into the tournament ended up as the winners of the IPL. Shane Warne was praised for his captaincy as young players like Swapnil Asnodkar, Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja made significant contributions. Sohail Tanvir from Pakistan was the purple cap holder in that season.
2. 2009 – Deccan Chargers
Deccan Chargers who had finished last in the 2008 IPL season became the winners of the next season under the captaincy of Adam Gilchrist. Another Australian player-led an IPL team to the title. Players like Rohit Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, and RP Singh played key roles. Deccan Chargers finished fourth in the points table but won the semi-final and final to win the title.
3. 2010 – Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings led by MS Dhoni won their first-ever title in IPL 2010. The famous MI-CSK rivalry started that year as they locked horns in the Final of the 2010 IPL. Suresh Raina, Muttiah Muralitharan, and Murali Vijay were some of the key members of the team. MS Dhoni’s brilliance in the Final helped CSK to get the wicket of Kieron Pollard who is the final nail in the coffin.
4. 2011 – Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings won back-to-back titles in 2010 and then in 2011 and managed to defend the title. CSK was second in the points table in 2011 as they had won 9 games of the 14 league games. In that season the new playoffs system was introduced for the first time and CSK won both the Qualifier 1 and the Final against RCB to become the winners of IPL 2011.
5. 2012 – Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders decided to revamp their whole squad in 2011 and its results were seen in 2012 as they became the winners of the IPL under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir. Kolkata Knight Riders finished second on the points table and won the Final against Chennai Super Kings while chasing a mammoth total. Sunil Narine, Jacques Kallis, and Gambhir himself played a key role for KKR.
6. 2013 – Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma was handed the captaincy of Mumbai Indians midway through the 2013 IPL Season and the tables turned for them as they won the IPL title for the first time. Rohit Sharma along with Dinesh Karthik was the stand-out player in the batting department while Harbhajan Singh and Mitchell Johnson dominated the bowling department. It was the start of something special for Rohit Sharma and Mumbai Indians.
7. 2014 – Kolkata Knight Riders
Gautam Gambhir’s magic worked for the second time as Kolkata Knight Riders won two titles in three years. Once again KKR had finished second on the points table and they defeated PBKS in the Final while chasing another huge total. Manish Pandey played an exceptional knock in the Final. KKR hasn’t managed to win a title since 2014 and will be hoping to win under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer in 2022.
8. 2015 – Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians too won two titles in three years as they defeated Chennai Super Kings in the Final for the second time. Rohit Sharma was the Man of the Match in the Final as he scored 50 off just 26 balls coming into bat at No.3. Lasith Malinga was the leading wicket-taker for MI in IPL 2015 and Lendl Simmons was the leading run-scorer for MI.
9. 2016 – Sunrisers Hyderabad
After 2009, an Australian captain – David Warner managed to lead an IPL side to a title. SRH is the only team to win the title despite not finishing in the top since the new playoffs system. Warner had a stellar season as he scored 848 runs while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mustafizur Rahman controlled the bowling, especially the death overs. IPL 2016 is the only title for SRH so far in the history of the league.
10. 2017 – Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians continued their love for odd years as they won in 2013, 2015, and 2017. They defeated the Rising Pune Supergiant team in the Final by just one run. RPS had dominated the whole Final but somehow MI managed to clinch the title. Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell McClenaghan were the standout bowlers for MI in 2017. MI became the first team to win three IPL titles.
11. 2018 – Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings followed the Mumbai Indians and won their third title in 2018, which was their first year after the two years ban. MS Dhoni assembled an experienced squad and managed to win the title with those players. Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, and Deepak Chahar were the key performers for CSK. CSK had become the winners of the IPL after 7 years.
12. 2019 – Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians’ love for odd years kept getting stronger as they won another title in 2019. Rohit Sharma won a record fourth title by defeating Chennai Super Kings in the Final by just one run. Jasprit Bumrah and Quinton De Kock were the stand out performers for MI in the 2019 IPL season.
13. 2020 – Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians managed to do what Chennai Super Kings did in 2011 i.e., defend the IPL title. Rohit Sharma just kept getting better as captain as he won a record fifth title. Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yada who were uncapped at that stage were the key players in the batting department in IPL 2020. MI dominated that season to such an extent that experts believed that the 2020 MI team was the best in the history of all T20 teams.
14. 2021 – Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings managed to become the winners of the IPL for the fourth time in 2021. After a group stage exit in the 2020 IPL season, it was a stunning comeback for CSK as they were the first team to qualify for the playoffs and also managed to win the title. Ruturaj Gaikwad who won the Orange Cap played a major role with his opening partner Faf Du Plessis. MS Dhoni has decided to play one more IPL Season and CSK fans will be hoping that they can defend the title.
