Chennai Super Kings
Captain: MS Dhoni
Coach: Stephen Fleming
Home ground: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
IPL titles: 5 (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023)
Owners: Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd (subsidiary of India Cements)
History
Super Kings have reached the knockouts in 12 of their 14 seasons. Over the years, Dhoni, who was the highest-paid player (Rs 9.5 crore, about US$1.5 million) in the inaugural auction, became the face, heart and soul of the side. His instincts, coupled with coach Stephen Fleming’s tactical nous, have been central to Super Kings’ success over the years.
The highs
Super Kings were trolled as “Dad’s Army” after the 2018 auction, but they proved the critics wrong, with Shane Watson, one of their several over-30s stars, delivering their third IPL crown with an unbeaten hundred in the final. They couldn’t have asked for a better comeback from a two-year suspension. After their poorest finish ever, in 2020, they took the title again in 2021, again with many of their senior pros still in the mix.
The lows
CSK hit their nadir when one of their top officials, Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of Srinivasan, was arrested on charges of cheating, forgery, and fraud. Two years later, the Super Kings franchise was also suspended for Meiyappan’s activities. Dhoni’s personal worst season in 2020 was also Super Kings’ worst: they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in their history.
Season by season
Riding on the brilliance of their seamers and of Dhoni and Suresh Raina with the bat, Super Kings wrapped up eight wins in 14 league games and beat Kings XI Punjab with ease in the semi. CSK’s seamers and Muthiah Muralidaran dragged the final to the last ball, but Shane Warne and Sohail Tanvir ensured a happy ending for the Rajasthan Royals.
The IPL moved to South Africa, where Matthew Hayden, Raina and Murali combined to help Super Kings finish second on the table. However, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s local boys Manish Pandey and Vinay Kumar bested them in the semi-final.
The season when Dhoni became Chennai’s thala. After CSK blew hot and cold early in the tournament, their captain scorched Kings XI’s Irfan Pathan for 4, 2, 6, 6 in the final over of a must-win clash. In the final, Kieron Pollard threatened to take the game away, but Dhoni stationed Hayden at short mid-off to trap him, and CSK ultimately sealed their first title.
CSK turned Chepauk into a fortress this season, winning all their matches there, including the final, against RCB. Suraj Randiv stepped in to fill the Murali-sized hole, and Shadab Jakati and Doug Bollinger had their moments, but R Ashwin was the standout bowler, even taking out Chris Gayle for a duck in the final – in which M Vijay starred with 95 off 52 balls.
Five of their eight victories in the league stage came at home, and then Vijay fashioned a sixth with a century against Delhi Daredevils, launching CSK into the final. Vijay, Mike Hussey and Raina all came good in that final, but an unheralded Manvinder Bisla denied Dhoni’s men a hat-trick of titles.
A seven-match win streak eased them into the qualifier, where Hussey, in scintillating form that season, saw off Mumbai with a brilliant 86 not out, setting up a title clash against the same opponents. Super Kings reduced Mumbai to 52 for 4 in the final, but Pollard tipped the scales Mumbai’s way with an unbeaten 60 off 32 balls.
CSK lost their opening match, against Kings XI in Abu Dhabi, despite piling up 205 for 4. But they won eight of their next nine games on their way to the playoffs once again, despite their home matches being shifted to Ranchi due to a local dispute. Raina shellacked 87 off 25 balls against Kings XI in the second qualifier, but it wasn’t enough to take them to the final.
Another bumper run at Chepauk, winning six of seven home matches. They won three on the road to topping the table, and then saw RCB off in the second qualifier. However, Mumbai beat CSK for the second time in the final. This was an IPL dominated by seamers, with Super Kings’ Dwayne Bravo finishing atop the wickets charts and Ashish Nehra in fourth place.
Super Kings played only one game at Chepauk before their home base was moved to Pune because of the Cauvery river water dispute. Lungi Ngidi provided vital breakthroughs on the seam-friendly tracks in Pune, and at the crunch, CSK beat Sunrisers in the first qualifier as well as the final to return to their title-winning ways.
Finally back to Chepauk, CSK banked on their old spin-to-win template, coming away with six victories in seven home games in the league stage. The solitary defeat came at the hands of Mumbai, where Dhoni sat out to manage his troublesome back. He returned for the first qualifier but Mumbai beat them there, and then again in the final, this time by one run.
After Raina and Harbhajan Singh pulled out of the tournament for personal reasons, the Super Kings management decided not to pick replacements for them, and by the second half of the season, the ageing side “ran out of juice”, as Fleming put it. Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav struggled in the middle order, while the spinners lacked penetration away from Chepauk.
Not much changed in terms of the squad, but everything clicked for CSK. They won five of their seven matches in the first leg, in India, four more in the UAE, and were clinical as ever in the playoffs. The stars were Rituraj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis, who both made over 600 runs in the season.
Injuries to Deepak Chahar and Adam Milne messed with Super Kings’ balance and they had to sacrifice their overseas opener, Devon Conway, for bowling cover early in the season. Ravindra Jadeja took over the captaincy from Dhoni, only to hand the reins back midway through the tournament. Jadeja was then out injured. Super Kings finished second from bottom.
They stuttered at the start, losing four of their first nine matches, before finding their stride. Conway, back in the saddle, was their top run-scorer, with 672 runs. They beat Gujarat Titans, who otherwise looked unstoppable, twice in the last three games. Jadeja, who made ten runs off the last two balls of the final to win it, was one of the tightest bowlers of the tournament.
Key players
Even as analytics change the T20 landscape, Dhoni continues to trust his instincts to mastermind victories for Super Kings. While his power-hitting has waned in recent times, he still finds a way to finish games for his franchise. Dhoni is well and truly a cult figure in Chennai.
Much like Dhoni, Raina was a fan favourite. He made 4687 runs for the side – the most so far – and missed only one game for Super Kings over ten seasons before opting out of the 2020 tournament. Raina was not retained by CSK in the 2022 auction, and went unsold in the IPL for the first time.
Bravo, the first player to take 500 wickets in T20s, has several variations in his repertoire, including the slower dipping yorker, and he has become Dhoni’s go-to bowler at the death. In the 2013 IPL, he took 32 wickets in 18 matches at an economy of 7.95, the joint record. After retiring in 2021, he went into the CSK backroom as a bowling coach.
It’s easy to forget that Jadeja has been a part of three other IPL teams because he is so closely associated with CSK. Tight and effective as a bowler, a dependable hitter down the order, and electric in the field, he has been one of their stalwarts and their second-highest wicket-taker of all time – a position he cemented with 20 wickets in their title-winning 2023 campaign.
Chahar was initially seen as a batting allrounder but he established himself as a powerplay swing bowler after being snapped up by Super Kings in the 2018 auction. Next season he turned up with a knuckleball and a back-of-a-length offcutter in his repertoire. In the 2022 auction, CSK forked out Rs 14 crore (US$ 1.8 million) to get him back, but he didn’t play due to injuries.
Delhi Capitals
Captain: David Warner
Coach: Ricky Ponting
Home ground: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
IPL titles: 0
Owners: GMR Group, JSW Sports
History
Capitals have been underachievers in the IPL, though they started strongly. They also made the playoffs and finished third after topping the table at the end of the group stage in 2012, but finished last in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2018.
The highs
Delhi had good years in 2008 and 2009, when they made the semi-finals, and though they got to the final in 2020, their best seasons were arguably 2012, when they won 11 of their 16 league matches, and 2021, when they won ten out of 14. In 2012, Sehwag, Mahela Jayawardene and Kevin Pietersen made over 300 runs each (Sehwag made 495); and Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav took 44 wickets between them. In 2021, young Avesh Khan finished second on the list of wicket-takers for the tournament, with 24.
The lows
Delhi hit a trough from 2013 to 2018. Nothing they tried seemed to work, or even make sense. And when they didn’t finish at the bottom, they still failed to rise above No. 6 on the table. In 2023 they crashed and burned again, finishing near the bottom of the table.
Season by season
Delhi started well, with two wins on the trot, and managed to win enough games – seven out of 14 – to finish fourth on the points table. But Rajasthan Royals, who Delhi had beaten in their first game, were on a roll, and beat Delhi in the semi-final on the way to the title.
Delhi were the form team in the group phase of the competition, played in South Africa. They won ten of their first 14 games, and topped the table going into the knockouts, where they lost to eventual champions Deccan Chargers in the semi-final.
Delhi might have expected to build on the momentum of their first two seasons, but after winning their first two games, they only won five more, to finish tied on points with three other teams behind Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers. Their net run rate worked against them, and Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore went through.
When it all went wrong for the first time. Pune Warriors India and Kochi Tuskers Kerala joined the IPL, making it a ten-team affair, and the two new sides and Delhi made up the bottom three, with Delhi last.
The big-ticket stars – Sehwag, Pietersen, Jayawardene, Morkel, Warner – all came good, and Delhi ticked like a well-oiled machine, finishing top of the table at the end of the league stage. But it would be so near yet so far again for them: losses to KKR and CSK knocked them out.
Delhi fell into perhaps their worst slump, with three wins and 13 losses. Their first win came in their seventh game, against Mumbai Indians, and then, after two wins, there was another run of six straight defeats to end their campaign.
Another season, another woeful performance. If they won three and lost 13 the previous year, this time, with the tournament back to eight teams, they won two and lost 12, the two wins coming in their first five games, in the UAE. Delhi ended the tournament with a string of nine straight losses.
Around this time, nothing Delhi did really worked. Their performance was marginally better than in 2014, but five wins and eight losses only allowed them to finish above Kings XI Punjab, another team that had made a name for finishing in the bottom half of the table.
Delhi’s fortunes saw a small uptick: after having languished at the bottom, they moved one step up the ladder, with seven wins and seven defeats. Quinton de Kock starred with 445 runs; legspinner Amit Mishra and another South African import, Chris Morris, took 26 wickets between them.
Delhi hit a plateau with another sixth-place finish, though with six wins and eight losses this time. Still, with Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer all scoring over 300 runs for the season, there was reason to believe that the core of a strong team was coming together.
Pant slammed 684 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 173.60, Iyer chipped in with 411 runs, and there were handy contributions from Vijay Shankar, Prithvi Shaw and Trent Boult (18 wickets), but Delhi still lost nine games and won only five. That meant a bottom-place finish for them for the fourth time.
Dhawan returned to his home team, and between them, Pant, Iyer, Shaw and he made close to 1500 runs. Kagiso Rabada led the bowling, with 25 wickets. This time Delhi won nine games to finish at No. 3 on the table. They beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in the eliminator – their first win in the knockouts ever – but were then knocked out themselves by CSK.
Dhawan and Iyer excelled with the bat, scoring 618 and 519 runs respectively; Rabada and Anrich Nortje picked up 52 wickets between them; and Axar Patel and Marcus Stoinis put in excellent all-round performances. Capitals won eight of their 14 matches in the league to make the final after getting past SRH, before then coming unstuck in the title game.
Fast bowler Avesh was the big success story of the year, taking 24 wickets at an economy of 7.37. Dhawan had another fantastic season, though he tailed off a bit at the end, finishing with 587 runs. Shaw and Pant were the two other big scorers, with 479 and 419 runs respectively. Still, Delhi were light on batting and they came unstuck in the playoffs.
Who knows what might have been had Pant reviewed a caught-behind against Tim David of Mumbai Indians, on zero at the time, in their last league game. David went on to win the match, knocking Capitals out. There was some good work up top through the season by Warner (back with the franchise), Shaw and Mitchell Marsh, and a new-look bowling attack, of whom Kuldeep Yadav took 21 wickets from 14 games.
Capitals’ worst finish in a decade. They missed Pant, out injured after a car crash the previous December, and Kuldeep Yadav took half as many wickets as he did the previous year. Warner, the captain, made 516 runs, but no one else in the side came close. They never really recovered after losing their first five matches on the trot.
Key players
Sehwag, whose last game was in 2013, only slipped from the No. 1 spot for Delhi’s top run-getters in 2020, when Iyer went past his 2174 runs. Sehwag captained the side to the top four in both the first two seasons. They next made the playoffs in 2012, and he was key there too, becoming only the second man to hit five consecutive T20 half-centuries in a season.
Mishra played for Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants too, but it was with Delhi that he achieved IPL greatness, taking 106 wickets in 99 matches. He didn’t really get a lot of opportunities in the 2021 season and went unsold in the auction in 2022.
Pant is now the highest scorer in the team’s history, with 2838 runs, in front of Iyer, Sehwag and Dhawan. More impressive has been his strike rate of 147.96, and his reputation as one of the most feared middle-order T20 batters around. He failed to make much of an impact in the 2022 season and was out injured in the following one.
Iyer didn’t play for an IPL franchise other than Delhi until 2022, when he was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders. His numbers tell you why Delhi held on to him: 2375 runs from 87 matches. He was the man they turned to for batting solidity and leadership nous – but for the injury that restricted his participation in 2021 to only the second leg.
Warner played for Delhi Daredevils their first five seasons in the league, and then came back in 2022. That year he was the leading run-maker for Capitals, when they finished in the middle of the table. The following season, he made even more runs but was largely a one-man band.
Gujarat Titans
Captain: Shubman Gill
Coach: Ashish Nehra
Home ground: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
IPL titles: 1 (2022)
Owners: CVC Capital Partners
Season by season
Titans became only the second team after Rajasthan Royals to win the title in their first season. They topped the league stage, with ten wins from 14 games, then beat Royals in Qualifier 1 to make the final, where they again defeated Royals on their home ground, in front of 104,859 spectators.
All season, Titans looked the best team on show, with Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan taking bagfuls of wickets and opener Shubman Gill peaking in a blaze of batting form towards the pointy end. But MS Dhoni’s CSK crew bested them twice in the final three matches to snatch the title from Titans’ grasp.
Key players
Since his IPL debut in 2015, Pandya had only ever played for Mumbai Indians, for whom he made 1476 runs and picked up 42 wickets. Gujarat Titans picked him up for Rs 15 crore (US$ 1.9 million approx) and in his first season for them he made 487 runs at a strike rate over 130 and picked up eight wickets while leading them to the title.He didn’t perform all that impressively with bat or ball in 2023, but his gun team ensured his contributions were not missed.
In his first season for Titans, he took 19 wickets – the second most for them – apart from scoring crucial runs at a strike rate of over 200 to help finish matches, enhancing his reputation as a multi-utility player. In 2023, he and team-mate Mohammed Shami were neck and neck in the battle for the purple cap for most of the season, before Rashid finished with 27, one fewer than Shami.
Miller had his best IPL to date in 2022 and made 481 runs at an average of over 68 and a strike rate of 142.72, bringing his finishing prowess to the fore. He enjoyed the backing of the team and won matches from improbable situations. In 2023 he didn’t fare quite so well, but it was a sign of how strong Titans were that they made it to the final nevertheless.
Titans paid Rs 6.25 crore (about US$826,000) for Shami at auction and he was a rock for them in their first two seasons, taking 48 wickets at an economy of 8 runs an over. In 2023, when they finished runners-up, he topped the wicket-takers’ list for the season, with 28 wickets.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Captain: Shreyas Iyer
Coach: Chandrakant Pandit
Home ground: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
IPL titles: 2 (2012, 2014)
Owners: Red Chillies Entertainment, Mehta Group
History
Under Sourav Ganguly and then Brendon McCullum, KKR’s first three years were forgettable. They had the likes of Ricky Ponting, Chris Gayle and (briefly) Shoaib Akhtar in their ranks, alongside promising young Indians like Ishant Sharma, but the highest they finished in the first three seasons was sixth.
The highs
KKR’s two titles in three years remain their zenith. The first win, in 2012, was a landmark because of how poorly the team had fared in the first four seasons. The win in 2014, when they won chasing 200, against Kings XI Punjab, cemented that year’s squad as legends forever.
The lows
The dream of a fairy tale under Ganguly did not come true, and there was conflict between him and coach John Buchanan, whose multiple-captains strategy was criticised, especially after the team’s fortunes sank further. The omission of Ganguly ahead of 2011 threatened to ruin Kolkata’s love for KKR, and the ruckus over the Fake IPL player (an anonymous blogger who appeared to have inside information) in the early years made them the butt of jokes as well.
Season by season
McCullum’s 158 not out in the tournament opener made it seem like KKR were the team to beat in the new league, but four straight losses put that start to waste and, despite two Player-of-the-Match performances from Ganguly and a demolition of Delhi Daredevils by Shoaib, the team finished with three losses at the end of the season.
2009 – eighth
A Super-Over loss in their third game began a string of eight defeats in a row that broke KKR’s back. After 12 games they had won just one solitary match, and if it wasn’t for their two wins in their last two games, they might have had the worst season of any team in the history of franchise cricket.
2010 – sixth
Ganguly was retained as captain despite two poor seasons, and he scored 493 runs, but the rest of the team did not hit the heights. They lost a heap of games in the first half of the tournament and though they tied on 14 points with the teams in third, fourth and fifth places, their poor net run rate cost them a playoff spot.
2011 – fourth
A new-look KKR set out to change the team’s fortunes, and they qualified for the playoffs for the first time. KKR’s faith in the Indian talent they had bought, along with new captain Gambhir, was rewarded, with spinner Abdulla, fast bowler L Balaji, and middle-order batters Pathan and Manoj Tiwary producing match-winning performances.
KKR’s first title came under Gambhir and new coach Trevor Bayliss, who replaced Dav Whatmore. Two losses to begin, then two wins, a loss, six straight victories, two losses, and finally two wins, meant they finished the league stage second. In the final, Manvinder Bisla’s 89 helped KKR chase a tricky 191.
A forgettable season, sandwiched between two superb years. Narine topped the KKR bowling charts this year and the next, and Gambhir was flawless with the bat, but they couldn’t extract contributions from the others. Kallis, although good, was not consistent, and KKR lost ten of their 16 league games.
Having lost five of their first seven games, KKR seemed destined for an early exit, but a streak of nine wins in a row handed them a second title. Gambhir and Uthappa’s partnerships set KKR up for breezy finishes, which Pathan usually provided. Kuldeep Yadav and Kallis put in regular contributions too. In the final, Manish Pandey made 94 in a chase of 200.
Russell struck three fifties but the season belonged to KKR’s bowlers. Morne Morkel handed KKR a rare win over Mumbai, Umesh Yadav played match-winner twice, and Piyush Chawla’s four-wicket haul dismantled Delhi Daredevils. KKR had to win one of their last two league games to qualify, but they faltered in both, losing to Mumbai and Royals.
Russell’s domination continued: he earned three Player-of-the-Match awards, and Pathan two as KKR qualified for the playoffs. There they were knocked out in the eliminator by Sunrisers. It was Kallis’ first of three seasons as coach.
Lynn’s and Narine’s big-hitting at the top, followed by accumulative performances from Gambhir and Uthappa, put KKR on course for a third title when they won seven of their first nine games, but their performances tapered away and they were knocked out in the qualifier, after being bowled out for 107. (Russell was not available – he was serving a ban.)
KKR batted aggressively, using the power of Lynn, Narine and Russell to post big totals that would overcome the inexperience of their fast bowlers. Despite batting lower down the order, Karthik was the team’s highest scorer, with 498 runs. KKR beat Rajasthan Royals in the eliminator, but fell one step short of the final, losing to runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad.
They won four of their first five games and then lost six on the trot. When KKR won, it was often thanks to Russell’s heroics with the bat, which earned him four Player-of-the-Match awards. Shubman Gill’s promotion from finisher to opener worked well, and had they won their final game, against Mumbai Indians, KKR would have qualified for the playoffs.
Their position on the points table flattered KKR in a tight season where they failed to build any momentum. Narine and Russell were absent for large periods, and under new captain Morgan – who took over after seven games – they lost more matches than they won. They discovered a new gem in mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, though.
Their India leg was poor, but in the UAE they won seven of nine games to reach the final, despite missing Russell for most of that second leg. Though the senior batters didn’t quite shine, lesser-known players stood up. Narine regained his bowling mojo after a forgettable 2020. Venkatesh Iyer, the hard-hitting batter and seam bowler, was the find of KKR’s season.
Russell topped the side’s batting and bowling charts with 335 runs and 17 wickets. Umesh Yadav impressed with his powerplay dominance, Rinku Singh showed spunk, and Pat Cummins produced a 14-ball fifty, the joint fastest in IPL history, but it was KKR’s worst position in eight years.
Nitish Rana stepped in to replace the injured Shreyas Iyer as KKR’s captain, and he propped up the batting along with Rinku Singh, who became the side’s rescuer-in-chief, most memorably hitting five sixes when KKR needed 29 to beat Gujarat Titans. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy was their leading bowler, taking 20 wickets.
Key players
Russell is Knight Riders’ second-highest wicket-taker, with an economy rate of 6.6, but it is his performances with the bat that are game-changing. His 2000-plus runs have come at a strike rate of nearly 175, and he is the only KKR batter to have struck over 150 sixes.
KKR’s most successful bowler by far, Narine has bowled in the powerplay, middle overs, and at the death. Though his economy rate hasn’t been as good over the last few seasons as before, he still keeps it tight – and his pinch-hitting has fetched him over 1000 runs.
KKR’s all-time highest scorer, with 3345 runs, Gambhir made 30 fifties and captained in all of his 122 matches. His aggressive leadership drew praise, and he took KKR to two IPL titles. Gambhir started out playing as an opener but slipped into the middle order to accommodate hard-hitting batters.
For long, Uthappa was the bedrock in the middle order around whom KKR’s big hitters played. The majority of his 17 half-centuries for the side usually led to victories. In his prime, Uthappa’s was the wicket opposition teams looked to get. In KKR’s IPL-winning 2014 season, he scored 40 or more eight matches in a row.
Pathan was already an IPL winner with Rajasthan Royals when he came to KKR, and he brought the winning mentality with him, playing crucial roles in the side’s two title wins. His cameos as a finisher helped KKR cross the line on many occasions, and his 30 wickets in 56 innings often broke partnerships.
Lucknow Super Giants
Captain: KL Rahul
Coach: Andy Flower
Home ground: BR SABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
IPL titles: 0
Owners: RPSG Group
Season by season
In their maiden season, Super Giants qualified for the playoffs with nine wins at the end of the group stage. KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock and Deepak Hooda made close to 1600 runs between them, and uncapped seamer Mohsin Khan had a breakthrough season. LSG lost the high-scoring Eliminator to Royal Challengers Bangalore.
After winning eight league-stage games, LSG made it to the playoffs for the second time in a row and were knocked out in the Eliminator again. They lost their captain, KL Rahul, to injury early in their campaign, but overseas batters Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis kept them firing. Afghanistan seamer Naveen-ul-Haq took 11 wickets in eight games in his debut season.
Key players
Lucknow spent Rs 17 crore ($2.28 million approx.) on Rahul, making him the joint-highest-paid IPL player. He was the highest run scorer for Punjab Kings after four seasons there, and he topped the charts for LSG in their first season with 616 runs, and was the second highest run scorer in the 2022 edition overall.
After a breakthrough IPL in 2021, in which he took 24 wickets for Delhi Capitals, in 2022, Avesh became the first ever uncapped player to hit the Rs 10-crore mark at an IPL auction when Lucknow secured his services. He didn’t quite replicate his 2021 feats but still finished just outside the top ten wicket-takers’ list, with 18.
De Kock has been one of the most impactful batters over the last few seasons. He emerged as Mumbai Indians’ top run scorer in 2019 and second highest in 2020, and was a vital cog in them winning back-to-back trophies. He scored over 500 runs in LSG’s inaugural season, and was third on the overall runs chart.
Pooran was audacious in his first season, 2023 – a 15-ball half-century was among his crucial middle-order contributions – and helped LSG make it to the playoffs. He was severe against pace bowlers in particular, scoring at a strike rate of 198.14, and finished the season with 26 fours and as many sixes.
Mumbai Indians
Captain: Hardik Pandya
Coach: Mark Boucher
Home ground: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
IPL titles: 5 (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020)
Owners: Indiawin Sports Private Limited (Reliance Industries Ltd)
History
Mumbai’s star-studded line-up, which has featured the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya, first made a mark in 2010, when they finished runners-up. In the next two years, they strengthened their core by picking Rohit Sharma, Zaheer Khan and Kieron Pollard. Fast bowler Lasith Malinga proved his worth by winning the purple cap in the 2011 tournament and the Player-of-the-Series award in that year’s Champions League T20, which Mumbai won.
The highs
The four seasons from 2017 through 2020 were Mumbai’s best, when Rohit became arguably one of the best Indian T20 captains on the circuit. Once known as a team that left things too late to qualify, MI topped the table and won three times in those four years, to become the most successful IPL team.
The lows
The year 2022 was their worst season bar none, when Mumbai finished last of ten, their batting struggling and their poor auction strategies exposed. You’d have to go back to 2009 for anything like a comparably poor finish: they were seventh out of eight teams that year. They finished in fifth place in three seasons, 2018, 2016 and 2008.
Season by season
Tendulkar didn’t recover from a groin injury in time for the start of the tournament and was replaced as captain by Harbhajan Singh, who was then banned for slapping Kings XI Punjab’s Sreesanth after a game. Mumbai lost their first four matches, which had an impact on their failure to make the semis.
The tournament moved to South Africa for the season. Shaun Pollock retired as a player and became the franchise’s head coach. Malinga made his IPL debut, but the team relied too much on him and a few other big players, like Tendulkar and JP Duminy, and finished with five wins from 14 games.
The reliance on Tendulkar for runs continued, but their bowlers’ contributions took Mumbai to the top of the points table. Malinga, Harbhajan, Zaheer, and new recruit Pollard, took 62 wickets between them. Still, they couldn’t get past Super Kings in the final.
Mumbai retained Tendulkar, Harbhajan, Pollard and Malinga, and bought Rohit at the auction. Tendulkar scored his only T20 century, and Malinga (the purple cap holder) and Munaf Patel contributed 50 wickets, but they came up short against Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Chris Gayle in the qualifying final.
Tendulkar stepped down from the captaincy two days before the season opener, and later suffered an injured finger. Mumbai struggled to get a stable opening pair in his absence, and Mitchell Johnson missing the season compounded their problems. Under Harbhajan, they came undone against CSK in the eliminator, and finished third on the table.
Anil Kumble and John Wright took over coaching roles, and Ricky Ponting the captaincy. Bumrah made his debut. Ponting dropped himself mid-season, but under the leadership of Rohit, their top scorer that season, and thanks to Pollard’s blitzkrieg in the final, Mumbai lifted the title. Tendulkar then announced his IPL retirement.
An inconsistent season that started with five straight losses in the first leg in the UAE. Mumbai were fifth on the table before the last league game, in which they chased down 190 in 14.4 overs against Rajasthan Royals with a dramatic six from Aditya Tare. That allowed them to qualify for the playoffs, but they lost by seven wickets to Super Kings in the eliminator.
Another poor start – four losses in a row – but this time with a different ending. Malinga, Lendl Simmons and Mitchell McClenaghan led the campaign to give Mumbai nine wins in their last ten matches of the season. A clinical win over Super Kings in the final gave them their second title.
Mumbai bought high-profile players like Tim Southee and Jos Buttler, who didn’t live up to their billing. In an unimpressive season, they missed playoffs qualification for the first time since 2009, losing their last league game.
Mahela Jayawardene took over as coach. Hardik Pandya and Bumrah proved their worth with power-hitting and death bowling. Mumbai also registered their highest IPL total (223 vs Kings XI), and after ten wins in the league stage, they pulled off a last-ball win against Rising Pune Supergiant in the final.
Malinga joined the coaching staff as bowling mentor. Suryakumar Yadav, playing for Mumbai after six seasons, moved up to the opening spot and contributed over 500 runs. Legspinner Mayank Markande made a spectacular debut. But in the end, losing many close matches proved costly for Mumbai.
Rohit took the opening spot ahead of the 50-over World Cup and made over 400 runs. Quinton de Kock made 529. Alzarri Joseph took 6 for 12 in a game, then the best figures in the IPL. Bumrah and Malinga (who surprisingly returned as a player) took 35 wickets between them. Mumbai beat arch-rivals Super Kings by one run to clinch a record fourth title.
Mumbai were by far the most dominant side of the season. Rohit sat out a few games with a hamstring injury, but Mumbai marched to their fifth title nevertheless. They lost only five games, including two ties. Highlights included the performances of uncapped batters Suryakumar and Ishan Kishan, and of Trent Boult with the new ball.
The defending champions failed to make the playoffs after they left it to the very last day of the league stage to keep their bleak qualification chances alive. Mumbai’s season had been on track until the league moved from India to the UAE, where their top batters put their hands up too late and Boult couldn’t recreate the same magic as before in the powerplays.
Mumbai’s worst season, with just four wins, and the poorest net run rate on the table. They took nine matches for their first win, their big names, Rohit, Pollard and Kishan, didn’t fire, Suryakumar was got injured, and their auction strategy was questioned for not putting together an all-round team.
Mumbai had a rocky start to their season, winning only three of their first seven games. Their first-choice seamers were injured and Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma weren’t firing. However veteran legspinner Piyush Chawla made a memorable comeback, and youngsters like Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera and seamer Akash Madhwal took them to the playoffs. Suryakumar Yadav had another good year, and Cameron Green chipped in with bat and ball.
Key players
The franchise’s first icon player. Tendulkar adapted to the T20 format with his attacking game and was the leading scorer for Mumbai several times, scoring 2334 runs in the tournament in all, at an average of nearly 35.
Mumbai’s most important bowler and their leading wicket-taker, with 170. Apart from being highly economical, especially in the death overs, Malinga handed Mumbai many crucial wickets and turned decisive moments their way in big matches – most famously with a wicket off the last ball in the 2019 final.
Mumbai’s most valuable batter after Tendulkar and inarguably their best captain, with a record five titles. His experience of opening for India 2013 onwards worked well for Mumbai, though he has batted in the middle order too. Their overall top run-getter, his ability to score big helps Mumbai win matches when others anchor around him.
The team’s second-highest run getter and among their top wicket-takers, Pollard was at his best in big games, often winning matches single-handedly. He frequently surprised oppositions with his belligerent batting in the middle order.
Bumrah quickly became a crucial bowler for the side with Malinga, his mentor, coaching him in the art of bowling accurate yorkers. Among Mumbai’s top wicket-takers, Bumrah has played a key role in the opening and death overs for the side, particularly when defending modest totals.
Punjab Kings
Captain: Shikhar Dhawan
Coach: Trevor Bayliss
Home ground: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
IPL titles: 0
Owners: Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, Preity Zinta, Karan Paul
History
They had a promising start in the first season, but haven’t enjoyed consistent success, lacking a stable core. In October 2010, the IPL governing council expelled Punjab and Rajasthan Royals from the league, alleging transgression of shareholding and ownership norms. The matter reached the courts, and both franchises were reinstated, but the uncertainty affected Punjab’s plans for the auction in 2011, where they had a chance to rebuild their team. Their coach, Michael Bevan, was appointed just four days before the auction, and they ended up not retaining any players.
The highs
A new-look team, captained by George Bailey, set a scorching pace in 2014. Glenn Maxwell – who finished as Player of the Tournament – started with a slew of marauding innings, ably supported by David Miller. Punjab topped the table with 11 wins in 14 matches, but they narrowly lost the final despite piling up 199.
The lows
They finished as wooden spooners three times: in 2010, 2015 and 2016. The 2015 season was particularly galling, coming as it did after their best year. They won only three games and lost 11 in 2015.
Season by season
Shaun Marsh came to international attention with a blockbuster season, scoring 616 runs and driving Punjab to the knockouts. They won 11 of their 14 league games and lost to Chennai Super Kings in the semi-final by nine wickets.
They tied for points on the table with eventual champions Deccan Chargers but had a considerably lower net run rate, and so didn’t qualify for the semi-finals. Punjab didn’t have any standout performances in the tournament, played in South Africa, and they would have finished seventh if Mumbai Indians had not messed up a modest chase against them.
Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara made over 800 runs between them, and Irfan Pathan contributed all round, but Punjab seemed to lose the vital moments. They won only one out of their first eight games. The losses were often close, but without the points to show for it, they wilted, eventually finishing bottom of the heap.
Punjab missed out on a spot in the knockouts. Adam Gilchrist led a revamped team; Marsh remained and produced another stellar season. The rest of the batting and bowling was adequate and consistent without being spectacular, which reflected in their eventual position.
The bowlers, led by Parvinder Awana and Piyush Chawla, outperformed the batters this season, although their top scorer, Mandeep Singh, did get the Emerging Player of the Year award. Punjab finished sixth out of nine teams, though the teams placed fourth and fifth had only one point more.
The high point of their season came when David Miller announced himself on the big stage with a 38-ball unbeaten century against Royal Challengers Bangalore, but overall Punjab had a middling tournament, with eight wins and eight losses.
They were clear leaders in the group stage, with 11 wins. Maxwell and Miller had a great season with the bat; Virender Sehwag contributed a vital century in the second qualifier, but in the final, despite a hundred from Wriddhiman Saha, Punjab went down in a thrilling last-over finish against KKR.
Everything that could go pear-shaped did. Maxwell averaged 13 over 11 innings, and though Miller was their highest run-getter, he was a shadow of his 2014 self. Only three wins in the league stage meant Punjab were consigned to the bottom of the table.
Another dismal season. Punjab’s fortunes were reflected in their final league match, against Rising Pune Supergiant. Both teams were on eight points, battling to avoid a bottom finish, and Punjab seemed to have the upper hand defending 23 off the final over. But MS Dhoni hit a four and two sixes off the last three balls to seal victory for Pune.
Maxwell was made captain, and Punjab enjoyed a somewhat better season than their previous two, but they were bowled out for 73, their lowest total in the IPL so far, against Rising Pune Supergiant in a game they needed to win to be in contention for a playoff spot.
The squad underwent another change after another major auction, and R Ashwin was appointed captain. They won five of their first six matches but then found their fortunes reversed, getting a solitary win from their next eight games. The bright spot was KL Rahul’s 659 runs, the third highest aggregate of the season.
Punjab finished on six wins and 12 points, but one spot higher on the table than the previous year. If one close defeat had turned into victory, they would have been in the playoffs, but despite quality performances from Rahul, Ashwin and Mohammed Shami, they weren’t consistent enough.
Punjab ended the season with six wins and 12 points again. Their season was a rollercoaster, with just one win to show from several agonisingly close games in the first half, followed by five consecutive victories in a late surge for a playoff spot, but they were unable to sustain that momentum.
For the third straight season, they finished sixth on the table with 12 points. Nothing changed significantly from previous years: the openers still did the bulk of the scoring (Rahul finished among the top scorers in the tournament), and the side showed sparks of brilliance, but were not able to string enough solid performances together on the whole.
Finishing sixth for the fourth year in a row, Kings failed to capitalise on their big-hitting line-up. Seven wins proved not nearly enough in a ten-team season, with individual performances not translating into team effort. They were left to rue close losses, ending possibly one win away from a playoffs spot.
Punjab weren’t as poor as their position on the table suggests – they didn’t lose more than two games in a row at any point, but they never got a strong run going either. They missed the explosiveness of the injured Jonny Bairstow, and Liam Livingstone couldn’t play the first six games due to fitness issues. But two uncapped batters stepped up in their place, Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma
Key players
He was bought for Rs 11 crore ($1.7 million) in the 2018 auction and has been the leading run-scorer for the franchise in every season since, going on to become their all-time leading run getter in 2021. He was appointed captain for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, before moving to Lucknow Super Giants in 2022.
Bought at the very end of the 2018 auction, Gayle shrugged off some middling T20 returns to become a batting lynchpin for the side. He has scored over 1300 runs in 41 matches for them, and could have added to that tally had he not taken a break in the second leg of the 2021 season due to bubble fatigue.
Marsh did not have a single bad season in over ten years with the team, piling up runs quietly and effectively. His career took off on the back of the first IPL, but while he experienced ups and downs elsewhere, he was rock solid for Punjab, as nearly 2500 runs show.
Another batter who grabbed global attention with his feats for Punjab. He has even captained the team, though not with great success, and for eight seasons he was one of the few constants in a side otherwise in constant flux.
Rajasthan Royals
Captain: Sanju Samson
Coach: Kumar Sangakkara
Home ground: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
IPL titles: 1 (2008)
Owners: Manoj Badale, Lachlan Murdoch, RedBird Capital Partners
History
Royals had a reputation for their “Moneyball” strategy of budget-conscious buying, and for picking largely unknown talents and backing them. Over the years they unearthed such names as Ravindra Jadeja, Sanju Samson and Yusuf Pathan. However, they also made some of the biggest purchases of them all. They bought England allrounder Ben Stokes for Rs 12.5 crores (about US$1.7 million) and India left-arm fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat for Rs 11.5 crore ($1.6m), both in 2018; in 2021 they bought South Africa allrounder Chris Morris for Rs 16.25 crore ($2.2m) but they released him ahead of the 2022 auction.
The highs
The fairy-tale win in 2008 is what the franchise is best remembered for. That and for largely staying true to their vision of promoting and giving opportunities to a number of young, unknown talents over the years.
The lows
Royals have not been short on controversy over the years – the most serious of which was in the wake of three players, Sreesanth, Ajay Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, being arrested for spot-fixing. Following the report of the Lodha Committee, which was set up to look into the workings of the BCCI in the wake of the scandal, the board banned the franchise for two years, and one of its owners, Raj Kundra, for life. They also failed to make the playoffs for the third year in a row, finishing second-last on the table in 2021.
Season by season
Described as underdogs coming into the tournament, RR made headlines with a spectacular run, winning 11 out of 14 games in the group stage. Standout efforts from Watson, Sohail Tanvir, Pathan, and the captain, Warne, all through the season helped them lift the trophy, defeating MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings in the final.
Royals were without two of their best players from the previous year: Tanvir was ineligible after the BCCI banned Pakistani players from taking part in the IPL, and Watson missed out due to Australia commitments. They dropped seven players in the middle of the tournament, and finished with seven losses.
Pathan set the stage on fire in Royals’ season opener against Mumbai Indians, hitting the fastest IPL hundred at the time, off 37 balls, but his team fell short by four runs. They lost the next two games as well, but then had four wins on the trot, before losing five out of their next seven matches and finishing second from last on the table.
In what proved to be their last season under Warne, Royals started with a series of wins but were then derailed by heavy losses, including four in a row in the latter half of the group stage. They had Rahul Dravid, Ross Taylor and Paul Collingwood in their ranks, and had managed to buy back Shaun Tait, but they still only won six matches out of 14.
Another dismal season, with seven wins in 16 matches, though Ajinkya Rahane shone for the team. He scored a 66-ball 98 in the season opener and then 103 off 60 in a group game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, finishing with 560 runs in 16 matches for the season.
RR made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Watson, the Player of the Tournament for his 543 runs in 16 games, played a major role in their qualifying for the playoffs, where they won the eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad but lost to Mumbai Indians in the second qualifier.
Royals retained Samson, Rahane, Watson, James Faulkner and Stuart Binny, and bought Smith, Tim Southee, Karun Nair, Dhawal Kulkarni and Abhishek Nayar at the auction. Dravid stayed on as a mentor after retiring as a player. Royals ended up missing out on a playoffs spot due to a narrow net run rate difference with Mumbai Indians.
The team enjoyed their strongest start, with five straight wins. However, their momentum was thwarted by a few losses in the middle and a couple of abandoned matches. They still managed to finish in the top four but eventually lost in the eliminator to Royal Challengers Bangalore.
They returned from suspension but had a topsy-turvy season under Rahane. There were some brilliant individual performances but their two biggest buys – Unadkat and Stokes – failed to live up to their price tag, and RR crashed out of the playoffs in the eliminator against Kolkata Knight Riders, losing by 25 runs.
Going into the tournament, there were questions over Rahane’s position as captain and his middle-order spot. Royals stuttered again with five losses in their first six games, before Smith came in to lead midway through. Shreyas Gopal and Archer impressed, but Stokes’ returns were modest, and the team finished at No. 7 for the third time in their history.
Royals started well with wins in their first two games, but slumped after that, winning only four of their next 12 matches and finishing last on the table. Apart from Archer’s consistent brilliance with the ball and a few extraordinary individual performances, there was little to celebrate.
Yet another disappointing season, with just five wins in 14 games. They were without two of their biggest names, Archer and Stokes, for the entire tournament, and their other mainstay, Buttler, also pulled out of the UAE leg. They could never find the right combination as a result, and the captain, Samson, was left to do most of the work in the batting department.
Royals’ best season since 2008. While Buttler, who finished with 863 runs in 17 innings, was the key performer, their new-look bowling attack of R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna also came good. Buttler and Chahal, who finished as the top run scorer and wicket-taker of the season, were key in their making it to the final, where they lost to Gujarat Titans.
After winning all but one of their first five games, Royals flipped the script, winning just one of their next five. Yashasvi Jaiswal was a force for them, setting a record for the fastest IPL fifty (13 balls) and also making a hundred and an unbeaten 98. Jos Buttler, on the other hand, was a shadow of the player he was in 2022, finishing with three ducks in a row.
Key players
Watson was the player of the tournament in Royals’ successful first season, and he played for them until 2015, scoring 2372 runs, picking up 61 wickets, and starring in many of the team’s wins. When he retired from the game after the 2020 season, he was still No. 2 on Royals’ run-makers list and No. 1 on their wicket-takers list.
Rahane was picked by Royals as an uncapped player in 2011 and went on to become the franchise’s top run-scorer, with 2810 from 100 matches. Royals bought him back in 2018 when they returned from their ban, after his two seasons with Rising Pune Supergiant, but he had poor returns over the next couple of years and was released ahead of the 2020 auction.
The franchise bought Samson in 2013, when he was 18, and he immediately impressed with the bat and as keeper. He performed consistently in the next two seasons, and was signed again after the franchise’s return from their ban. Samson has been a mainstay of Royals’ batting since, and he is their top run-scorer of all time, with 3211 runs as at the end of the 2023 season.
Buttler impressed in his maiden season with the franchise in 2018, racking up 548 runs in 13 games. He was retained ahead of the 2022 auction for Rs 10 crore ($1.3 million) and he finished as the best batter of that season, with 863 runs at an average of 57.53 and a strike rate of 149.05. His four centuries in the season were the joint-most for any player in a T20 series or tournament.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Captain: Faf du Plessis
Coach: Sanjay Bangar
Home ground: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
IPL titles: 0
Owners: Diageo India Private Limited
History
The team was branded a Test XI in 2008, when they went big on players with experience, in the hope that they would adjust quickly to T20 too, but RCB managed to only cobble together four wins. The next three seasons, however, they turned things around with two runners-up finishes.
The highs
Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble helped RCB rise from near rock bottom in 2008 to runners-up in 2009. Chris Gayle orchestrated a magic run in 2011, almost single-handedly taking them to the final. Similarly, in 2016, Kohli transformed what was shaping up to be a mid-table finish into a sensational late dash to the final by scoring a record number of runs.
The lows
In 2008, RCB’s squad, heavy on Test veterans, found themselves chasing 223 in their first IPL game, and sent in Dravid and Wasim Jaffer, two doyens of red-ball cricket, to open. Midway through that season, their CEO, Charu Sharma, was sacked after a string of failures, director Martin Crowe resigned, and the franchise installed a new set-up. Since 2016, they changed coaches every season till Mike Hesson was appointed ahead of the 2020 edition.
Season by season
The team lacked depth, and the captain, Dravid, seemed under pressure all the time. Tactically they had a strong board but they lacked the personnel to challenge tall targets or set up scores. They ended a poor seventh, with just four wins in 14 games.
New captain Kevin Pietersen did little to change the notion of RCB being slow starters. By the time Kumble took over as captain, RCB had lost four games out of six, but he inspired a terrific turnaround, and the team made it to the final. Manish Pandey emerged as a star, scoring the first century by an Indian in the IPL.
RCB got to the semi-finals but then faltered against Mumbai Indians in a tall chase – though they then dismantled Deccan Chargers, the side they lost to in the 2009 final, in a third-place playoff. Robin Uthappa broke through with a run of consistent scores this season, but it proved to be his last year with the franchise.
Daniel Vettori took charge as captain but RCB started poorly again, with the batting failing to click. Then Gayle came into the side as a replacement for Dirk Nannes and made a bruising century against Kolkata Knight Riders, the franchise that released him. The top run-maker that year, he took RCB to the final, where they were blown away by Chennai Super Kings.
A topsy-turvy season came down to RCB needing a win in their final league game against the Deccan Chargers to make the playoffs, but they imploded in a low-scoring chase, taken apart by former RCB man Dale Steyn, who took 3 for 8. Gayle breached the 700-run mark this season and remained their best performer.
Another 700-plus-runs year for Gayle, including 175 not out against Pune Warriors, the highest individual score in T20 cricket. The season also marked a shift in leadership, with Kohli taking over during the season from Vettori, but the title continued to elude Royal Challengers.
Ray Jennings left as head coach and Vettori took his place. In the auction, RCB broke the bank for Yuvraj Singh, but he failed to deliver. Kohli had an ordinary season, Gayle worse, and RCB struggled, with just five wins. Still, Mitchell Starc’s arrival was something of a silver lining, and Yuzvendra Chahal emerged as a breakthrough star.
Dinesh Karthik was the big-ticket name this season, but he made only 141 runs in 11 innings and was promptly released. The bowling impressed, with good performances from Chahal, Starc, Harshal Patel and S Aravind. The batting continued to revolve around Gayle, Kohli and de Villiers, and they couldn’t pull off a win on a square turner in the qualifier against CSK.
Kohli made a little short of 1000 runs in the season, single-handedly turning the team’s fortunes around. After racking up five losses in their first seven games, they got all the way to the final, where they came up short against SRH in a big chase: Gayle and Kohli laid a good platform, but the middle order unravelled in the face of intense pressure.
Miserable batting performances defined this dismal year. Kohli, Gayle and de Villiers had injury concerns, and the latter two made just 416 runs between them at an average of under 25. There was simply too much pressure on the middle order, who succumbed. The end result was three wins in 14 games; the nadir was a 49 all-out against Kolkata Knight Riders.
No Gayle, so Kohli and de Villiers shouldered the run-making responsibility and scored 530 and 480 respectively. The next best among the middle-order batters was Mandeep Singh, with 252 runs. RCB’s inability to zero in on an ideal XI early cost them. They had a small chance of qualifying in their final game, against Rajasthan Royals, but crumbled.
Kohli took on most of the batting load again, with little support from the other batters. Death bowling remained a problem, the spinners struggled, and it left RCB with too much to do in the second half of the competition. Kohli was vocal about his frustration and helplessness and it led to a full overhaul of the coaching staff ahead of the 2020 season.
With seven wins in ten games, a top-two finish loomed, but they lost the next four games and only managed to get into the playoffs on net run rate. In the Eliminator, they ran into their bogey team – Sunrisers Hyderabad – and fell short. They ended the tournament with five losses on the trot.
RCB were within one hit of securing a top-two finish, but collapsed against Sunrisers Hyderabad to finish third, going into the Eliminator, where they came up against a resurgent KKR, who had won six of seven games to make it to the top four. RCB lost a tight game and Kohli bowed out of the side’s captaincy without a title under his belt.
After five wins in seven games they lost steam and by the end were in the familiar territory of having to win all their games and hope for the stars to align. They squeezed into the playoffs as the fourth qualifying side and beat Lucknow Super Giants to get past the Eliminator before being knocked out by Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2.
A misfiring middle order and lack of bowling support for Mohammed Siraj meant RCB missed the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. They won more away than at home, with narrow defeats to CSK and LSG at the Chinnaswamy proving to be the difference. Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis made 1369 runs between them, and with Glenn Maxwell, they contributed 70% of the team’s runs in 2023.
Key players
RCB jumped at the opportunity when Delhi passed up the chance to acquire the 2008 Under-19 World Cup-winning captain. Fifteen years on, Kohli remains the only player in the league to have played for only one franchise. In 2016 he scored a record 973 runs, with four centuries, to inspire RCB’s run to the final. In 2023, he was one of four players to make six or more fifties.
He joined the franchise in 2011 and became an integral part of the leadership group. He kept wicket until 2013, after which back injuries made him give up the gloves. He has often had to man an inexperienced middle order along with Kohli. When Aaron Finch was introduced into the mix, de Villiers was freed up to play the role of a finisher.
Gayle’s rise in the world of T20 leagues began in the 2011 IPL, when he joined RCB as a replacement player. He was the top run scorer in the league that year and the next. Back injuries affected his performances towards the latter part of his stint, and he was released at the end of the 2017 season – by when he had scored 3420 runs for them at a strike rate of just under 155.
Harshal first played in the IPL for RCB in 2012. But it wasn’t until 2021 that he truly made a mark, with a record-equalling 32 wickets in the season, which got him an India call-up at the age of 31. The following season he took 19, finishing among the top ten in the wickets table. He did slightly less well in 2023, with 14 wickets from as many games.
Having spent three years largely on the fringes at Mumbai Indians, Chahal was bought for Rs 10 lakh (about $16,000) in 2014 and went on to become RCB’s leading wicket-taker. He was the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament in 2016.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Captain: Aiden Markram
Coach: Brian Lara
Home ground: Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad
IPL titles: 1 (2016)
Owners: Sun TV Network
History
Despite inheriting a team (the new owners retained 20 players from the Chargers squad, including Kumar Sangakkara as captain) Sunrisers took some time to form a stable core. In the first two years they trialled four captains, Sangakkara, Cameron White, Daren Sammy and Shikhar Dhawan. While their bowling proved their stronger suit in general, they struggled to find their best XI.
The highs
In 2016, after finishing third on the points table, Sunrisers won three knockout games on the trot to clinch their maiden title. They also reached the final in 2018 despite the absence of Warner, their captain and best batter.
The lows
In 2021, SRH won just three of 14 games and finished at the bottom of the points table, beating their previous lows in 2014 and 2015, when they took sixth place. Two years later they finished tenth again.
Season by season
Sangakkara’s poor form led to him losing the captaincy midway to White and sitting out half of SRH’s matches. However, Sunrisers’ bowling, spearheaded by Steyn, ensured they finished mid-table in their debut season. They lost to Rajasthan Royals in the eliminator.
Sunrisers started the tournament with Dhawan as captain but handed over the reins to Sammy towards the end to allow Dhawan to focus on his batting. They couldn’t quite find the right balance, with Warner mostly batting in the middle order, and finished with just six wins from 14 games.
Warner took over the captaincy, but it did little to change the team’s fortunes, as SRH failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second successive year. This time they finished with seven wins from 14 matches. Warner himself was the top run getter in the tournament, though.
Their maiden IPL title. Warner was once again at the forefront, and found support from Dhawan, and from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mustafizur Rahman with the ball. After finishing third in the group stage, SRH beat Knight Riders in the eliminator, Gujarat Lions in the second qualifier, and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final.
The defending champions went out in the eliminator, though Warner won the orange cap and Bhuvneshwar the purple. The season also saw the IPL debuts of Mohammad Nabi and Rashid – Nabi won the Player-of-the-Match award in his second game and finished the tournament with 17 wickets from 14 matches.
After Warner was barred from the tournament because of his role in the Newlands ball-tampering incident, Williamson stepped in and led admirably. He topped the run charts with the bat and led the side to the final, where SRH came up short against Shane Watson and Chennai Super Kings.
Warner returned – though not as captain – and finished as the leading run-scorer of the tournament for the third time. He and Jonny Bairstow were exceptional as openers, but the middle order and seamers couldn’t quite build on their contributions. A superior net run rate helped them through to the playoffs, where they lost to Delhi Capitals in the eliminator.
With Warner back at the helm, Sunrisers overcame a spate of injuries to qualify for the playoffs for the fifth straight season. They lost to Capitals in the second qualifier but found new heroes in Jason Holder, Sandeep Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha and T Natarajan, who helped them bounce back after six defeats in the first nine games.
A season where little went right for Sunrisers. Warner struggled with the bat and lost his place in the side midway through the tournament. Williamson took over the captaincy but couldn’t turn things around. They lost eight of their first nine games and finished the season with the wooden spoon.
After losing their first two games, Sunrisers registered five consecutive victories, with their fast bowlers restricting opponents to below-par totals. But once the pitches eased out, their pace attack was no longer such a point of difference. This, coupled with Williamson’s poor form, meant they could win only one of their last seven games.
A third dismal season in a row for Sunrisers, who won just four of their 14 games (including two of their last ten) under new captain Aiden Markram. They even lost a game where Heinrich Klaasen made 104 off 51 balls for them. Apart from that display and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 16 wickets, the team’s year was singularly awful.
Key players
Steyn was the lynchpin around whom Sunrisers emerged as a bowling team. In 2013, his 19 wickets from 17 matches at an economy of 5.66 were instrumental in the side winning nine games – either by defending totals under 150 or after restricting oppositions to that much.
When Steyn’s form dipped after 2013, Bhuvneshwar picked up the baton. He was the leading wicket-taker for Sunrisers for four successive years, from 2014 till 2017, winning the purple cap in the last two. He also stood in as captain in 2019, when Williamson was injured.
Warner was easily the most prolific run-scorer for Sunrisers, topping the 500-run mark in six of his seven seasons with them. They won their first IPL title under him, and if there was one player fans associated most with Sunrisers, it was Warner.
Since his debut in 2017 till his last season with them in 2021, Rashid was the MVP for Sunrisers, with batters struggling against his quick legbreaks and googlies. Even when teams tried to play him out, he remained as threatening. His haul of wickets for the franchise is second only to Bhuvneshwar’s.
In his initial years with Sunrisers, Williamson didn’t get to play every match, but whenever he got a chance, he did commendably, be it with the bat – only Warner and Dhawan have more runs for Sunrisers – or while leading the side. When Warner wasn’t retained after the 2021 season, Williamson became the captain.