Indian Premier League: Previous winners over the years

Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians are the two most successful teams of the Indian Premier League.

With three titles each, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians are the two most successful teams of the annual Indian Premier League [IPL]. Among the current lot of participating eight teams, three are yet to lift the trophy including Delhi Capitals (erstwhile Delhi Daredevils), Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab.

Here’s a look at the previous winners across the past 11 editions of the IPL gone by.

IPL 2008 – Rajasthan Royals [Player of the tournament – Shane Watson]

A year after India’s win in the inaugural ICC World T20, the IPL was launched with much fanfare and the season turned out to be fairy-tale ride for Rajasthan Royals [RR]. The unfancied unit, under the leadership of player and mentor Shane Warne threw the predictions out of the window to become the champions beating CSK in a thrilling finale at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. RR won 11 of their 14 matches with their three defeats coming against Delhi, Punjab and Mumbai. The table-toppers RR would later thrash Delhi in a one-sided semi-final before chasing down 164 against CSK in the summit clash off the final delivery to emerge as the winners.

IPL 2009 – Deccan Chargers [Player of the tournament – Adam Gilchrist]

The bandwagon moved out of India due to general elections and South Africa hosted the second edition. Another rag to riches story unfolded. Deccan Chargers finished at the bottom of the standings in the first edition and then went on to become second ever winners next season. They finished the group stages at the fourth spot after losing their final league match to RCB and thus squared of against DD who finished the league stage at the top. Gilchrist blasted 85 off 35 as Chargers beat Daredevils by six wickets. In the finale, they edged past RCB for a six-run win to emerge champions

IPL 2010 – Chennai Super Kings [Player of the tournament – Sachin Tendulkar]

Third time lucky. CSK finished runners-up in the first season, lost in the semis in the second year before finally finishing ahead of everyone to take home the silverware. They needed to win their final league match, against KXIP, which they did with an unbeaten 54 from captain MS Dhoni. Four teams were in contention for two semi-final spots having 14 points each. CSK finished third on net-run rate basis to progress alongside RCB and DD. They knocked out defending champions DC in the semis before Suresh Raina starred in 22-run win against MI to bring them the title glory.

IPL 2011 – Chennai Super Kings [Player of the tournament – Chris Gayle]

The IPL family welcomed two new members – Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Pune Warriors India. The tournament became a 10-team affair and to limit the number of matches, a new format was introduced, diving teams into two groups. Semi-finals gave way to playoffs. RCB topped the standings with 19 points followed by CSK, MI and KKR. CSK went on to become the first team to defend their title. They beat RCB in the first qualifier entering the final whom they would beat again in the final in Chennai in a one-sided affair. DD took the wooden spoon.

IPL 2012 – Kolkata Knight Riders [Player of the tournament –Sunil Narine]

Despite boasting of some of the biggest names in T20 cricket, KKR had endured season after season of underwhelming performances. They made some inspired changes at the top including Gautam Gambhir, a process that bore rich dividends soon when they knocked crushed CSK’s hopes of a hat-trick of IPL titles. With 10 wins from 16 matches, KKR sailed to the playoffs having finished second in the standings. Yusuf Pathan, Jacques Kallis and Sunil Narine starred as they beat DD in the first qualifier. In a thrilling final, they stopped the CSK juggernaut when unheralded Manvinder Bisla struck 89 off 48 neutralising the whirlwind 38-ball 73 from Suresh Raina in a successful chase of 191. KKR won by five wickets for their maiden trophy.

IPL 2013 – Mumbai Indians [Player of the tournament: Shane Watson]

Separated by only the net-run rate [NRR] in the league stages while occupying the top-two positions, CSK and MI fittingly contested for the trophy. Both teams, with 11 wins against their names, finished with 22 points but Dhoni’s CSK took the top spot with a superior NRR. They met in the first qualifier where CSK sealed a comfortable 48-run win to book a third straight final. MI faced RR in the second qualifier where they frittered a solid start losing their way in the death overs. However, small but vital contributions ensured they ticked along before Harbhajan struck the winning four off the penultimate delivery. Boosted by their thrilling win against former champions and with revenge on their minds, MI met CSK for one last time where they defended 148 for their first every IPL title. Sachin Tendulkar also announced his IPL retirement, signing off on a high.

IPL 2014 – Kolkata Knight Riders [Player of the tournament: Glenn Maxwell]

Having finished a disappointing seventh during the previous season when they were the defending champions, KKR had a point to prove. With nine wins, they took the second spot in the standings. They pipped toppers KXIP in the first qualifier at Eden Gardens to make their second final. They again met KXIP who had earlier beaten CSK in a high-scoring second qualifier to enter a first ever IPL final. A century from Wriddhiman Saha propelled them to a huge 199/4. Manish Pandey them struck 90 off 54 with KKR hunting down 200 in 19.3 overs in Bengaluru, emulating CSK to have won the title multiple times.

IPL 2015 – Mumbai Indians [Player of the tournament: Andre Russell]

It was a season to remember for MI. They lost five of their first six matches and were early contenders for the wooden spoon. Then came a remarkable turnaround and they went on the win their next five matches. RCB ended their winnings run in Mumbai before they were back on the winning track with three straight victories – the last of which sealed a knockout berth. They finished second with 16 points. In the first qualifier, they got the better of CSK before crushing them in the final by 41 runs. They thus became the third IPL team to have won IPL twice.

IPL 2016 – Sunrisers Hyderabad [Player of the tournament: Virat Kohli]

Two new teams entered IPL fray replacing the suspended CSK and RR. Gujarat Lions [GL] and Rising Pune Supergiant [RPS] were the new entrants. GL made a splashing start to their maiden season, topping the league stage under the captaincy of Suresh Raina. It was a season when Virat Kohli went berserk, hitting four centuries to finish with 973 runs across the season powering RCB into the final. SRH, finished third behind RCB separated by NRR. The two teams eventually locked horns in the summit clash which turned into a high-scoring encounter. David Warner took SRH to 208/7 and RCB fell short by eight runs. SRH thus clinched their maiden IPL title.

IPL 2017 – Mumbai Indians [Player of the tournament: Ben Stokes]

MI won 10 of their 14 league matches – one in Super Over. They topped the charts, faced RPS in the first qualifier but lost. They got one more chance to make the final which they capitalised on beating KKR in a dominating performance. And then followed one of the most memorable finals in IPL’s history. MI opted to bat and were restricted to 129/8 in Hyderabad. Ajinkya Rahane and captain Steven Smith put RSP in a strong position. Mitchell Johnson bowled MI back into the contest by first breaking the dangerous stand and then defended 11 runs in the final over despite conceding a four off the first delivery. RSP lost three wickets in that over including that of Smith on 51. MI won by one-run to become the most successful IPL team in history with third title.

IPL 2018 – Chennai Super Kings [Player of the tournament: Sunil Narine]

CSK and RR returned after two-year suspension. And on comeback, both the teams put up impressive shows. With nine wins, CSK finished second while RR took the fourth spot with seven wins. They locked horns with SRH in the first qualifier and Faf du Plessis scored an unbeaten half-century to guide them to a record-extending seventh final appearance with a two-wicket win. SRH beat KKR in the second qualifier to join CSK at Wankhede Stadium for the title clash. They posted a competitive 178/6 and then were caught in a storm which was the doing of veteran Shane Watson who blazed his way to an unbeaten century – 117 off 57 as CSK hunted down the target without dropping a sweat to make a remarkable return to the league with a third IPL trophy to their cabinet.