The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been around for 13 years now and is a common talking point among cricket-obsessed Indians. Do you know who has won the maximum number of IPL titles?
The inaugural edition of the IPL was won by a Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals and since then the trophy has changed hands plenty of times. Deccan Chargers, who are no longer a franchise at the IPL, won in 2009 followed by Chennai Super Kings in 2011 and 2011 and Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012.
In 2013, there was a shift in the Mumbai Indians leadership with Rohit Sharma handed over the reigns. Since then Mumbai Indians seems to have turned over a new leaf. From 2013 to 2020, Mumbai Indians have won the IPL title five times and are the most successful team in the tournament.
No other team in the history of the IPL has more titles than Mumbai Indians. They are followed by Chennai Super Kings, who have won the IPL title three times. Let’s have a closer look at all the teams that have won the IPL title and how many times.
1) Mumbai Indians
Number of Indian Premier League titles – 5 (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020)
It comes as no surprise that Mumbai Indians have won maximum number of IPL titles. They have one of the most astute captains the game has seen in Rohit Sharma and an extremely professional setup in place.
Mumbai first won the IPL in 2013 when they defeated Chennai Super Kings in a hard-fought final by 23 runs. Their second title came in the year 2015 and they achieved it by once again getting the better of Chennai Super Kings in the final. Led by quick fire half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and Lendl Simmons, Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings by 41 runs.
The next time Mumbai Indians lay their hands on the trophy was in 2017 when they beat Rising Pune Supergiant by one run in a heart-stopping final held in Hyderabad. Krunal Pandya was named Player of the Match while Ben Stokes took the Player of the Series award.
Mumbai Indians won their fourth IPL title in 2019 as they once again beat Chennai Super Kings by one run in Hyderabad. The win was orchestrated by Jasprit Bumrah’s miserly two-wicket spell and he was also named Player of the Match for his efforts. Mumbai Indians then broke their streak of winning in alternate editions when they beat Delhi Capitals in IPL 2020 by 5 wickets. Trent Boult was named Player of the Match for his three wickets in the final. Jofra Archer took the Player of the Series trophy.
2) Chennai Super Kings
Number of Indian Premier League titles – 3 (2010, 2011, 2018)
Chennai Super Kings are one of the finest teams in the history of IPL. They have won the coveted trophy three times all under the leadership of MS Dhoni.
Before the rise of Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings held the distinction of winning maximum number of IPL titles. They won their first IPL title in 2010 defeating Mumbai Indians by 22 runs. Suresh Raina was the architect of the win and he was named Player of the Match for his efforts. The Player of the Series trophy was taken by Sachin Tendulkar.
Chennai Super Kings then won again in 2011 when they beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by a margin of 58 runs. Here, it was Murali Vijay who courtesy his phenomenal 52-ball 95 took the Yellow Brigade to a win. Chennai Super Kings had a tumultuous six years after this in which they did not win a trophy. They were also suspended for two years.
However, they came back with a bang post their ban in 2018 and defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final. Riding on the back of a scintillating 117 by Shane Watson, Chennai Super Kings won IPL 2018 by 8 wickets. Watson won the Player of the Match for his century as Chennai Super Kings became the first team to be crowned IPL winners three times.
Read more: How many times have CSK won the IPL?
3) Kolkata Knight Riders
Number of Indian Premier League titles – 2 (2012, 2014)
Kolkata Knight Riders have also had their moment under the sun as far in the cash-rich cricket league. After a forgettable few years, Kolkata got themselves a new captain in Gautam Gambhir and he almost single-handedly turned the side’s fortunes around.
Kolkata Knight Riders first won the IPL in 2012. Chennai Super Kings, thanks to a Suresh Raina special, had posted a daunting 190/3 in their 20 overs. However, they were blown away by a Manvinder Bisla special. The Kolkata Knight Riders opener smoked 89 off just 48 deliveries helping his side win by 5 wickets. Bisla was named Player of the Match while Sunil Narine won the Player of the Series in 2012.
Kolkata then won the IPL again in 2014 beating Kings XI Punjab by 3 wickets. Aided by a breathtaking century by Wriddhiman Saha, Kings XI Punjab posted a mammoth 199/4 in their 20 overs. Surely they would have thought, they had done enough especially being a final. Manish Pandey though had other ideas. The youngster smashed 94(50) helping Kolkata win their second IPL title and was unsurprisingly named Player of the Match.
4) Rajasthan Royals, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad
Number of Indian Premier League titles – 1 each
There are three teams that have won the IPL on one occasion each. Rajasthan Royals won the inaugural edition of the league in 2008. Led by Shane Warne, they defied all expectations and defeated Chennai Super Kings by 3 wickets in the final.
The now-defunct Deccan Chargers won the second edition of the IPL that was held in South Africa, in 2009. With Adam Gilchrist at the helm, Deccan Chargers masterfully defended 143/6 against Royal Challengers Bangalore and won by 6 runs. The Chargers were dissolved by the BCCI in 2012 for breaching contract terms.
Sunrisers Hyderabad are the other side to have won the IPL and once again it was an Australian captain leading the side to victory in 2016. Warner and Ben Cutting helped Hyderabad register a strong 208/7 before the bowlers restricted Royal Challengers Bangalore to 200/7 and win by 8 runs. Ben Cutting was named Player of the Match for his all-round shown while Virat Kohli won the Player of the Series trophy.
The 2021 edition of the IPL is almost upon us. The last four seasons have seen repeated winners but most of the other teams are certainly catching up. Do you think we will witness a new winner in 2021 or will one of the previous title-holders once again reign supreme?
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