The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one tournament that divides fans like no other. The mere mention of the IPL forms sides, with each claiming his favourite team to be the best. The IPL has reached cult status in its 13 years of existence. Rajasthan Royals won the first season in 2008, followed by Deccan Chargers in 2009 before Chennai Super Kings and later Mumbai Indians began their dominance like no other.
Over the years, the IPL trophy has changed hands plenty of times. Mumbai are the most successful side in the tournament and have won the trophy five times, followed by Chennai Super Kings (3) and Kolkata Knight Riders (2). Rajasthan, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad have won the trophy once each.
Out of the eight teams currently involved in the IPL, there are three teams that have never won the IPL ever. They are Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Capitals(formerly Delhi Daredevils). A few more teams have been part of the IPL for a certain length of time but are not in existence anymore – Chargers, Pune Warriors India, Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiant. Out of these, Deccan won the IPL once in 2009.
Teams with more than one IPL title:
Mumbai Indians (5), Chennai Super Kings (3), Kolkata Knight Riders (2)
Mumbai did not win a single IPL tournament in the first five IPL seasons, but once Rohit Sharma took over as captain, the whole scenario changed. They won their first IPL title in 2013 and added four more trophies to their illustrious cabinet in the subsequent seven years.
Chennai Super Kings have three IPL trophies in their kitty, which they won in 2010, 2011 and 2018. Barring 2020, CSK reached the playoffs in every season that they were part of. The MS Dhoni-led franchise is one of the most successful teams in the IPL.
Kolkata Knight Riders are the only other team to have more than one IPL tournament. They won the league in 2012 and 2014, both times under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir.
Which is the best team in the IPL?
Teams with one title:
Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Deccan Chargers
Rajasthan won the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008 with Shane Warne leading the team to glory. Deccan Chargers won the championship in 2009. Sunrisers Hyderabad, led by David Warner, won in 2016.
Which teams have never won the IPL? Let’s find it out.
Teams with no IPL titles:
Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Capitals
RCB:
It is a mystery why and how the Bangalore-based franchise have not won a single edition of the IPL. Since the first year, RCB have boasted of some of the biggest names in world cricket. They have put up a strong line-up season after season, but somehow, the trophy remains elusive. The closest they reached to winning the trophy was in 2009, 2011 and 2016 when they finished runners-up.
Rahul Dravid, Kevin Pietersen, Anil Kumble and Daniel Vettori led the team in the initial years before Virat Kohli took over the captaincy in 2011. Under Kohli’s leadership, RCB reached the final of the IPL in 2011 and then again in 2016.
RCB probably have had the best batting line-up in IPL history. The likes of Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, Shane Watson, Yuvraj Singh have all graced the side at some point. Even in the bowling department, they have had players such as Dale Steyn, Zaheer Khan and Kumble in the mix. Yet, why RCB have not won a single IPL tournament remains a question unanswered.
Delhi Capitals:
Formerly known as Delhi Daredevils, the Delhi franchise changed their name in 2018, but there was no luck change. They qualified for the final in IPL 2020, but Mumbai proved too strong for them.
Delhi came into the IPL as a power-packed side. They had the likes of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir at the top and made the semi-finals of the IPL in the first two years. However, in the next nine seasons, they could only make it to the playoffs once.
The reason behind Delhi’s inability to win an IPL title can be their inconsistency. They have never managed a settled squad, while the captaincy has shifted hands multiple times from Virender Sehwag to Zaheer Khan to Kevin Pietersen. However, since Shreyas Iyer has come on board, it seems Delhi have finally found a good leader. They made their presence felt in the 2020 edition and will look to up their game even more in 2021.
Kings XI Punjab:
KXIP have been part of the IPL since 2008 and are one the weakest units of the tournament. In 13 seasons, they have made it to the playoffs only twice, in 2008 and 2014. Punjab were semi-finalists in the inaugural season and runners-up in 2014. The 2014 season was by far Punjab’s best and they should have won the IPL title if not for a freak innings from Manish Pandey.
One of the biggest reasons behind Punjab’s inability to win an IPL trophy is not having a core squad. Since the first year, they have had various captains and coaches. Adam Gilchrist, Virender Sehwag, Kumar Sangakkara, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, Murali Vijay, R Ashwin – the list of Punjab captains is a never-ending one.
KXIP are now captained by KL Rahul and while there has been an improvement in the squad, the results have remained the same.
Will we see a new winner in IPL 2021 or will the usual suspects take the trophy home once again? Let us know what you think.
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