Worst Team in IPL History
| Team | Matches | Wins | Losses | Tie/NR | Win% |
| Punjab Kings | 198 | 91 | 107 | 0/0 | 45.90% |
| Delhi Capitals | 202 | 92 | 108 | 0/2 | 46% |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 203 | 96 | 103 | 0/4 | 48.20% |
| Rajasthan Royals | 168 | 84 | 82 | 0/2 | 50.60% |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 199 | 101 | 98 | 0/0 | 50.70% |
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been on for nearly 14 years and is gaining recognition every season. A total of 13 teams have taken part in the IPL since the tournament’s inception in 2008. There are currently eight teams involved in the cash-rich league, with the BCCI set to expand it to a 10-team tournament in 2022. Mumbai Indians are the most successful team in the tournament with five titles to their name, with Chennai Super Kings not far behind with three trophies. However, a few teams have been part of the IPL since the beginning, but their cupboards are still bare. Such a team can comfortably be ranked as the worst team in IPL.
The question then arises. Among the currently active teams, which is the worst team in IPL history? If we go only in terms of wins, Punjab Kings (formerly known as Kings XI Punjab) have the lowest win percentage since the start of IPL in 2008. Punjab Kings thus is the worst team in IPL history.
Here, we look at five teams that have the lowest win percentage in the IPL and are some of the worst IPL teams in the league’s history.
Note: All numbers are updated till the end of phase 1 of IPL 2021
1) Punjab Kings | Win% – 45.90
The team co-owned by Preity Zinta has shown a lot of spark since the inaugural edition of the IPL but has been very inconsistent. Apart from the 2014 season when they finished at the top of the table, Punjab Kings have qualified for the playoffs only once in 14 seasons. For a team that has boasted the likes of Kumar Sangakkara, Brett Lee, Chris Gayle and KL Rahul, that is a crazily low number.
Up until the start of IPL 2021, Punjab Kings has played 202 matches, of which they won 91 games and lost 107. That is a win percentage of only 45.90! Punjab Kings have always managed a great team, but they lose out with their consistency. They have not always had the best of local talent, and their foreign exports have more often than not failed to fire. It comes as no surprise that Punjab Kings are the worst team in IPL.
2) Delhi Capitals | Win% – 46%
The other team to have historically not done well in the IPL is Delhi Capitals. Founded in 2008 as Delhi Daredevils and owned by the GMR and JSW group, Delhi have had superstars galore in their unit. However, year after year, they were not able to crack the deal. AB de Villiers, David Warner, Andre Russell, Glenn Maxwell, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Glenn McGrath – you name a superstar and Delhi has had it in their lineup. But the title remains elusive.
In fact, until IPL 2020, Delhi was the only team to have the dubious record of not qualifying in the tournament’s final even once. They rectified that in 2020 reaching the final, but the team lost to Mumbai Indians in the final.
Having said that, Delhi has improved their lineup by a great deal over the last couple of years, and a few IPL titles do seem like coming their way soon. However, that does not change the fact that Delhi is one of the worst team in IPL history.
3) Royal Challengers Bangalore | Win % – 48.20%
A team led by the effervescent Virat Kohli and boasting of the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle and many others should not be on this list. But the unfortunate reality is that despite having such superstars in their unit, Royal Challengers Bangalore have never been able to win a single IPL title.
RCB, though have qualified for the finals of the IPL on three occasions – in 2009, 2011 and 2016. In 2009, they lost to Deccan Chargers in the final, while in 2011, they were defeated by Chennai Super Kings. In 2016 they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in a pulsating finale.
4) Rajasthan Royals | Win% – 50.60
The winner of the inaugural edition of the IPL, Rajasthan Royals, is the fourth team when it comes to the worst team in IPL. They started the IPL with a bang. Shane Warne led a young team to glory, but Rajasthan has not been able to repeat the heroics since then. In fact, they have been primarily average in the rest of the editions.
Since then, Rajasthan has had too many changes in its setup. From the captain to the members in the side, there has been no consistency. Rajasthan has always been too reliant on its foreign exports. In all, Rajasthan has played 168 matches in the IPL and has a win percentage of only 50.60, making it one of the worst teams in IPL.
5) Kolkata Knight Riders | Win % – 50.70
The Shahrukh Khan co-owned Kolkata Knight Riders should ideally not be on this list. The only reason they are here is because of the poor initial seasons. KKR is one IPL team that started slowly. They had forgettable seasons from 2008 to 2011, but once Gautam Gambhir took over the reins, Kolkata’s fortunes turned for the better.
With the talismanic left-hander at the helm, Kolkata won two titles in 2012 and 2014. They have, however, tapered off since and have not been as consistent. This is why one can find Kolkata’s name on the list of the worst team in IPL despite having won the title in two editions.
Which is the best team in IPL history?
If we talk about the best team in IPL, there is no looking beyond Mumbai Indians. The Rohit Sharma-led team has won the IPL title a record five times. Second on the list is Chennai Super Kings, who have won the title thrice. The two are certainly the most successful teams in the IPL with the most wins.
Also Read: From India to West Indies – T20 World Cup Winners List Over the Years
