The IPL What You Need To Know
The IPL stands for Indian Premier League, the leading domestic cricket competition in India and arguably across the world. Ten teams from India compete against each other and this is an annual Twenty20 tournament which is hugely popular, with a total of seventy-four matches being played before a champion is crowned.
Sometimes the competition is known as IPL 15 and the first edition of the Indian Premier League was played in 2008. There was a growing demand for a professionalised cricket tournament and it was clear that the popularity of the Twenty20 format was going to lead to a number of big money franchises getting themselves set up.
Over the years, we have seen several franchises come and go as part of the IPL. The current format of the tournament will see games played on a round robin basis, although the teams are split evenly between two groups. IPL teams in the same group will play each other twice as opposed to once if teams are not in the same group.
Mumbai Indians have currently been the most successful team in IPL history and they have claimed the championship on five different occasions, although the 2021 IPL success for the Chennai Super Kings was their fourth success in the competition and this is a competition that grows in popularity from a betting point of view.
Virat Kohli currently stands as the leading run scorer after racking up 6,283 runs and the 33-year-old is regarded as one of the best players of his era. Meanwhile, Dwayne Bravo has racked up over 170 wickets and the West Indian continues to operate in the Indian Premier League despite having announced a retirement which was later reversed.
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The Auction/Franchises
Before every Indian Premier League cricket season, there comes the important matter of deciding which players will be representing certain teams. An auction takes place for a number of players where the franchises bid on a selection of players and hope to secure their main targets who can get added to their roster for the coming campaign.
There are essentially three different ways that an IPL franchise can land themselves a player. There is the annual player auction where the franchises bid against each other to capture the star names. Alternatively, there is the opportunity to trade players with other teams when certain trading windows open up. Finally, replacements can be sought if players become unavailable for any particular reason.
There are certain rules in place which means that there’s a limit to the number of players that can be signed by any particular club. There are also financial restrictions in place to try and make everything a fairer playing field. The strength of squad must be between 18 and 25 players, while an IPL franchise is only able to have eight overseas players.
The salary cap of the entire squad must not exceed ₹850 million which means that wages have to be a careful consideration of any Indian Premier League club when they are looking to sign players for their teams. Similarly, clubs cannot buy Under-19 players unless they have already played first-class cricket or the List A alternative.
When it comes to the starting 11 selected by any IPL team for a particular match, there can be no more than four overseas players in the side. Every player’s contract can last no more than one calendar year, although signing a player means that there is an option further down the line to sign a contract extension by one year or two years.
In 2022, the most expensive IPL player in the auction was Ishan Kishan, with the Mumbai Indians spending 15.25 crore on this player, while Chris Morris was an even more expensive capture for the Rajasthan Royals in the previous year when costing 16.25 crore and he remains the record IPL auction signing.
The IPL Teams
Chennai Super Kings
The Super Kings were founded in 2008 and they play in the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai which has a capacity of 50,000. They have enjoyed four Indian Premier League wins, with successes coming in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021. India Cements are the owners of this franchise, with the team enjoying a rivalry with Mumbai Indians.
Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals are another founding member of the IPL who have stood the test of time, with this team playing at Arun Jaitley Stadium as their home ground. They are owned by Sajjan Jindal and G M Rao, with the team having originally been known as the Delhi Daredevils. Virender Sehwag is a notable operator for Delhi and he featured for the team in the opening couple of seasons.
Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans are a relatively new IPL brand having been founded in 25 October 2021, with CVC Capital Partners behind this Indian Premier League franchise. The team play at the Narendra Modi Stadium, with the club making their bow in the 2022 competition. Hardik Pandya will make history as the team’s first ever captain, while the franchise also picked Shubman Gill and Rashid Khan.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders is one of the biggest IPL franchises and was recently valued at over $100 million, with Red Chillies Entertainment and the Mehta Group the two owners of a club who are always competitive in the Indian Premier League. The Knight Riders have won the 2012 and 2014 titles, with the team playing their home matches at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Lucknow Super Giants
Lucknow Super Giants are a relatively new name in the world of IPL, with this being one of the latest franchises to win a bid and join the Indian Premier League. The team play at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium which has a capacity of 50,000, with RPSG Group being the owner of this franchise. Andy Flower was hired as coach of the team in their inaugural season, while KL Rahul was the first ever captain.
Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians play at the Wankhede Stadium and they are one of the original founding members of the Indian Premier League. Reliance Industries are the owner of arguably the most famous IPL team, with the team having racked up five IPL wins already which makes them the most successful club in the history of this tournament. In 2017, they made history by crossing the $100 million valuation mark.
Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings are a well-supported IPL team who play the majority of their home matches at the Inderjit Singh Bindra Stadium in Mohali. Mohit Burman is one of four different owners of an IPL franchise who have been in operation since 2008, with the team originally having started out as Kings XI Punjab. They are still awaiting their first ever IPL success, having finished runner-up in 2014 although they have regularly struggled to make the play-offs at the end of the season.
Rajasthan Royals
Manoj Badale and his company Emerging Media are the major shareholder of the Rajasthan Royals, with the team playing their home cricket at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. They play in a pink and navy blue kit and made history by becoming the inaugural winners of the IPL when triumphing under the captaincy of Shane Warne. They also finished runners-up in the Champions League in 2013.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore are one of the founding members of the Indian Premier League, having been formed in 2008. United Spirits Limited are the owners and their leading liquor brand is Royal Challenge which gives the team its name. Throughout Indian Premier League history, the team has played its home matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium and they have been runners-up on three different occasions.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
This is a team that play their IPL cricket at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad, with the Orange Army having been founded in 2012 and they continue to prosper in this Twenty20 competition. They made history in the 2016 IPL when becoming champions for the first time, with the SUN Group the owners of this franchise and they are regularly competitive.
The IPL Format
There are ten teams who compete in the Indian Premier League each season. The format is a round robin which means the sides will meet each other at least once. However, five IPL teams are put into Group A and five sides are put into Group B. The teams who are in the same group will meet on a home and away basis, rather than just a solitary meeting.
When all of the round robin matches of the IPL have been played, then the top four teams qualify for the IPL play-offs. The leading two teams go through to the Qualifier 1, while the third and fourth-placed sides go through to something called the Eliminator. As the latter name suggests, this is a straight shoot-out for the honour of remaining in the competition.
Meanwhile, the Qualifier 1 will determine the first finalist and the losing team from this match will then go through to the Qualifier 2 match. This game is now a straight shootout between the winner of the Eliminator and the loser of Qualifier 1. They will then go through to compete in the final.
Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are the most successful IPL teams, with the former having landed five titles compared to their rivals’ four titles. However, the Super Kings have reached a record nine IPL finals and been runner-up on five occasions, which is an incredible achievement considering that the competition has been formed since 2008.
Next in the pecking order come the Kolkata Knight Riders, with this franchise having won the 2012 Indian Premier League title before doubling their tally in 2014. There are three other teams who have been successful and that includes the Deccan Chargers who no longer operate in the tournament. Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad are other champions.
IPL Winners Record
Year | Winner |
2008 | Rajasthan Royals |
2009 | Deccan Chargers |
2010 | Chennai Super Kings |
2011 | Chennai Super Kings |
2012 | Kolkata Knight Riders |
2013 | Mumbai Indians |
2014 | Kolkata Knight Riders |
2015 | Mumbai Indians |
2016 | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
2017 | Mumbai Indians |
2018 | Chennai Super Kings |
2019 | Mumbai Indians |
2020 | Mumbai Indians |
2021 | Chennai Super Kings |
2022 | Gujurant Titans |
2023 | Chennai Super Kings |
Records
Batting Records
Most Runs – Virat Kohli – 6,624 – Royal Challengers Bangalore
Highest Individual Score – Chris Gayle – 175* v Pune Warriors India (2013) – Royal Challengers Bangalore
Highest Partnership – Virat Kohli & AB de Villiers – 229 v Gujarat Lions (2016) – Royal Challengers Bangalore
Most Centuries – Chris Gayle – 6 – Kolkata Knight Riders/ Royal Challengers Bangalore/ Punjab Kings
Most Half Centuries – David Warner – 55 – Delhi Daredevils/ Sunrisers Hyderabad
Most Sixes – Chris Gayle – 357 – Kolkata Knight Riders/ Royal Challengers Bangalore/ Punjab Kings
Bowling Records
Most Wickets – Dwayne Bravo – 183 – Mumbai Indians/ Chennai Super Kings/ Gujarat Lions
Best Bowling Figures – Alzarri Joseph – 6/12 v Sunrisers Hyderabad (2019) – Mumbai Indians
Fielding Records
Most Dismissals (wicketkeeper) – MS Dhoni – 170 – Chennai Super Kings/ Rising Pune Supergiant
Most Catchers (fielder) – Suresh Raina – 109 – Chennai Super Kings/ Gujarat Lions
Team Records
Highest Total – Royal Challengers Bangalore – 263/5 (20) v Pune Warriors India (2013)
Lowest Total – Royal Challengers Bangalore – 49 (9.4) v Kolkata Knight Riders (2017)
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