Indian Premier League (IPL) describes one of the richest and most popular cricket leagues in the world. This is a domestic professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league in India, held each year. Combining sports, entertainment and global talent on a single platform has… Read More »
The full range of IPL from the starting point in 2008 until now including teams, captains, records, auctions & the budget etc – so what did you don’t know?
What is the IPL?
The IPL is a professional T20 cricket league run by BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) It comprises city-based franchise teams competing every year spanning the summer season, typically between March and May.
Players from across the globe come to play in this richest league, which include international stars from Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand West Indies, Afghanistan and other countries that play cricket.
The league hosts some of the fastest paced matches, largest sponsorship deals, and therefore a huge fan following.
When Did IPL Start?
IPL season first ever was played in 2008. Lalit Modi, who was the vice-president of the BCCI back then, brought up the concept of the league.
The first season started airing on 18 April 2008 and quickly grew in popularity with millions of people worldwide.
The First IPL Season (2008) Teams
The initial season of IPL had 8 teams. Each team represented a major city of India.
- Mumbai Indians — Captain: Sachin Tendulkar
- Chennai Super Kings – MS Dhoni (c)
- Kolkata Knight Riders – Captain: Sourav Ganguly
- Royal Challengers Bangalore – Captain — Rahul Dravid
- Rajasthan Royals – Captain — Shane Warne
- Kings XI Punjab – Captain: Yuvraj Singh
- Delhi Daredevils – (C) Virender Sehwag
- Deccan Chargers – VVS Laxman (then Adam Gilchrist)
IPL Season 1 Highlights: Winner
In 2008, the first IPL trophy was won by Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royals.
Current IPL Teams
That regular grueling pace began to build up more teams. As of today, the IPL has 10 teams:
- Mumbai Indians
- Chennai Super Kings
- Kolkata Knight Riders
- Royal Challengers Bangalore
- Rajasthan Royals
- Punjab Kings
- Delhi Capitals
- Sunrisers Hyderabad
- Gujarat Titans
- Lucknow Super Giants
How IPL Teams Are Formed
Each of the IPL teams are owned by a company or business group and play under its name, thus they are known as franchise-based teams. The franchises purchase the players through an IPL auction.
Team Owners Examples
Mumbai Indians – Reliance Industries
Chennai Super Kings – Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd
Kolkata Knight Riders – Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment
Royal Challengers Bangalore – United Spirits
Punjab Kings – Mohtisham Ali and partners
IPL Auction System
The player auction system is used to select players.
How Auction Works
- IPL auction registration Indore Players
- Every player has a base price.
- Teams bid for the player.
- Whoever bid the most gets to purchase that player.
- All teams work under a finite purse (budget).
IPL Auction Budget
The team budget budgets over the years.
Seasons in the recent past have been budgeted at nearly ₹100 crore per team.
It also requires teams to build a roster of about 18–25 players.
Overseas Player Rule
*** Maximum 8 overseas players in a team squad.
However, only 4 foreign players can be part of the playing XI in any game.
IPL Match Format
Tournament format of IPL → Round-robin and playoffs based
- Each team plays league matches.
- Playoff format: Top 4 qualify.
- Playoffs include:
- Qualifier 1
- Eliminator
- Qualifier 2
- Final
The team that wins the final is IPL Champion.
Most Successful IPL Teams
Two teams are more successful than others in IPL history:
Mumbai Indians – 5 titles
Chennai Super Kings – titles: 5
Other teams with titles include:
3 titles – Kolkata Knight Riders
Sunrisers Hyderabad – 1 title
Rajasthan Royals – 1 title
Deccan Chargers – 1 title
Gujarat Titans – 1 title
Most Runs in IPL History All Time
Leading run scorers in IPL history:
Virat Kohli – All-time leading run scorer in IPL
Shikhar Dhawan
Rohit Sharma
David Warner
Suresh Raina
Not the every team record: Virat Kohli—Most runs in a single IPL season (973 runs in 2016).
IPL All-Time Wicket Takers
The leading wicket takers include:
Most wickets in IPL historyYuzvendra Chahal
Dwayne Bravo
Lasith Malinga
Piyush Chawla
Amit Mishra
These guys have performed admirably over multiple seasons.
Purple Cap Winners (Players with Most Wickets per Season)
Purple Cap: This is awarded to a bowler for Most Wickets in a season.
2008 – Sohail Tanvir
2009 – RP Singh
2010 – Pragyan Ojha
2011 – Lasith Malinga
2012 – Morne Morkel
2013 – Dwayne Bravo
2014 – Mohit Sharma
2015 – Dwayne Bravo
2016 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar
2017 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar
2018 – Andrew Tye
2019 – Imran Tahir
2020 – Kagiso Rabada
2021 – Harshal Patel
2022 – Yuzvendra Chahal
2023 – Mohammed Shami
2024 – Harshal Patel
Orange Cap (Most Runs)
The Orange Cap: Awarded to the player with most runs in a season This award has been received by many great players including David Warner, Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and Jos Buttler.
Indian Premier League (IPL) Best Captains of all time
Some of the better performing captains are:
MS Dhoni – The best captain that IPL has ever seen
Rohit Sharma – 5 titles with Mumbai Indians
Gautam Gambhir – 2 titles with Kolkata Knight Riders
Shane Warne – The original title winner with Rajasthan Royals
Because these are the captains known for their leadership, strategy and cool under pressure.
Best Batsmen in IPL
Among the best batsmen to have featured in the IPL are:
Virat Kohli
Chris Gayle
David Warner
AB de Villiers
Suresh Raina
Rohit Sharma
These players have dazzled fans with their destructive batting and game-winning displays.
Best Bowlers in IPL
Among the top bowlers with most wickets in IPL history:
Lasith Malinga
Yuzvendra Chahal
Dwayne Bravo
Sunil Narine
Jasprit Bumrah
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
These are their wicket-takers and the men in charge of pressure.
Best Fielders in IPL
Fielding is also a significant factor in T20 cricket.



