The “Man of the Tournament” is one of the most prestigious awards in any form of the game. Cricketers look to emerge as the best player in the tournament they play.
Indian Premier League (IPL) has also seen cricketers going away with the prestigious award over the years.
The Man of the Tournament award was renamed the Most Valuable Player award in 2013. The latter was based on the rating system, and the person with the highest rating received the award.
We have seen some tremendous performances over this years in this prestigious league.
However, simply based on his awards the overseas cricketers have dominated the tournament as only two Indians features in this list.
Here is the list of Most Valuable Players across all the ten seasons:
2008: Shane Watson (Rajasthan Royals)
Waston’s all-round performance was crucial in helping Rajasthan lift the first-ever IPL title. His flexibility with both bat and ball gave the Jaipur based team a lot of advantage.
With the bat, he scored 472 runs at an exceptional average of 47.20 and a staggering strike-rate of 151.76.
Meanwhile, with the ball in hand, he took 17 wickets during the tournament with best figures of 3/10. Despite bowling in the powerplay and at the death, his economy was just over seven.
2009: Adam Gilchrist (Deccan Chargers Hyderabad)
The Australian wicket-keeper batsman left his mark in the IPL as he became the second highest run-getter in 2009.
Gilchrist scored 495 runs in the tournament at an average of 30.39 and a strike-rate of 152.30. He hit 29 sixes, which was the highest by any player.
Along with it, he lived up to his reputation behind the stumps affecting 18 dismissals.
He also led his team to their maiden IPL title.
2010: Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai Indians)
The master blaster became the first Indian to become the recipient of this award.
Sachin was the highest run-getter in the tournament as he amassed 618 runs at a very healthy average of 47.53.
Also, he led his team to the final and eventually won the title.
2011: Chris Gayle (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
The giant-sized Windies batsmen set the IPL stages on fire when he returned to IPL as a replacement. Meanwhile, Gayle went unsold at the auctions after Kolkata Knight Riders kept him out of the squad.
Gayle finished the season as the highest run scorer. The Jamaican scored 608 runs with an average of 67.55 at a mind-blowing strike-rate of 183.13.
The southpaw racked up 44 sixes, 21 more than the second best. Along with it, he struck two swashbuckling hundreds.
Although RCB lost in the finals, it was Gayle’s best season so far.
2012: Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Narine took the cricketing world by storm with his unique bowling action. KKR took the opportunity and got the best results.
Narine took 24 wickets in 15 matches at an outstanding average of 13.50. The off-spinner bowled at an economy rate of 5.47.
His best figures of 5/19 came against KXIP at the Eden Gardens.
Meanwhile, KKR banked on Narine to win the season eventually.
2013: Shane Watson (Rajasthan Royals)
Watson became the only player to win the award twice when he won it in 2013. The all-rounder’s all-round won him the most valuable player award.
Watson hammered 543 runs at an average of 38.78 and a strike-rate of 142.89. His highest score of 101 came against CSK at the Chidambaram Stadium. Also, he was the fifth highest run scorer in that season.
However, with the ball, he claimed 13 wickets with best figures of 3/22.
2014: Glenn Maxwell (Kings XI Punjab)
Maxwell played a crucial role to take Kings XI Punjab in the final of 2014 edition. The Australian cricketer took aggression to a whole new level and got out in the 90s three times.
Maxwell scored 552 runs in the 16 matches he played at an average of 34.50. He also registered the highest number of sixes in that edition.
2015: Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders)
The hard-hitting all-rounder from Windies set the IPL on fire his blistering performances. He rose up to the occasion when his team needed the most.
Russell scored 326 runs at an average of 36.22 with a strike rate of 192.89. He smashed 19 sixes and 35 fours in the eleven innings that he played.
Russell also bagged 14 wickets with best figures of 3/32. Bowling in the death overs, he returned with a brilliant economy of 8.
2016: Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Virat Kohli was invaluable for Bangalore in 2016 edition of the league. During his outstanding season, Kohli broke an array of records.
The run-machine notched up 973 runs at a staggering average of 81.08 with a strike rate of 152.03. He also broke the record for ‘most number of runs in a season’ by a margin of 240.
Kohli scored four centuries and seven half-centuries in the 16 matches he played. He also achieved the distinction of hitting the most number of sixes in the tournament.
2017: Ben Stokes (Rising Pune Supergiant)
The cricketing world kept buzzing when Pune Supergiant bought Stokes for Rs.14.5 crore. However, Stokes made sure the money did not go in vain.
In the 10th edition of the cash-rich league, the all-rounder scored 316 runs in 11 innings at an average of 31.60. He also scored a blistering hundred against Gujarat Lions including seven fours and six sixes.
With the ball, he returned with 12 wickets with the best figure of 3 for 18. He was pivotal for Pune as they went to the final before losing out.
