Indian Premier League 2021 (IPL 2021)

The Board of Control for Cricket in India made an announcement to launch the Indian Premier League (IPL) on 13 September 2007. The inaugural edition of the Twenty20 showpiece started in April 2008 and went on to change the game. Meanwhile, former BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi was the man behind the idea. The owners of the Indian Premier League were decided via an auction which was held on 24 January 2008. The total base prices of the franchises cost around $400. After the conclusion of the auction, all the franchises were sold for a total of $729.59 million. IPL 2020 is all set to take place from September 19 in the United Arab Emirates. After long speculation and delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has cleared all the ways for IPL 2020. The final of the tournament will be played on November 10 this year. It will be the first final in the history of the Indian Premier League which will be played on a weekday. The complete schedule of IPL 2020 will be released shortly after the IPL Governing Council will conduct a meeting with all the IPL franchises. IPL 2020 was slated to take place from March 29 this year. However, due to the coronavirus outbreak, the tournament kept on being postponed. This year's IPL will now be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the boards have received government confirmation to stage IPL 2020. A total of 3 bases have been finalized for the IPL franchises where the matches of IPL 2020 will take place. These include Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. The much-awaited schedule of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) has finally been announced after much deliberations on the tournament’s future. IPL was slated to start from March 29 this year. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the tournament was postponed and will now begin from September 19  the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Sunday, announced the IPL 2020 complete schedule. The schedule was destined to be released last week with all the preparations of IPL 2020 being on track. However, BCCI suffered a major setback last week when a total of 13 members of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise tested positive for COVID-19. This caused a delay in the schedule announcement and finally, the BCCI has come up with the complete schedule of IPL. The IPL Governing Council on Sunday announced the schedule for Dream11 Indian Premier League 2020 to be held in UAE. The season will kickstart on 19th September in Abu Dhabi with a blockbuster clash between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. After the tournament opener on Saturday, Dubai will host its first game on Sunday when Delhi Capitals take on Kings XI Punjab followed by the third match on Monday between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The IPL auction will shift to Sharjah on Tuesday, 22nd September where Rajasthan Royals will host Chennai Super Kings. There will be 10 doubleheaders with the first match starting at 3:30 PM IST and 2:00 PM UAE time. All evening matches will start at 7:30 PM IST and 6:00 PM UAE time. In all, 24 matches will be held in Dubai, 20 in Abu Dhabi, and 12 in Sharjah. Venues for the playoffs and the Dream11 IPL final will be announced later.

IPL 2020 Complete Schedule

Get the complete IPL 2020 Schedule Here. Note: The following table is made according to the points table. The Winner and Runner-up take the first and second place respectively whereas the third place is taken by the team who is next best in points table of that season and so on. (except the winner and runner-up)

Teams

Years

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Chennai Super Kings

Runner-up

4th

Winner

Winner

Runner-up

Runner-up

3rd

Runner-up

Suspended

Suspended

Winner

Runner Up

Mumbai Indians

5th

7th

Runner-up

3rd

4th

Winner

4th

Winner

5th

Winner

5th

Winner

Rajasthan Royals

Winner

6th

7th

6th

7th

3rd

5th

4th

Suspended

Suspended

4th

7th

Royal Challengers Bangalore

7th

Runners-up

4th

Runner-up

5th

5th

7th

3rd

Runner-up

8th

6th

8th

Kolkata Knight Riders

6th

8th

6th

4th

Winner

7th

Winner

5th

4th

4th

3rd

5th

Kings XI Punjab

3rd

5th

8th

5th

6th

6th

Runner-up

8th

8th

5th

7th

6th

Delhi Daredevils

4th

3rd

5th

10th

3rd

9th

8th

7th

6th

6th

8th

3rd

Kochin Tuskers

8th

Pune Warriors

9th

9th

8th

Gujarat Lions

3rd

7th

Rising Pune Supergiant

7th

Runner-up

Sunrisers Hyderabad

4th

6th

6th

Winner

3rd

Runner-up

4th

Deccan Chargers

8th

Winner

3rd

7th

8th

New Teams and Suspensions:

In March 2010, it was decided, Indian Premier League will welcome two new teams in Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Pune Warriors India was brought by Sahara Adventure Sports Group for $370 Million. On the other hand, Kock Tusker Kerala was brought for $333.3 million. However, Kochi Tuskers Kerala contract was put paid by BCCI after the franchise's breached the terms of conditions. In September 2012, the team could not find any new owners. Subsequently, the BCCI terminated 2009 winners, Deccan Chargers. Thus, the auctions took place in the next month to decide the new owners. Sun TV Network won the bidding for the Hyderabad franchise, which was known as Sunrisers Hyderabad. Meanwhile, in May 2013, Pune Warriors India had to withdraw from the tournament after their financial differences with BCCI. In fact, the franchise was officially removed after it failed to provide bank security. On the other hand, the biggest suspension of Indian Premier League came when two-times champions (at that time) Chennai Super Kings were suspended. CSK and Rajasthan Royals were ousted due to spot-fixing. Consequently, they were replaced by Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions.

IPL Tournament Format

The eight teams play each other twice in the league matches. Thus, all the right teams play 14 matches before the playoff stages. The top two teams of the points table play each other in the first qualifier. Meanwhile, the third and fourth rank teams play each other in the eliminator. However, the team that losses in the first qualifier plays in the second qualifier with the winner of the eliminator. The winner of the second qualifier goes on to play the final with the winner of the first qualifier.

IPL Squad Composition:

The strength of a squad should be a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 25 players. There could be a maximum of eight foreign players in every squad of the franchise. The salary cap of the team cannot exceed INR 80 crores. The Under-19 players cannot be picked if they haven't played List A and First-Class cricket. A team can have a maximum of four foreign players in the playing XI. However, there have been instances when a team has decided to field less than four overseas players.

IPL Player Acquisition:

A team can acquire through annual player auction, trading players with other teams and signing players for unavailable players. Players set a base price in the IPL auction and go to teams who bid the highest for them in the auctions. The term of a player is one year. However, the franchise has the option to extend it to one or two years. Since 2014, the contracts are given in Indian rupees. Earlier, the contracts were denominated in US Dollars.

IPL Salaries

According to a survey carried by ESPN Magazine, the average salary of a player is $4.33 million, which is the second-best for all sports leagues in the world.

IPL Prize Money

The winning team gets whopping prize money of INR 20 Crores whereas the runner-up gets INR 12.5 Crores (as per in Indian Premier League 2018).

Most Successful IPL Teams:

Mumbai Indians are the most successful teams in Indian Premier League history as they have won the title on four occasions. Chennai Super Kings follow them with three titles in the bag. Kolkata Knight Riders are two-time IPL champions.

Most Runs in IPL:

Virat Kohli has scored most runs in the Indian Premier League folklore. The southpaw batsman has scored 5412 runs in his IPL career of 177 matches.

Most Wickets in IPL:

Lasith Malinga has scalped most wickets in IPL history. The talisman Sri Lanka fast bowler has taken 170 wickets in 122 matches.

IPL Title Sponsorship.

DLF held the title sponsorship from 2008-12 for the sponsorship fee of INR 40 crores per year. Pepsi bought the sponsorship rights for 2013-15 for a whopping price of INR 79.2 crores. Vivo was able to grab the deal for the 2016-17 season for INR 95 Crores. Meanwhile, Vivo was once again able to get the title sponsorship for a gargantuan amount of INR 438.9 crores for the cycle of 2018-19. However, due to the India-China conflict, VIVO have withdrawn their title sponsorship from IPL 2020. Fantasy sports platform Dream11 has won the title sponsorship for IPL 2020 for Rs 222 Crores. The BCCI’s search for a new title sponsor began in August 2020 when Vivo sensationally suspended their ties for the upcoming edition of the tournament. Vivo are likely to return as the sponsors for the next edition of IPL. Dream11 bagged the title rights after outbidding favourites Tata Sons and education technology platforms — Byju’s and Unacademy. Earlier this month, the BCCI had asked the announced Companies with a turnover of over Rs 300 crores will be allowed to bid for the rights which are available for the period from August 18, 2020, to December 31, 2020. Some of India’s biggest companies had bid for the title sponsorship including Tata Sons, Jio Communications, and Patanjali. However, Dream11 outbid all of them to bag the rights. While Dream11’s winning bid was Rs 222 crore, Unacademy’s bid was 210 crores followed by Tatas (180 crores) and Byju’s (125 crores). Vivo’s decision came in the wake of the deadly clashes between the Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh in June. There were calls from all around to boycott China and BCCI were facing criticism from all around for retaining Vivo as the title sponsors. But at the same time, several reports suggested that Vivo pulled out of the deal only for this year because of financial reasons. As per reports, they were not ready to pay the huge amount when consumers are boycotting Chinese products. At the same time, Vivo would have still remained the sponsors if the tournament took place in its original slot. The smartphone makers wanted the deal deferred by a year on grounds that paying Rs 880 crore for two seasons in a span of six-seven months is not easy. While IPL 2020 is scheduled to be played from September to November, IPL 2021 is set to be played in normal time (April – May).

Brand Value of IPL:

According to a report of Duff and Phelps, the brand valuation of the Indian Premier League is $5.3 billion. Brand Value of IPL Teams in 2018: Chennai Super Kings - $65 million. Kolkata Knight Riders - $63 million. Sunrisers Hyderabad - $54 million. Mumbai Indians - $53 million. Royal Challengers Bangalore - $49 million. Delhi Daredevils - $44 million. Rajasthan Royals - $40 million. Kings XI Punjab - $40 million.

Broadcasting:

Star Network was able to acquire the broadcasting rights for a whopping amount of INR 16,347.5 crores. There was an increase of 158% as compared to the previous season.

IPL Governing Council:

IPL Governing Council looks after all the functions of the tournament. Brijesh Patel is the current Chairman of the IPL Governing Council and key members of the body include Surinder Khanna and Ashok Malhotra.

Indian Premier League Seasons:

IPL 2008 Season: The Indian Premier League was kickstarted on a high by former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum. It was a blistering knock from the right-hander as he had hit the ground running. Thus, the IPL was launched in style as the first match became memorable with Brendon McCullum. The Kolkata Knight Riders scored a fine knock of 158 runs off just 73 balls. KKR was able to post a gargantuan total of 222 runs. However, Royal Challengers Bangalore had succumbed to pressure as they could only manage 82 runs. Therefore, RCB lost by a mammoth margin of 140 runs. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals who were led by Shane Warne went on to surprise everyone by winning the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League. Rajasthan Royals won 11 matches out of the 14 to top the points table. The underdogs went to on defeat Chennai Super Kings by three wickets. Yusuf Pathan had played a key role as he scored 56 off just 39 balls to create history for the Rajasthan franchise. Royal's all-rounder Shane Watson played a key role in the team's triumph as he was adjudged the Man of the series. On the other hand, Shaun Marsh was the leading run-getter in the first season. The southpaw Australian batsman scored 616 runs in the 11 matches of the season. Meanwhile, Sohail Tanvir was the highest wicket-taker in the tournament as the Pakistan fast bowler claimed 22 wickets in 11 matches of the 2008 edition. Shane Warne was able to inspire his young colts to a fine win. The legendary spinner was instrumental in taking the team to glory as he scalped 19 wickets in 15 matches. Thus, Warne was the second-highest wicket-getter in the maiden season of the IPL. Shane Watson, who has adjudged the Man of the series, scored 472 runs in the first season. Furthermore, the talisman all-rounder went on to scalp 15 wickets in the season. Graeme Smith and Yusuf Pathan were the other batsmen who played a key role in taking Rajasthan Royals to glory. Consequently, it was a perfect start to the Indian Premier League as the first season was a huge success. 2009 Season: The second season of the Indian Premier League was hosted by South Africa. There were General Elections in India, which forced the IPL Governing Council to organize the tournament in South Africa. Deccan Chargers led by Adam Gilchrist was able to win the second season of the Indian Premier League as they won by the skin of their teeth to register a six-run win. In fact, Deccan Chargers had finished at the fourth position in the points table in the league matches. The Royal Challengers Bangalore led by Anil Kumble were the runner-up of the tournament. South Africa's opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs had played a crucial knock of 53 runs to help take Deccan Chargers to the score of 143 runs. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds were able to provide the finishing touches as both scored 24 and 33 runs respectively. However, Royal Challengers Bangalore felt six runs short of the target. No RCB batsman was able to score a fifty. Meanwhile, Van der Merwe top-scored for the Bangalore franchise as the all-rounder scored 32 runs. On the other, Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Anil Kumble was on song in the final. The leg-spinner scalped four wickets and gave away only 16 runs in his four overs quota. However, Anil Kumble efforts with the ball went in vain as RCB could not chase down the target. Thus, Kumble was awarded the Man of the match award. Meanwhile, Deccan Chargers southpaw spinner Pragyan Ojha did a fine job with the ball. The tweaker scalped three wickets and conceded only 28 runs in his allotted four overs to restrict Royal Challengers Bangalore to 137 runs. Andrew Symonds and Harmeet Singh scalped two wickets each. Delhi Daredevils were able to top the points table in the 2009 Indian Premier League season with 10 wins in 14 matches. Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings finished second in the points table. CSK's Matthew Hayden was the leading run-getter of the season with 572 runs. Adam Gilchrist was instrumental in his team's success as the combative southpaw scored 495 in the 16 matches of the IPL. Furthermore, Herschelle Gibbs and Rohit Sharma played a key role in Deccan Chargers win as they scored 371 and 362 runs respectively. RP Singh was the leading wicket-getter in the IPL 2009 season. The southpaw pacer bowled with fire as he scalped 23 wickets. Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Anil Kumble was instrumental in getting his team to the final as he took 21 wickets. Pragyan Ojha was also a successful spinner in 2009 as the left-armer took 18 wickets in the second season of Indian Premier league. 2010 Season. The inaugural season runner-up, Chennai Super Kings were able to go one step further in the third season of the league. Chennai Super Kings won their first title in 2010 after beating Mumbai Indians by 22 runs. Suresh Raina, who is the top scorer in the IPL folklore was the star of the show of the final.  The southpaw batsman scored a quickfire knock of 57 off just 35 balls to help Chennai Super Kings post 168 in the allotted 20 overs. The combative left-hander scored three fours and as many sixes in his blistering knock. Furthermore, Raina was also able to scalp one wicket. Albie Morkel and MS Dhoni had provided the finishing touches as Dhoni scored 15-ball 22 whereas Morkel raced to 15 off just six balls. On the other hand, Dilhara Fernando was the pick of the bowlers for Mumbai Indians. The Sri Lanka bowler scalped two wickets and gave away only 23 runs in his four overs quota. However, Sachin Tendulkar-led side could not get the impetus in their innings as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar top scored for their team with 48 runs. However, the Master Blaster took 45 balls to score his runs. Shadab Jakati scalped two wickets for Chennai Super Kings in the final of the IPL 2010. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians had topped the points table in IPL 2010 with 10 wins in 14 matches. Deccan Chargers had finished at the second place. However, Chennai Super Kings had ended at the third place in the group stages. India's legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar was the leading run-getter in the IPL 2010. The Master Blaster amassed 618 runs in the 15 matches with the help of five half-centuries. Meanwhile, Suresh Raina had played a key role in taking Chennai Super Kings to IPL glory as the southpaw batsman gathered 520 runs in the 16 matches with the help of four fifties. Murali Vijay was also instrumental in the success of the MS Dhoni-led side as the flamboyant batsman scored 458 runs in IPL 2010. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore all-rounder was the second highest run-getter of the tournament with 572 runs in 16 matches. On the other hand, Deccan Chargers spinner Pragyan Ojha was the leading wicket-taker in the IPL edition of 2010. In fact, the top four bowlers to take maximum wickets were all spinners. Anil Kumble, Amit Mishra and Harbhajan Singh were the other three tweakers. 2011 Season: Chennai Super Kings was successful in defending their Indian Premier League title as they went on to win the 2011 season. In fact, CSK is the only side who have successfully defended their IPL in straight season.  MS Dhoni-led side was once again able to tick the right boxes in the season as they come up roses. Chennai Super Kings went on to win by a mammoth margin of 58 runs as they dominated the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final of the tournament. Murali Vijay was the architect of the win as the stylish right-hander scored 95 runs off just 52 balls. The Tamil Nadu batter scored four fours and half-a-dozen sixes in his blistering knock. On the other hand, Michael Hussey had given a great start to CSK  as he scored a brisk knock of 63 runs off just 45 balls. Hussey had scored three fours and as many sixes in his fine knock. The left-hander had provided the support to Murali Vijay. The CSK openers went on to give a fine start to their team as they added 159 runs for the opening stand. Thus, the right and left-hand batting combination provided a perfect platform for the middle order batsmen. Subsequently, Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni promoted himself in the batting order. Dhoni was able to get a quickfire 22 off just 13 balls to boost team's total to 205 runs. Dhoni was at the top of prowess and continued to impressed with his captaincy skills. Aravind and Chris Gayle scalped two wickets each in the first innings. It was always going to be a daunting task for the Royal Challengers Bangalore to chase down the big total. As expected, the Anil Kumble-led side succumbed to pressure as they could only manage 147 runs in their allotted 20 overs. Royal Challengers Bangalore could not get the momentum going as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Saurabh Tiwari was the leading run-scorer as the southpaw batsman scored 42 runs. The current Indian skipper Virat Kohli had scored 35 runs off 32 balls in the final of the 2011 season. Ravichandran Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers as the talisman off-spinner scalped three wickets. The linchpin spinner gave away only 16 runs in his four overs quota. Ashwin was able to keep RCB batsmen in check and didn't let them off the hook. Shadab Jakati once again scalped two wickets in the IPL final. Meanwhile, runner-up Royal Challengers Bangalore had topped the points table with nine wins from 14 matches. In fact, Chennai Super Kings had finished at the second place in the league stages. Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders were the other two teams who had qualified for the playoff stages. Royal Challengers Bangalore pugnacious opening batsman Chris Gayle had scored the maximum number of runs in the season of IPL 2011. Gayle went on gather 608 runs in 12 matches. The southpaw batsman scored two hundred and three fifties in the extravagant league. Virat Kohli also announced himself at the big stage as the talisman batsman scored 557 runs. The right-hander was the second highest run-getter in the tournament. India's Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar scored 553 runs in the Twenty20 competition. Michael Hussey, Murali Vijay and Suresh Raina were instrumental in taking Chennai Super Kings to glory as all the three batsmen scored more than 400 runs in the season. Subramaniam Badrinath and MS Dhoni had also scored 396 and 392 runs respectively. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians Lasith Malinga was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament as the talisman scalped 28 wickets. Munaf Patel took 22 wickets in the 2011 season of IPL. 2012 Season In the 2012 season of the Indian Premier League, Pune Warriors India was added to the tournament. However, the team could not perform to the best of their ability as they ended at the bottom of the points table with only four wins the season. Kolkata Knight Riders were able to win their first IPL title in 2012. Gautam Gambhir led his team to a fine win in IPL 2012. The Knight Riders, who made their way into the final for the first time, went on to defeat the previous two time champions. Kolkata Knight Rider won the match by five wickets with only two balls to spare. The runner-up Chennai Super League, who were playing their fourth final, had set up a par score of 190 runs. Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay once again provided a good start as they added 87 runs for the opening partnership. Hussey scored 54 off 43 balls in which he scored four fours and two sixes. Vijay also scored a fine 42 off just 32 balls. Suresh Raina was able to hit the straps as the southpaw batsman scored 73 off just 38 balls. The left-hander smashed three fours and five sixes in his blistering knock. However, Raina's knock went in vain as Chennai Super Kings went on to lose the match. Maninder Bisla scored a staggering knock of 89 runs off just 48 balls. The right-hander was at his best as he scored eight fours and five maximums. The World's best all-rounder Jacques Kallis was also able to hit the hit the ground running as the veteran batsman scored 69 runs off just 49 balls. Meanwhile, Delhi Daredevils had topped the points table in the IPL 2012 whereas eventual champions Kolkata Knight Riders had finished at second place in the points table. Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings had ended up at the third and fourth place in the points table. Chris Gayle had scored most runs in IPL 2012. The combative southpaw batsman scored 733 runs in 15 matches. The Universe Boss amassed seven fifties and one hundred in the fifth season of the cash-rich league. Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir was instrumental in the success of his team. The southpaw opener gathered 590 runs with the help of six fifties. Gambhir also led with aplomb to take his team to a fine triumph. South Africa's lanky fast bowler Morne Morkel was the leading wicket-taker. Morkel scalped 25 wickets while playing 16 matches for the Delhi Daredevils. Sunil Narine played a key role in Kolkata Knight Riders triumph as the talisman spinner scalped 24 wickets in the 15 matches. 2013 season: Mumbai Indians were able to lift the IPL trophy for the first time in 2013. Rohit Sharma led the team to fine win of 23 runs and savoured success as the captain of the side. In fact, Mumbai Indians had their backs against the wall after winning the toss and elected to bat. Mumbai Indians were 50-4, however, Kieron Pollard was able to rescue his team out of the troubled waters. Pollard scored a quickfire knock of 60 runs off just 32 balls to take Mumbai Indians total to 148. Consequently, Kieron Pollard was awarded the Man of the Match for his fine knock. Dwayne Bravo was the pick of the CSK bowlers as the medium pacer scalped four wickets. On the other hand, runner-up Chennai Super Kings could only manage 125 runs in their 20 overs. CSK skipper MS Dhoni was the lone warrior as the captain scored 63 runs off 45 balls. In fact, Chennai Super Kings lost eight wickets for just 58 runs and it was always going to be a difficult recovery road from there. Mitchell Johnson, Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh scalped two wickets each to push Mumbai Indians noses in front. Thus, it was a dominating performance from the Mumbai Indians as they were able to tick the right boxes. Chennai Super Kings had topped the points table in IPL 2013 whereas champions Mumbai Indians had finished at the second place. Thus, the two best teams of the group stages had met in the final of the tournament as both had won 11 matches out of 14 games. Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad had also qualified for the playoff stages. Michael Hussey scored most runs in IPL 2013. Mr Cricket was at his absolute best as he scored 733 runs with the help of six half-centuries. Chris Gayle was once again amongst the top scorers as the southpaw opener scored 708 runs in the Twenty20 league. The current Indian skipper Virat Kohli had amassed 634 runs in the season. Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma played a key role in the triumph of his team as the stylish batsman scored 538 runs with the help of four fifties in the 2013 edition. Dinesh Karthik was also instrumental in the success of the Mumbai Indians as the right-hander scored 510 runs. 2014 Season : Kolkata Knight Riders were able to win their second Indian Premier League title in 2014 season. The Kolkata team was able to win by three wickets with three balls to spare. The runner-up Kings XI Punjab had scored an above par score of 199 in their 20 overs. Manan Vohra had played a fine knock of 67 runs off just 52 balls. The right-hander scored six fours and two sixes. Meanwhile, Kings XI Punjab wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha had scored a staggering knock of 115 off just 55 balls. The right-hander went on to score 10 fours and eight sixes in his innings. However, Saha's knock went in vain as Kings XI Punjab could not cross the line. Kolkata Knight Riders won their second title as Manish Pandey played a match-winning knock. The right-hander brought his A-game to the table as he batted at the top of his game. Manish scored a fine knock of 94 runs off just 50 balls to take Knight Riders close to Punjab's tally. Pandey scored seven fours and half-a-dozen maximums in his blitz knock and was also awarded the Man of the Match. Yusuf Pathan also played a crucial knock of 36 runs from 22 balls. The attacking batsman scored four sixes in his much-needed cameo. Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders were also the top two teams in the points table in the group stages. Thus, the final was played between the two best teams of the season. Punjab had won 11 matches whereas Kolkata went on to win nine matches out of the 14 they played. Robin Uthappa was instrumental in taking Kolkata Knight Riders to their second title. The stylish right-handed batsman scored 660 runs in the 2014 season of the IPL. Uthappa scored five fifties in the season. Glenn Maxwell, Virender Sehwag and David Miller all scored more than 400 runs in the season to take Kings XI Punjab to IPL final. Meanwhile, Kings XI Punjab bowler Mohit Sharma scalped 23 wickets to be the leading wicket-taker of the season. Sandeep Sharma took 18 wickets whereas Axar Patel and Mitchell Johnson snared 17 wickets each. Sunil Narine once again delivered the goods for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The talisman spinner took 21 wickets and was instrumental in Kolkata's second triumph of the IPL. 2015 season: Mumbai Indians won their second Indian Premier League title in 2015 by defeating Chennai Super Kings by 41 runs. Rohit Sharma, the skipper of the side, was the star of the show as the stylish right-hander scored a gun half-century. The right-hander was able to hit the ground running as he collected 50 runs from just 26 balls. Rohit launched his attack on the Chennai bowlers as he scored six fours and two sixes in his match-winning knock. Thus, Rohit Sharma was also awarded the Man of the match. Mumbai Indians opener Lendl Simmons had also scored a fine inning of 68 runs from 45 balls. The West Indies batsman went to smack eight fours and three sixes in his knock to help the Mumbai team post a gargantuan total of 202 runs. Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu had provided the finishing touches with their knocks of 36 runs each. However, Chennai Super Kings could not get their target on the right path as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Chennai opener Dwayne Smith was the lone warrior as the right-hander scored 57 runs off just 48 balls. However, no other Chennai batsman was able to get going. Chennai Super Kings had topped the points table whereas Mumbai Indians had finished as the second-best team in the league matches. Hence, the final was played between the two best teams of the IPL. Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals were the other two teams who managed to qualify for the playoff stages. Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner was at the pinnacle of the most runs table in IPL 2015. The combative southpaw opener collected 562 runs in the eighth season of the league. Ajinkya Rahane was the second highest run-getter of the tournament with 540 runs in 14 matches. Dwayne Bravo was instrumental in getting Chennai Super Kings to the final of the tournament. The talisman right-hander snared 26 wickets in 17 matches he bowled at the top of his mark. Lasith Malina also played a key role in the second triumph of Mumbai Indians as the Sri Lankan veteran took 24 wickets. 2016 season: There were two new teams in 2016 season of Indian Premier League, Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiant. Both these franchises had replaced Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals as they were banned due to spot-fixing scandal. Sunrisers Hyderabad won their maiden IPL title by defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore by eight runs. Australia's all-rounder Ben Cutting was the hero of the final as he came up with crucial contributions with both bat and ball. Cutting was able to finish Sunriser Hyderabad innings on a high as the right-hander blasted 39 runs off just 15 balls. The linchpin scored three fours and four sixes to boost Hyderabad total to 208 runs. Furthermore, Cutting scalped two wickets to claim the Man of the match award. Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner continued his dream form going in the IPL final as the left-hander scored 69 off just 38 balls to give a perfect start to his team. Yuvraj Singh had also played a key role as he smashed 38 balls off just 23 balls. However, Royal Challengers Bangalore could not cross the line despite getting off to a good start. Bangalore opener's Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle added 114 for the opening wicket. However, the middle order could not capitalize. Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli had a stellar season as he broke every record. Kohli scored a staggering 973 runs in the season. The right-hander scored four centuries and seven fifties in his dream season for RCB. Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner scored 848 runs and was instrumental in taking his team to their maiden IPL title. AB de Villiers had scored 687 runs in the ninth season of the league. Sunrisers Hyderabad's premier fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar played a key role in their win. Kumar bagged the Purple cap as he claimed 23 wickets in IPL 2016. Virat Kohli was the player of the tournament. 2017 season: Mumbai Indians became the most successful side by winning the Indian Premier League title for the third time. Rohit Sharma-led side was able to win the nail-biter by one run. Krunal Pandya had shined with both bat and ball for the Mumbai Indians. The southpaw batsman scored a fine knock of 47 runs to take Mumbai's total to 129 runs. Furthermore, Pandya was economical in his spell of four overs to claim the Man of the match. Rising Pune Supergiant skipper Steven Smith scored a half-century. However, the former Australian captain could not get his team over the line. Ajinkya Rahane had also played a handy knock of 44 runs while opening the batting. Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant were the two top teams in the points table. Thus, both of them deserved to be the finalists of the IPL 2017. Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner scored 641 runs to be the leading run-getter in IPL 2017. Gautam Gambhir was the second highest run-scorer with 498 runs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was once again able to bag the Purple cap as the talisman pacer took 26 wickets. Jaydev Unadkat had also impressed as the southpaw medium pacer took 24 wickets to help Rising Pune Supergiant get to the final of the tournament. Jasprit Bumrah was at his best again as he took 20 wickets for the champions Mumbai Indians. 2018 season: Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals made their come back into the league after their spending two years on the sidelines. Thus, Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiant contract were put paid. Meanwhile, new auctions were held for Indian Premier League 2018. Chennai Super Kings made a stylish return to the league after their hiatus. MS Dhoni-led side went on to win their third IPL title to join hands with Mumbai Indians. Hence, both these teams are the most successful IPL teams thus far. Shane Watson was able to show why experience cannot be bought in the market. The veteran Australian batsman scored a match-winning hundred to help CSK win by eight wickets. Watson scored 117 runs off just 57 balls to single-handedly chasing down the target for Chennai. The runner-up Sunrisers Hyderabad had scored 178 runs after batting first. Thus, it was a fine return from the Chennai Super Kings. Both the finalists had finished at the top of the points table in the league matches. Thus, once again two best teams locked horns in the final of the tourney. Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson topped the chart for most runs in IPL 2018. The New Zealand skipper scored eight fifties in the 17 matches to lead the march for the Orange Army. Rishabh Pant scored 684 runs in the 11th season of the league. Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni was also at his absolute best as he scored 455 runs. Ambati Rayudu had also played a key role. Andrew Tye was the leading wicket-getter with 24 wickets whereas runner-up bowlers Siddarth Kaul and Rashid Khan took 21 wickets each. 2019 season: IPL 2019 was played from 23 March 2019 to 12th May 2019. Mumbai Indians won the first team to win four IPL titles as they beat Chennai Super Kings in the final of the tournament. It was Rohit Sharma's fourth IPL title as a captain and his fifth overall IPL title. Australian opener David Warner won the Orange Cap in IPL 2019 with 692 runs in 12 matches at an average of 69.20. CSK spinner Imran Tahir won the Purple Cap in IPL 2019 with 26 wickets in 17 matches.

Here are the squads of Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020):

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS SQUAD

Narayan Jagadeesan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KM Asif, Ravindra Jadeja, M Vijay, MS Dhoni, Josh Hazlewood, Kedar Jadhav, Harbhajan Singh, Karn Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Faf du Plessis, Shardul Thakur, Mitchell Santner, Dwayne Bravo, Lungi Ngidi, Sam Curran, Monu Kumar, Shane Watson, Sai Kishore.

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS SQUAD

Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Harry Gurney, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Siddhesh Lad, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Eoin Morgan, Varun Chakravarthy, Tom Banton, Rahul Tripathi, Chris Green, M Siddharth, Praveen Tambe, Nikhil Naik.

MUMBAI INDIANS SQUAD

Rohit Sharma, Sherfane Rutherford, Suryakumar Yadav, Anmolpreet Singh, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell McClenaghan, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Mohsin Khan, Prince Balwant Rai Singh, Digvijay Deshmukh, Hardik Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Anukul Roy, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ishan Kishan, Quinton de Kock, Aditya Tare.

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD SQUAD

Kane Williamson, David Warner, Manish Pandey, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, Billy Stanlake, T Natarajan, Abhishek Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mitchell Marsh, Fabian Allen, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sanjay Yadav, Jonny Bairstow, Wriddhiman Saha, Shreevats Goswami, Bavanaka Sandeep, Basil Thampi.

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE SQUAD

Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Gurkeerat Mann, Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kane Richardson, Dale Steyn, Isuru Udana, Moeen Ali, Pawan Negi, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Chris Morris, Pavan Deshpande Parthiv Patel, Joshua Philippe, Shahbaz Ahamad.

KINGS XI PUNJAB SQUAD

Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Sheldon Cottrell, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Arshdeep Singh, Hardus Viljoen, M Ashwin, J Suchith, Harpreet Brar, Darshan Nalkande, Glenn Maxwell, James Neesham, Chris Jordan, Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Tajinder Singh Dhillon, KL Rahul (C), Nicholas Pooran, Prabhsimran Singh.

DELHI CAPITALS SQUAD

Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Jason Roy, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kagiso Rabada, Keemo Paul, Mohit Sharma, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, R Ashwin, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes, Rishabh Pant, Alex Carey, Shimron Hetmyer, Tushar Deshpande.

RAJASTHAN ROYALS SQUAD

Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Riyan Parag, Steve Smith, Robin Uthappa, David Miller, Ankit Rajpoot, Mayank Markande, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Akash Singh, Oshane Thomas, Andrew Tye, Ben Stokes, Rahul Tewatia, Shashank Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anirudha Joshi, Tom Curran, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Anuj Rawat.