IPL champions over the years

Over the years, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been something extraordinary for the country and for cricket as a whole. Of course, it has had its fair share of controversies over the years, yet, the impact of the tournament has been quite unfathomable. Some of the most professional and prolific Twenty20 players and teams have been a part of the league and thus we have seen some exciting contests each year. That said, we take a quick look at the IPL champions over the years. IPL 1 – Rajasthan Royals: Rajasthan Royals.(© Getty Images) The first season saw one statement reinforced. In effect, it was Goliath may be stronger than David, but David wins most of the time. The Rajasthan Royals, the team with the smallest salary cap went on to secure the title. They didn’t have the best players in the world. However, they had Shane Warne. The leggie, who was on the retirement path, was to weave magic. With a few international stars clubbed with a plethora of domestic players as well as the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Yusuf Pathan, Warner helped the Royals clinch the inaugural edition of the IPL. Also read – Top 5 best batsmen of IPL 2016 IPL 2 – Deccan Chargers: Deccan Chargers. (© Getty Images) With a bevy of political issues in the country, the BCCI made the executive decision to have the tournament in South Africa. Therefore, a new and explosive IP: was born. In a way, the tournament was hosted successfully in South Africa and was hailed as an “extraordinary” accomplishment. While the pace and extra bounce posed some issues for the players from the reigning IPL champions, the sides with the players who could play the conditions well took the challenge head on. These teams included the Deccan Chargers and the Royal Challengers Bangalore. These two sides met in the final only for the Chargers led by Adam Gilchrist to put the RCB fire out. This was also quintessentially Anil Kumble’s final go at the IPL. IPL 3 – Chennai Super Kings: Chennai Super Kings with 2011 IPL Trophy. (Photo Source: AFP) For a while, it was assumed that MS Dhoni would lead the Chennai Super Kings to victory. However, with the Rajasthan Royals and the Deccan Chargers clinching the title, Dhoni’s men had fallen off the pace. The Indian skipper was also the highest paid professional player in the league as well as one of the most dangerous batsmen in the game at the time. With the tournament rerouted back to the Indian subcontinent, Dhoni was determined to win. With reinforcements, the Super Kings plundered victories, entering the final to meet the Mumbai Indians. A fierce duel at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai witnessed the Super Kings sail into the sunset with the title MS Dhoni so desperately wanted. Also read – The Best XI of IPL 2016 IPL 4 – Chennai Super Kings: Chennai Super Kings. (Photo Source: BCCI) They say continuity is desirable. Well, the fourth edition of the IPL saw the Super Kings enter the contention for their second title on the spin. Having made some interesting transfers and exciting new signings, the Chennai-based franchise had seemingly covered all their bases. However, the Royal Challengers Bangalore also had plans of their own. The fresh auctions saw the Challengers go all in to sign the best players in the land. In Chris Gayle, they had a player who exuded the very ethos of T20 cricket. 608 mammoth runs from the bat of Gayle the destroyer saw them cruise into the final. However, some smart and wily bowling from Ravichandran Ashwin choked the Challengers in the final hurdle. IPL 5 – Kolkata Knight Riders: Kolkata Knight Riders. (Photo Source: BCCI) The fifth edition of the IPL saw a new amendment in the number of matches to be played in the tournament. With the playoffs already in place, the eliminator threw a curveball into the scheme of things. The Kolkata Knight Riders had always had the firepower. However, this was the year that the cannon would indeed fire and they would bear the fruits of the money and effort spent in building the team. IPL 5 was quite effectively about one man. Sunil Narine. The Trinidad man was signed by the Knight Riders for a decent sum of money and repaid every last penny the KKR management had spent on him. The Knight Riders eventually clinched an important win over the reigning champions CSK at Chepauk to claim their first IPL title. Also read – IPL 2016: 5 Best spinners of the tournament IPL 6 – Mumbai Indians: Mumbai Indians. (Photo Source: BCCI) If continuity has an epitome, it would certainly point in the direction of the Mumbai Indians. With the likes of Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, and Ambati Rayudu renewing their contracts, the Indians were raring to go. Having qualified for the playoff round, things started rather badly for the Mumbai when they were thrashed by the Super Kings in the first playoff. However, the Rohit Sharma-led side bounced back in the eliminator to beat the Rajasthan Royals to have another bite at the cherry. Sure enough, it was a surprise in the form of Dwayne Smith, Kieron Pollard and Harbhajan Singh that helped the Mumbai Indians secure their first ever IPL title. IPL 7 – Kolkata Knight Riders: Kolkata Knight Riders 2015. (Photo Source: BCCI) The 2014 general elections meant that the first half of the tournament would be played outside the country. Having acquired Indian cricket team discard Robin Uthappa, it was the Kolkata Knight Riders who looked stronger than ever. In spite of being dropped, Uthappa was in the form of his life. He blasted the ball freely as KKR went on to finish in second place on the table. They faced off against the Kings XI Punjab in the final with the latter seeming to peak at the right time. However, it was the heroics of Piyush Chawla that secured a much-needed victory for the Knight Riders, ensuring that they were the beneficiaries of a second IPL title. Also read – IPL 2016: Captain’s analysis IPL 8 – Mumbai Indians: Mumbai Indians Are The 2015 IPL Champions. (Photo Source: BCCI) The 8th edition of the IPL saw the Mumbai Indians strengthen their coaching staff. Ricky Ponting was confirmed as the coach while Anil Kumble and Sachin Tendulkar served as the mentors. A wave of youth was also added in the form of Shreyas Gopal, Jagadeesha Suchith, and Hardik Pandya. These three players formed the core of the side that was invariably being formed by the youth. Apart from them, it was invariably the usual suspects that reached the playoffs. The final was contested between the CSK and the Mumbai Indians with the latter clinching a win courtesy of an impressive half-century from Lendl Simmons. IPL 9 – Sunrisers Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad. (Photo Source: BCCI) The winds of change swept right past the IPL with the Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings banned. However, with their ban came the Rising Pune Supergiants and the Gujarat Lions. The latter went about making their stake while the MS Dhoni-led Supergiants were down in the dumps courtesy of a few injuries as well as some terrible performances. Virat Kholi, fresh from the World T20 came to the fore with an impressive performance, smashing 978 runs in the tournament. The RCB bowling unit took the cue from their skipper to become a force to reckon with. The final played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore saw David Warner and Virat Kohli take each other on in a head-on collision. Despite some decent performances from Kohli and Chris Gayle, the Challengers fell to a loss by 8 runs and Sunrisers lifted their first IPL championship.

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