The Indian Premier League (IPL) has successfully captivated cricket enthusiasts for years, offering thrilling clashes and elevating entertainment levels through some unforgettable performances by legendary stars. Watching these exhilarating matches and achieving success in fantasy cricket has truly enriched the overall entertainment experience for fans.
Here, in this article, we bring full details about Indian T20 League:
· What is the Indian Premier League (IPL)?
· When did the IPL begin?
· How has IPL evolved over the years?
· How many editions of IPL have been played?
· IPL title winners
· Memorable moments of IPL
· Most expensive players in IPL history
What is the Indian Premier League (IPL)?
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a men’s T20 cricket league that is annually organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The tournament was founded by the BCCI in 2007 and is contested by the 10 franchise teams.
The Indian T20 League (IPL) is usually held every year between March and May. It is the most popular cricket league across the world. The tournament was ranked sixth by average attendance among all sports leagues in 2014. It became the first sporting event to be broadcast live on YouTube in 2010.
When did the IPL begin?
The IPL began following India’s triumph at the 2007 T20 World Cup. After India’s win at the T20 World Cup, the BCCI announced a franchise-based T20 cricket tournament called the Indian Premier League (IPL). The inaugural season of IPL was scheduled to begin in April 2008 with a “high-profile ceremony” in New Delhi.
At that time, Lalit Modi, who was BCCI vice-president, led the IPL effort and provided tournament details, including its format, prize money, franchise revenue system, and squad composition rules.
There were only eight franchises in the inaugural season of IPL.
The player’s auction for IPL’s first edition was held on 24 January 2008; the reserve prices of the eight franchises totaled $400 million, although the auction raised a total of $723.59 million.
How has IPL evolved over the years?
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has evolved significantly since its foundation in 2007 and inaugural edition in 2008.
The below developments and trends that have shaped the Indian T20 league:
Continuous Popularity: The IPL has become one of the most popular cricket leagues in the world, attracting huge fans and vast media coverage across the world. Since its inception in 2008, the tournament was ranked sixth by average attendance among all sports leagues in 2014. It became the first sporting event to be broadcast live on YouTube in 2010.
Player Auctions: The introduction of player auctions in 2008 was a great development in the cricket world. The terms allowed franchise teams to pick their domestic and international players based on their needs and budget.
Digital Transformation: The IPL evolved widely after its digital transformation. Fans can enjoy IPL games through live streaming and online fantasy games. The new era media including social media brought a huge audience.
Expansion: In 2022, the IPL expanded from eight franchises to ten franchise teams for the first time. The action further helped to evolve IPL. This move will also help to increase the league’s revenue and popularity.
Inclusion of WPL: After IPL’s success, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) launched a women’s version of IPL called “Women’s Premier League (WPL)” in 2023 with five franchise teams. BCCI’s move also helped the league to reach a big audience globally.
How many editions of IPL have been played?
A total of 16th editions of IPL have been played since its inception in 2008 to 2023. From 2008 to 2021, the tournament was played between eight teams, but for the first time in 2021, the IPL expanded from eight franchises to ten franchise teams for the first time.
Rajasthan Royals was the inaugural title winner, and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won the last season (2023).
IPL title winners
Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are the most successful teams of the IPL as the two have won the title five times. Mumbai Indians grabbed success under the Rohit Sharma captaincy while Chennai Super Kings reached glory under the leadership of MS Dhoni.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are the third most successful team of the IPL with two trophy wins in 2012 and 2014 under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir.
Rajasthan Royals was the winner of the opening IPL season, and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won the last season (2023).
Here’s the season-wise full list of IPL title winners:
| Winners | Season |
| Rajasthan Royals | 2008 |
| Deccan Chargers | 2009 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 2010 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 2011 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 2012 |
| Mumbai Indians | 2013 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 2014 |
| Mumbai Indians | 2015 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2016 |
| Mumbai Indians | 2017 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 2018 |
| Mumbai Indians | 2019 |
| Mumbai Indians | 2020 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 2021 |
| Gujrat Titans | 2022 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 2023 |
Memorable moments of IPL
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has successfully captivated cricket fans for years, offering thrilling clashes and elevating entertainment levels through some unforgettable performances by legendary stars. Watching these exhilarating matches and achieving success in fantasy cricket has truly enriched the overall entertainment experience for fans.
As the tournament has gone on, fans have seen many memorable moments that have gone down IPL history. Here, in this segment, we will take a look back at some of the best moments in IPL history.
Inaugural IPL Final: We have watched a lot of IPL finals, but there is always something special about the first one. The historic match between the MS Dhoni-led CSK and the Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals took place on June 1, 2008. The Super Kings struck first, scoring 163 runs in their last 20 overs. After numerous thrilling moments, Sohail Tanvir hit the game-winning single—and that too off the very last pitch—to enable the Royals to effectively stop the chase.
Yusuf Pathan’s 100 off 37 deliveries in 2010: Because of his outstanding batting ability, Yusuf Pathan was an essential member of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the league’s inaugural season. The cricketer, born in Baroda, was instrumental in the team’s historic triumph in 2008. While Pathan was employed by the Royals from 2008 to 2010, he made some devastating hits with the bat, but in a losing effort in 2010, he produced a memorable performance.
In the second match of the third IPL season, RR was hoping to get off to a winning start against MI, the Mumbai Indians. But after winning the toss, the hosts put up a huge score of 212/6 on the board, making RR’s task more difficult. When Rajasthan lost their four batters on 66, the situation got worse.
Things began to change for the visitors when Yusuf Pathan arrived at the crease, as the batter displayed his strength to bring the match closer. MI ultimately won the game by a margin of four runs, but Yusuf’s innings took center stage because RR’s loss margin could have been much greater had he not played.
Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting Face Muttiah Muralitharan Together: In the 2013 match between the Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting were matched against Muttiah Muralitharan. 1,347 international wickets and 171 international hundreds combined were like a dream come true for a lot of cricket fans around the world.
Gayle Chasing Yuvraj: In 2015, following a rain-shortened Delhi Capitals vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore game, Yuvraj Singh gently bumped Chris Gayle as the players made their way to the pavilion. Chris then started chasing Yuvi with his bat. Even if the weather slightly disappointed the spectators, it was still one of the most memorable IPL moments and entertained the stadium.
IPL Best Bowling: On that specific day, the bowlers from KKR won the IPL Best Match Bowling Award for their ability to control the entire team in just ten overs. In a match against Kolkata Knight Riders, RCB struggled as their opponent’s bowling restricted them to just 48 runs. India’s best pacer Umesh Yadav completed the task with a 1 for 15 in three overs, while Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Woakes, and Colin de Grandhomme each grabbed three wickets.
IPL’s Highest Run Chase: On September 27, 2020, Sharjah hosted the greatest IPL match, which was captured on camera and went down in history. Mayank Agarwal’s incredible fifty-ball century of 106 and KL Rahul’s sixty-nine helped the Punjab Kings record a fantastic score of 223 when they batted first. To reach 224, the Rajasthan Royals made sure to play to the best of their abilities. Steve Smith and Sanju Samson kept the game exciting despite losing Butler in the third over.
MS Dhoni vs. Mumbai Indians: Mahendra Singh Dhoni wrote history on April 21 during a match against MI. Before Dwaine Pretorius and MS Dhoni dashed the celebrations, opposition skipper Rohit probably thought his team was about to win, with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) needing 42 runs from three overs. In the eighteenth over, Pretorius struck a six, Dhoni added four runs, and the two ran a couple of singles to cut the total to 28 off 12. To keep CSK in the match, Pretorius hit two boundaries in Jasprit Bumrah’s 19th over, which produced 11 runs.
Most expensive players in IPL history
The player auction for the 2024 IPL season took place in Dubai which witnessed some memorable records in the league’s history. Australia’s Mitchell Starc became the most expensive player in IPL history with a price tag of 24.75 crore. Kolkata Knight Rider acquired Starc for the IPL 2024 season, while Starc’s compatriot Pat Cummins, who led the Australia in World Cup 2023 triumph became the second most expensive player of IPL. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) acquired Cummins for 20.50 crore.
Here are the top 10 most expensive players in IPL history:
| Player | Team | Price |
| Mitchell Starc | KKR | 24.75 crore |
| Pat Cummins | SRH | 20.50 crore |
| Sam Curran | PBKS | 18.50 crore |
| Cameron Green | MI | 17.50 crore |
| Ben Stokes | CSK | 16.25 crore |
| Chris Morris | RR | 16.25 crore |
| Yuvraj Singh | DD (DC) | 16 crore |
| Nicholas Pooran | LSG | 16 crore |
| Pat Cummins | KKR | 15.50 crore |
| Ishan Kishan | MI | 15.25 crore |