IPL History: List of Tournaments, Winners and Results

Cricket in India has always been celebrated like a Festival and with the Indian Premier League (IPL) also on the cards, this festival seems to continue the whole year in India. The IPL tournament has always been an action-packed two months for cricket lovers who like to see amazing matches with their favourite stars playing. Considering the IPL history, it can be said that the Indian Premier League is a highly lucrative cricket tournament in India that started in 2008. The league is formally contested by franchise teams representing ten Indian cities. Spread for 8 weeks and 10 teams, the competition culminates in the finals. The IPL has its roots in the Indian Cricket League (ICL), which was started in 2007 by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The ICL was a private league that was not recognized by the BCCI and was seen as a challenge to the board's monopoly on cricket in India. Furthermore, The IPL's success has also inspired other countries to start their T20 leagues. Today, there are similar leagues in Australia, England, South Africa, and the Caribbean, to name a few. These leagues have not only created new opportunities for players but have also provided a platform for the growth of cricket in these countries.

The idea of an IPL Tournament

The cricketing world was abuzz with the news of India's victory in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 championship. The euphoria was so huge that Indian Premier League or IPL cricket tournaments were later announced. It was modelled based on similar leagues around the world and promised to become a game-changer for the sport in India. Moreover, with cricket lovers in India being in huge numbers, the IPL was a perfect opportunity for big businesses and leaders to come and invest here. The IPL Player auctions and team auctions were conducted and These franchises were sold to various investors, with the cost of each franchise ranging from $67 million to $111.9 million. The eight teams that participated in the first season were the Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Deccan Chargers. Currently, the IPL Tournament is managed by Arun Dhumal who is the Chairman along with the IPL Governing Council Member Avishek Dalmiya who has been handling the IPL under the BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.

Format of the IPL Tournament

Earlier, the IPL season format was simple: there were eight teams and each team got a chance to play with the remaining teams twice. However, as the IPL grew bigger and two new teams entered, the teams were divided into two groups and each team would play the team in the same group twice moreover, the team in front of the row of the second group would also play twice. And the remaining teams will just play one match with the other team. This way a team would get to play 14 matches in one IPL season and hence the top four teams with the highest points would get to play in the playoffs. The IPL format has completely changed and became the most-watched league in the world within fifteen years of its launch. Clearly, The Indian Premier League, that is the IPL, has this unique format.

Winners of each IPL Season

The IPL's first season was a huge success, with a total of 59 matches played in 44 days. The tournament was broadcast to over 100 countries and had a total viewership of over 102 million. The Rajasthan Royals won the first season, defeating the Chennai Super Kings in the final. Furthermore, the inaugural season of the IPL Cricket tournament made sure that the fans were connected well with their favourite teams like MS Dhoni started having a huge fanbase because of the Chennai Super Kings and on the other hand, Mumbai Indians started developing another bond with the God of Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar.

Year of the Season	Winner of the IPL	Margin of the Win	Runners-up team	Venue of the Finals
2023	Chennai Super Kings	5 wickets	Gujarat Titans	Ahmedabad
2022	Gujarat Titans	7 wickets	Rajasthan Royals	Ahmedabad
2021	Chennai super kings	27 runs	Kolkata Knight Riders	Dubai
2020	Mumbai Indians	5 wickets	Delhi Capitals	Dubai
2019	Mumbai Indians	1 run	Chennai Super Kings	Hyderabad
2018	Chennai Super Kings	8 wickets	Sunrisers Hyderabad	Mumbai
2017	Mumbai Indians	1 run	Rising Pune Supergiants	Hyderabad
2016	Sunrisers Hyderabad	8 runs	Royal Challengers Bangalore	Bangalore
2015	Mumbai Indians	41 runs	Chennai Super Kings	Kolkata
2014	Kolkata Knight Riders	3 wickets	Kings XI Punjab	Bangalore
2013	Mumbai Indians	23 runs	Chennai Super Kings	Kolkata
2012	Kolkata Knight Riders	5 wickets	Chennai Super Kings	Chennai
2011	Chennai Super Kings	58 runs	Royal Challengers Bangalore	Chennai
2010	Chennai Super Kings	22 runs	Mumbai Indians	Mumbai
2009	Deccan Chargers	6 runs	Royal Challengers Bangalore	Johannesburg
2008	Rajasthan Royals	3 wickets	Chennai Super Kings	Mumbai

The Indian Premier League was created to promote the game of cricket in India and the team owners were all given a number of players for the event. While a few IPL players have represented their countries at international events, the major portion of them represent various franchises based in domestic tournaments like the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy. The IPL has enjoyed tremendous success in a short span of time. Its continued growth and growing popularity have made it one of the most popular professional leagues in the world, among both players and spectators.

Controversies and Backlash for the IPL Cricket Tournaments

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the most successful sports leagues in the world. It has also been surrounded by controversies since its inception in 2008. From match-fixing scandals to corruption allegations, these controversies have threatened to overshadow the actual game of cricket. In the early years of the IPL, Lalit Modi was the man who helped the Chennai Super Kings team buy the star player Andrew Flintoff for his team Chennai Super Kings and hence it was termed as wrong by many Cricket Pundits.

Another major controversy that happened during the IPL Season was in 2013 when Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were banned from the IPL. The ban on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) is one of the biggest controversies in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This controversy goes back to 2013 when it emerged that CSK and RR owners had violated the rules and regulations of IPL. As a result, both teams were banned from participating in the IPL for two years. Since then, there has been much debate about this ban, with some believing it was a necessary step to maintain the integrity of IPL while others feel that it was an unfair punishment.

Wrapping Up

Clearly, the IPL is the big thing because of its unique format, the high-quality cricket on display, the impact on the cricketing world, the entertainment value, and the economic benefits it provides. The league has become a cultural phenomenon in India and has captured the attention of cricket fans worldwide. The IPL's success has also inspired other countries to start their own T20 leagues, creating new opportunities for players and driving the growth of cricket around the world. With its continued growth and success, the IPL will remain the big thing in the world of sports for years to come.