50 Fun Facts About Indian Premier League

Which governing body organises the IPL?

The Board of Control for Cricket in India launched the league in 2007 partly in response to the rival, unsanctioned Indian Cricket League.

Which format is played in the IPL?

Each side gets 20 overs, which keeps a match to roughly three hours and fits the league into a March-to-May window.

In which year was the first IPL season played?

The league was announced in September 2007 and the eight founding franchises were auctioned in January 2008, just months before the first ball.

How many franchise teams have played in each IPL season since 2022?

The league began with eight sides and reached ten in 2022 when the Lucknow and Gujarat franchises joined.

Which team won the inaugural IPL season in 2008?

The Jaipur franchise had been written off before the season and was one of the cheapest teams at the ownership auction.

Which Australian leg-spinner captained the 2008 IPL champions?

He had retired from international cricket a year earlier and acted as both captain and coach of the side.

Which IPL team is co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan?

His company Red Chillies Entertainment bought the franchise for $75.09 million at the 2008 auction, with Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta as partners.

Which stadium is the home ground of KKR?

The Kolkata ground is one of the largest cricket stadiums in the world and the team's purple-and-gold colours fill it every home game.

The name of the Kolkata IPL franchise references which 1980s American TV series?

The team's logo is a blazing Corinthian helmet, and its motto Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo means Perform, Fight, Win.

Which batter is the IPL's all-time leading run-scorer?

He was signed as an under-19 World Cup-winning captain in 2008 and has played for the Bengaluru franchise ever since.

Which franchise won its first IPL title only in 2025, after three losing finals?

The side had lost finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016 before finally lifting the trophy, then retained it the following year.

Which two franchises have won five IPL titles each?

Chennai won in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023; Mumbai in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.

Which conglomerate owns the Mumbai Indians?

Mukesh Ambani's company paid $111.9 million for the franchise in 2008, the highest price of the original eight.

Which ground is the primary home of the Mumbai Indians?

The IPL's own headquarters sit next door in the Cricket Centre at Churchgate.

Which real estate developer was the IPL's first title sponsor?

The deal ran for five seasons, after which PepsiCo took over the naming rights.

Which Chinese smartphone brand took over IPL title sponsorship after PepsiCo quit in 2015?

PepsiCo walked away two years early after two franchises were suspended; the phone maker later paid ₹2,199 crore to keep the rights for 2018-22.

How long is each strategic time-out in an IPL innings?

When the break debuted in 2009 it was a single seven-and-a-half-minute stoppage, which players including Sachin Tendulkar complained about.

The 2009 IPL season was relocated to which country?

The Indian government could not guarantee security because central forces were committed to the general election.

Due to COVID-19, the 2020 IPL was played in which country?

The tournament ran in September-November rather than its usual spring slot, with Mumbai Indians winning the final in Dubai.

The IPL's Orange Cap is awarded to which player each season?

The current leader wears the cap in the field while the season is live, so it can change heads several times.

The IPL's Purple Cap goes to which player each season?

It was introduced a few weeks after the Orange Cap in 2008; ties are settled by the better economy rate.

Who was the first winner of the Orange Cap?

The Australian opener top-scored for Kings XI Punjab in 2008, while McCullum had only worn the cap first after his 158 in the opening match.

Who has won the Orange Cap three times?

All three of his wins came with Sunrisers Hyderabad, in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

The record for most runs in a single IPL season, 973, was set in which year?

That season ended with RCB losing the final to Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight runs.

Who took a then-record 32 wickets in the 2013 IPL season?

Harshal Patel matched the tally in 2021, but the West Indian keeps top billing on economy rate.

Who is the only overseas player to have won the IPL Emerging Player award?

The left-armer's cutters helped Sunrisers Hyderabad to their title that year.

Who has won the IPL Most Valuable Player award a record three times?

The points system rewards dot balls and wickets as well as boundaries, which suits a miserly spinner who also opens the batting.

Who was the most expensive buy at the first IPL player auction in 2008?

Chennai outbid everyone for the India captain; Tendulkar and Ganguly never went to auction because they were icon players for their home cities.

What was the winning bid for MS Dhoni at the 2008 auction?

Each team had only a $5 million salary cap that year, so the bid was nearly a third of Chennai's entire budget.

For how many seasons were CSK and RR suspended from the IPL in 2016?

The Supreme Court-appointed Lodha Committee handed down the ban; both teams returned in 2018 and Chennai won the title that year.

Which two teams replaced the suspended CSK and RR for 2016 and 2017?

Both stand-ins were dissolved when the suspended sides returned, though the Pune team reached the 2017 final first.

How many seasons did Kochi Tuskers Kerala last in the IPL?

The franchise failed to pay the BCCI a 10% bank guarantee on its fee and was cut after the 2011 season.

Which franchise won the IPL in its debut season in 2022?

Their auction picks were widely criticised beforehand; they then topped the table and beat Rajasthan in the final at home in Ahmedabad.

Who captained the 2022 IPL champions in their maiden season?

He was also player of the match in the final with 3/17 and 34 runs, then returned to Mumbai Indians as captain in 2024.

Which Bollywood actress is a co-owner of the Punjab Kings?

She held a 23% stake when the Mohali franchise was bought for $76 million in 2008.

Which IPL team played as the Daredevils until 2018?

Co-owner Parth Jindal explained the new name as a nod to the city being the country's power centre.

What is the record winning streak by an IPL team, held by KKR?

The run spanned the end of their 2014 title season and the start of 2015.

Which Mumbai Indians player was banned in 2008 for slapping an opponent?

He was standing in as captain at the time; Shaun Pollock took over and Mumbai won six in a row but still missed the semi-finals.

In 2010, the IPL became the first sporting event streamed live on which platform?

A decade later its digital rights alone were worth billions, and losing them helped cost Disney+ 2.4 million subscribers in one quarter.

Who was the IPL's founding commissioner, banned for life by the BCCI in 2013?

He ran the league for its first three seasons, was suspended days after the 2010 final and later moved to London.

Which Indian minister resigned in 2010 over the Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise?

He had mentored the winning bid while his friend Sunanda Pushkar held sweat equity; the two married later that year.

Who was the most expensive overseas player at the 2008 IPL auction?

The Australian all-rounder went to the Deccan Chargers, the Hyderabad franchise that won the title a year later.

By how many runs did Mumbai Indians beat CSK in the 2019 IPL final?

Lasith Malinga defended nine off the last over, trapping Shardul Thakur lbw with the final ball.

How many IPL titles has MS Dhoni won as CSK captain?

He has taken Chennai to ten finals, and he was also the first wicket-keeper to pass 5,000 IPL runs.

Who is the only non-opener to win the Orange Cap?

The New Zealander scored 735 runs at number three for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018, taking them to the final.

Who is the only player named Player of the Match in two IPL finals?

The left-arm spinning all-rounder did it for Mumbai Indians in 2017 and again for RCB in 2025.

Who was player of the match in the 2008 IPL final?

He hit 56 off 39 balls and took three wickets; Watson was named player of the tournament instead.

Which Pakistani bowler won the first Purple Cap in 2008?

2008 remains the only season in which Pakistani players have appeared, as none were picked after the Mumbai attacks later that year.

Which English all-rounder did CSK make the joint highest-paid player in 2009?

Injury limited him to three matches before he flew home, and an alleged leaked email later linked the deal to a conflict-of-interest row.

Which rival 'rebel' competition launched in 2007 prompted the BCCI to set up the IPL?

The board refused to recognise the Essel Group venture and banned anyone who joined it; an amnesty in 2009 drained its players and it folded.