On 20th of February this month, more than 750 players will go under the hammer in the auctions for the 2017 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) signalling the beginning of yet another season of breathtaking cricket.
Now since its inception in 2008, we have come across various franchises who have taken part in the league, got scrapped, won the coveted trophy. Here in this article, we will have a look at the top five teams in the league.
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#5 Gujarat Lions
After suspending Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two years, Gujarat Lions were formed in 2016. Suresh Raina was made the skipper of the outfit and they did brilliantly at the start of their campaign.
However, they lost steam in the middle of the season but still managed to make it to the playoffs as one of the top two teams.
But their hopes of making it to the finals were dashed as they lost both their qualifiers, first to Royal Challengers Bangalore and then to eventual champions Sunrisers Hyderabad.
In all probability, Raina is going to continue as captain of the side for the 2017 season too and they have retained superstars such as Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Bravo and Aaron Finch to boost their firepower.
#4 Sunrisers Hyderabad
After the BCCI terminated the contract of Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad were formed in 2012. In their first season itself in 2013, the outfit first led by Kumar Sangakkara then by Cameron White made it to the playoff stage.
But unfortunately, they lost the eliminator match against Rajasthan Royals by four wickets. Shikhar Dhawan was named the captain in the next edition but he could not help them get past the group stages.
The next year too it was the same story for the franchise with David Warner at the helm. However, in 2016 the Australian was a changed leader. His new found confidence with the bat helped his leadership skills and before long they had made it to the finals.
In the decider, they beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in a thriller by 8 runs to lift their maiden title.
This year too they have retained top players like Yuvraj Singh and Shikhar Dhawan besides international stars like Warner and Kane Williamson.
#3 Royal Challengers Bangalore
The Royal Challengers Bangalore have always been a powerhouse in the league through all its nine seasons but have failed to lay their hands on the coveted prize.
Not once or twice, the Challengers have made it to the finals three times and have come back with silver medals. They had a horrendous start to their inaugural campaign as Brendon McCullum then playing for KKR smashed their bowlers to all parts of the park. They lost the game by a huge margin and never quite recovered from it.
In the next season, however, under the captaincy of Anil Kumble, the Challengers were a force to reckon with. They made it to the finals in Johannesburg (As the IPL was held in South Africa) but lost to Deccan Chargers (now defunct) in a close contest.
They were semi-finalists in the very next season but then again made it to the finals in 2011. It had been a tournament for Chris Gayle till the end but in the ultimate game chasing Chennai’s massive 205 Gayle was dismissed for 0. Eventually, they fell short by 58 runs.
Over the next three seasons, it was again being the best team on pen and paper but not on the ground as they failed to make it past the group stage.
However, led by their talismanic captain Virat Kohli in 2016 who scored four hundred they made it to the finals again. But this time too their hopes were dashed as the Sunrisers Hyderabad went on to claim the title.
This year too they have retained more or less their core team and you will once again get to see the likes of AB De Villiers and Chris Gayle batting alongside Kohli. Will they be fourth time lucky?
#2 Mumbai Indians
After two disastrous seasons, Mumbai Indians finally found their mojo in 2010 when they made it to the finals. Though they lost the game to Chennai Super Kings, there were signs that the star-studded team was finally gelling together.
Over the next two seasons, they were there but not quite. Finally, in 2013 under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, the men in cobalt blue jerseys lifted the IPL trophy for the first time by beating CSK. It was a kind of reward for the franchise who had worked so hard over the first few years to put a strong squad together.
That year, they won the Champions League T20 too which helped boost their confidence more. After a playoff berth in 2014, Mumbai once again went on to clinch the trophy the next year by beating CSK in front of a packed Eden Gardens.
Last year, however, they failed to make the cut of the last four. For this edition, they have retained their top performers like Ambati Rayadu, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah. Among foreigners, they have kept back Tim Southee, Jos Buttler, Mitchell McClenaghan, Lendl Simmons, Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga.
#1 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Can you be too far away from success when you have a co-owner like Shahrukh Khan? The Badshah of Bollywood. Very unlikely.
The first three season were, however, very tough for the Kolkata-based outfit. With Sourav Ganguly one of India’s finest ever captains at the helm the team astonishingly failed to make it to the playoffs.
But then in 2011, KKR drastically revamped their squad. They bought left-hander Gautam Gambhir with a hefty amount of 1.5 million dollars and appointed him captain. That very season the Knights in purple made it to the last four.
In the next edition, KKR surprised critics and fans alike to go on and win the trophy for the first time. In a thrilling final, Gambhir’s men beat the then defending champions Chennai Super Kings to lay their hands on the glittering piece of silverware.
They got knocked out of the league stage next year but came back to win the trophy again in 2014 wherein the finals they went past Kings XI Punjab. Last year they made it to the playoffs but then lost to eventual champions Sunrisers Hyderabad.
For the 10th edition of the tourney, KKR have retained most of their players who helped them achieve success in the last few years. This year too Gambhir will lead the outfit and will have alongside him the likes of Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan and West Indies mystery spinner Sunil Narine.
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