Tracing the journey of all defunct teams in IPL history

#2 Deccan Chargers (2008-2012)

The Deccan Chargers are the only defunct team who have won the IPL

Bought by the Deccan Chronicle, the Deccan Chargers were one of the favourites to win the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League. Their squad boasted of players like Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs, Shahid Afridi, Andrew Symods Scott Styris, Chaminda Vaas and a young Rohit Sharma. The team was led by VVS Laxman.

However, they were a complete disappointment as they ended the tournament at rock bottom. The Chargers won only 2 out of their 14 matches and lost all of their final 7 games. The Deccan Chargers were at the receiving end of the highest run-chase in IPL history against the Rajasthan Royals.

In the second season at South Africa, Deccan Chargers surprised everyone by winning the title. After winning their first four games, they barely managed to qualify for the semi-finals where they beat favorites Delhi Daredevils, thanks to skipper Adam Gilchrist's innings of 85. In the final, they beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 6 runs. Gilchrist was adjudged the Player of the Tournament while RP Singh was the highest wicket-taker.

In the third season, the Chargers began well by winning three of their first four matches. However, they lost five matches in succession and were at the brink of elimination. They then stunned everybody by winning their final five games and qualifying for the semi-finals. They lost to eventual winners Chennai Super Kings before losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the third-place playoff. In this match, Deccan Chargers scored 82, which was the tournament's lowest total till then.

IPL 2011 saw Deccan Chargers having a new captain in Kumar Sangakkara. The tournament turned out to be a disappointment as they ended 7th with 6 wins and 8 defeats. They ended on a high though with 3 successive wins.

IPL 2012 was a much bigger disappointment compared to 2011 as the Chargers ended 8th out of the 9 teams with just 4 wins, 11 defeats and a no-result. The abandoned match against Kolkata Knight Riders prevented them from ending last.

A few months after the end of IPL 2012, the Deccan Chargers were terminated by the BCCI for breach of contract terms. The franchise owners had put the team up for sale but they declined the sole bid. The Deccan Chargers remain the only IPL winning franchise to have been terminated.