Indian Premier League facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Indian Premier League

Countries	India
Administrator	Board of Control for Cricket in India
Headquarters	Mumbai, India
Format	Twenty20
First edition	2008
Latest edition	2025
Tournament format	Double round-robin format followed by playoffs
Current champion	Royal Challengers Bengaluru (1st title)
Most successful	Chennai Super Kings Mumbai Indians (5 titles each)
Most runs	Virat Kohli (8,661)
Most wickets	Yuzvendra Chahal (221)
TV	List of broadcasters

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a super popular professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league in India. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) started it in 2007. It features ten teams, each representing a different city.

The IPL is known as the most popular and richest cricket league in the world. It happens every year between March and May. The league is so important that other international cricket games are scheduled around it. It is also the most-watched sports event in India.

In 2010, the IPL made history by being the first sports event to stream live on YouTube. By 2014, it was among the top six sports leagues globally for attendance. The IPL's success has even inspired other sports leagues in India. It is the second-richest sports league in the world based on how much each match is worth. In 2023, the league sold its TV and streaming rights for the next four years for a huge $6.4 billion. This meant each IPL match was valued at $13.4 million!

The IPL has had 18 seasons so far. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru are the current champions. They won the 2025 season by beating the Punjab Kings in the final match. There's also a women's version of the league, called the Women's Premier League, which started in 2022.

History of the IPL

How the IPL Started

Before the IPL, another cricket league called the Indian Cricket League (ICL) was created in 2007. The BCCI, which runs cricket in India, did not approve of the ICL. To stop players from joining the ICL, the BCCI offered more prize money for its own tournaments. It also banned players who joined the ICL.

On September 13, 2007, the BCCI announced the Indian Premier League. This new league would be an annual T20 cricket competition with teams owned by different groups. The first season was planned for April 2008. Lalit Modi, a BCCI vice-president, shared all the details about the tournament. This included how it would work, the prize money, and how teams would be formed.

To decide who would own the teams, an auction was held in January 2008. Eight teams were sold for a total of $723.59 million. The first season of the IPL began in April 2008. It featured teams like Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Mumbai Indians (MI), and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). In 2009, the ICL faced money problems and many players left. This led to the ICL closing down later that year.

Teams Joining and Leaving

Over the years, the IPL has seen teams come and go. In 2011, two new teams, Pune Warriors India and Kochi Tuskers Kerala, joined the league. However, Kochi Tuskers Kerala was removed after just one season because they did not pay their fees.

In 2012, the Deccan Chargers team was also removed due to financial problems. A new team, Sunrisers Hyderabad, took their place in 2013. Pune Warriors India also left the league in 2013 because of money disagreements with the BCCI. This brought the league back to eight teams.

In 2015, two successful teams, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, were suspended for two seasons. This happened because of a betting scandal. Two temporary teams, Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions, played in their place. When the suspension ended, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals returned in 2018.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the season to be played in the United Arab Emirates. In 2021, the BCCI announced that two more new teams would join for the 2022 season. These teams were the Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans. This made the IPL a ten-team tournament.

Many IPL team owners have also bought teams in other cricket leagues around the world. For example, owners of Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru also own teams in the Women's Premier League.

A match during the 2008 IPL inaugural season in Chennai

How the IPL Works

The IPL's main office is in Mumbai, India. A group called the Governing Council manages the league and organizes the tournaments.

Prize Money

In the 2022 season, the total prize money for the IPL was ₹46.5 crore (about US$5.5 million). The winning team received ₹20 crore (about US$2.4 million), and the second-placed team received ₹13 crore (about US$1.5 million). The rules say that half of the prize money must be shared among the players of the winning team. In 2025, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their first IPL title and received ₹20 crore.

Rules and Format

The IPL has some special rules that are different from regular cricket or other T20 leagues:

• Strategic Time-outs: Each team gets two two-and-a-half-minute breaks during their batting or bowling innings.
• Decision Review System (DRS): Since 2018, teams can ask for a review of an umpire's decision. From 2023, this also includes reviewing wide balls and no-balls.
• Slow Over Rate: If a team bowls too slowly, they might have to place fewer fielders outside the inner circle for the rest of the innings.
• Impact Player: Teams can use a substitute player, called an "impact player," during a match. This can happen at the start of an innings, when a wicket falls, when a batter retires, or at the end of an over.
• Playing Eleven: Teams can decide their playing eleven (the 11 players who will play) either before or after the coin toss.
• Unfair Movement: If a fielder or wicket-keeper moves unfairly while the bowler is bowling, the batting team gets five penalty runs.
• Overseas Players: Teams can have a maximum of four international (overseas) players in their playing eleven. If they use an overseas impact player, they can only have three overseas players in their starting eleven.
• Squad Size: Each team must have between 18 and 25 players, with a maximum of 8 overseas players.
• Bouncers: From the 2024 season, bowlers are allowed to bowl two bouncers (short balls that bounce high) per over.

The tournament usually starts with a "round-robin" stage where every team plays against each other. After that, the top teams go into a "playoff" stage, which is a knockout competition to find the winner.

IPL Teams

The IPL started with eight teams in 2008. Over the years, some teams changed, and new ones joined. For example, Deccan Chargers were replaced by Sunrisers Hyderabad. Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Pune Warriors India also played for a few seasons before leaving.

In 2016, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended for two years. During that time, Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions played instead. Both Chennai and Rajasthan returned in 2018. In 2022, the league grew to ten teams with the addition of Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants.

Some teams also changed their names, like Delhi Daredevils becoming Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab becoming Punjab Kings. The Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians are the most successful teams, each winning five IPL titles. As of the 2025 season, there are 10 teams in the league.

Former IPL Teams

Timeline of Teams

Present teams Former teams Suspended

Player Squads

Teams get players in a few ways: through an annual player auction, by trading players with other teams, or by signing replacement players if someone gets injured.

How Players Join Teams

For the 2025 IPL season, each team had a total budget of ₹120 crore (about US$14.3 million) to spend on players. Teams must spend at least 75% of this budget. Each team needs to have at least 18 players and no more than 25. They can have a maximum of 8 international players.

Player Auction

Before the auction, teams can choose to keep a certain number of players from their previous squad. These players don't go into the auction. Their salaries are taken out of the team's budget before the auction starts.

The auction usually happens in the winter. Players who were not kept by their teams, or who didn't play in the last tournament, can enter the auction. Each player sets a starting price, and teams bid for them. The highest bid becomes the player's salary for that season. Players who are not bought in the auction can sometimes be signed later as replacements for injured players.

The league holds an auction every year. But every three years, there's a "mega auction." In a mega auction, teams can only keep a small number of players (like 6 at the most recent one). This means most players become available for other teams to bid on. This system helps keep the teams balanced, as it forces them to rebuild their squads often. Smaller auctions are sometimes called "mini-auctions."

If a team wants to keep a player, but the player doesn't want to stay, the player can ask to be traded or put into the auction. However, the team usually has the final say. The only exception is during a mega auction, where a player can insist on being released into the auction pool.

Player Trades

Players must agree to be traded between teams. Any differences in their contracts are handled by the team. There are usually three times when trades can happen: two before the auction and one before the tournament. No trading is allowed during the tournament, but teams can sign replacement players.

Player Contracts and Salaries

Here are some other important rules about players and their money:

• The total budget for each team's squad is ₹120 crore.
• Players under 19 years old cannot be picked unless they have already played in higher-level cricket matches.

Player contracts usually last for one year. Teams can extend these contracts for one or two more years. Since 2014, player salaries have been paid in Indian rupees. Before that, they were in US dollars. International players can choose to be paid in their own currency.

The BCCI gives 10% of international players' salaries to their home country's cricket board. In 2024, a report said that the average IPL salary for the top 10 highest-paid players was ₹12.37 crore (about US$1.47 million). This is the second-highest average salary among sports leagues worldwide. IPL players are only paid for the short tournament period, unlike other sports where players are paid for the whole year.

List of countries whose players who have played in Indian Premier League

Countries	Highest bidded player (year)	First	Last
India	Rishabh Pant - ₹27 crore (2025)	2008	2025
Australia	Mitchell Starc - ₹24.75 crore (2024)	2008	2025
England	Sam Curran - ₹18.5 crore (2023)	2008	2025
South Africa	Heinrich Klaasen - ₹23 crore (2025)	2008	2025
New Zealand	Kyle Jamieson - ₹25 crore (2021)	2008	2025
Pakistan	Shahid Afridi - ₹2.71 crore (2008)	2008	2008
Sri Lanka	Wanindu Hasaranga - ₹10.75 crore (2022)	2008	2025
Bangladesh	Mustafizur Rahman - ₹6 crore (2025)	2008	2025
West Indies	Nicholas Pooran - ₹16 crore (2023)	2008	2025
Zimbabwe	Sikander Raza - ₹50 lakh (2023)	2008	2025
Afghanistan	Noor Ahmad - ₹10 crore (2025)	2017	2025
Ireland	Josh Little - ₹4.4 crore (2023)	2023	2023
Netherlands	Dirk Nannes - ₹3.2 crore (2011)	2011	2011
United States	Ali Khan (replacement) (2020)	2020	2020
United Arab Emirates	Chirag Suri - ₹10 lakh (2017)	2017	2017
Namibia	David Wiese - ₹3 crore (2013)	2015	2023
Nepal	Sandeep Lamichhane- ₹10 lakh (2020)	2020	2020

Here is a table listing the most expensive player acquisitions in each Indian Premier League (IPL) season, along with their respective teams and purchase prices.

List of most expensive player in IPL Auction each year

Year	Auction Location	Player	Nationality	Team	Price INR	Ref.
2008	Mumbai	MS Dhoni	India	Chennai Super Kings	9.5 crore
2009	Goa	Kevin Pietersen	England	Royal Challengers Bangalore	9.8 crore
		Andrew Flintoff		Chennai Super Kings
2010	Bengaluru	Shane Bond	New Zealand	Kolkata Knight Riders	4.8 crore
		Kieron Pollard	West Indies	Mumbai Indians
2011		Gautam Gambhir	India	Kolkata Knight Riders	14.9 crore
2012	Chennai	Ravindra Jadeja		Chennai Super Kings	12.8 crore
2013		Glenn Maxwell	Australia	Mumbai Indians	6.3 crore
2014	Dubai	Yuvraj Singh	India	Royal Challengers Bangalore	14 crore
2015	Bengaluru			Delhi Daredevils	16 crore
2016		Shane Watson	Australia	Royal Challengers Bangalore	9.5 crore
2017		Ben Stokes	England	Rising Pune Supergiant	14.5 crore
2018				Rajasthan Royals	12.5 crore
2019	Jaipur	Varun Chakravarthy	India	Kings XI Punjab	8.4 crore
2020	Kolkata	Pat Cummins	Australia	Kolkata Knight Riders	15.5 crore
2021	Chennai	Chris Morris	South Africa	Rajasthan Royals	16.25 crore
2022	Bengaluru	Ishan Kishan	India	Mumbai Indians	15.25 crore
2023	Kochi	Sam Curran	England	Punjab Kings	18.5 crore
2024	Dubai	Mitchell Starc	Australia	Kolkata Knight Riders	24.75 crore
2025	Jeddah	Rishabh Pant	India	Lucknow Super Giants	27 crore

Tournament Winners

Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians are the most successful teams, each winning five IPL titles. Kolkata Knight Riders have won three titles. Other teams like Rajasthan Royals, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have each won one title. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru are the current champions, winning their first title in 2025.

^† Team now defunct

Season Results

IPL Records and Statistics

Virat Kohli is the highest run-scorer in IPL.

Yuzvendra Chahal is the highest wicket-taker in IPL.

Most Appearances

As of 3 June  2025 (2025 -06-03)^[update]

• Source: ESPNcricinfo
• Currently active IPL players appear in boldface.

IPL Awards

Prize Money

For the 2025 season, the prize money was:

• Winner team: ₹20 crore (US$2.4 million)
• Runner-up team: ₹12 crore (US$1.4 million)
• Third-place team: ₹7 crore (US$0.83 million)
• Fourth-place team: ₹6.5 crore (US$0.77 million)

Fair Play Award

The Fair Play Award is given to the team that shows the best sportsmanship each season. Umpires score teams after every match. The team with the highest score at the end of the season wins. The Chennai Super Kings won this award in 2025.

Orange Cap

The Orange Cap is given to the player who scores the most runs in a season. The player who is currently leading in runs gets to wear the Orange Cap during matches. The player with the most runs at the end of the season keeps the cap. Brendon McCullum was the first player to wear it, and Shaun Marsh was the first to win it. David Warner has won it three times, more than anyone else. Sai Sudharsan of Gujarat Titans won the Orange Cap in 2025.

Purple Cap

The Purple Cap is given to the player who takes the most wickets in a season. Just like the Orange Cap, the leading wicket-taker wears the Purple Cap during matches. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Dwayne Bravo are the only players to have won this award twice. Harshal Patel of Punjab Kings won the Purple Cap in 2024.

Most Valuable Player

This award, once called "Man of the Tournament," is given to the player who performs best overall in the season. A special rating system is used to decide the winner. Sunil Narine won this award in 2024.

Emerging Player Award

This award is for the best young player of the season. It has had different names over the years, but since 2014, it's been called the Emerging Player of the Year. Mustafizur Rahman is the only international player to win it. Nitish Kumar Reddy won this award in 2024.

Maximum Sixes Award

This award goes to the player who hits the most sixes (balls hit out of the playing area) during the season.

IPL Finances

The IPL has different sponsors who pay money to be associated with the league. From 2008 to 2012, a real estate company called DLF was the main sponsor. Then, PepsiCo took over, but they ended their deal early. Chinese smartphone maker Vivo then became the sponsor.

In 2020, Vivo stepped back for a year due to a conflict between India and China, and Dream11 became the sponsor. Vivo returned in 2021 but then left again. The Tata Group took over as the main sponsor for the next few seasons.

Crowd during a match of the 2023 IPL season in Kolkata

Brand Value

The IPL's value has grown a lot. In 2016, it was worth about $4.2 billion. By 2018, it was $6.1 billion. A big reason for this growth was a TV deal that allowed the IPL to be shown on many channels in different languages.

In 2022, the IPL became a "decacorn," meaning it was valued at over $10 billion. Its value reached $11 billion, showing a 75% growth since 2020.

In 2022, the BCCI bought insurance worth ₹5000 crore (about US$595 million) for the IPL. This insurance covers the league in case of money losses due to bad weather, riots, or other unexpected events.

Broadcasting the IPL

The IPL is India's most-watched sports event. In 2024, an average of 620 million people watched at least part of the tournament online. The 2025 final was watched by 169 million viewers on TV, making it the most-watched cricket broadcast on regular television ever.

Currently, the rights to show the IPL in India are held by JioStar. They stream games on JioHotstar and show them on Star Sports TV channels. These rights were sold in 2022 for about $6.2 billion. This made the IPL the second most valuable sports media property in the world, after the National Football League in the USA.

The IPL's media rights were first held by Sony Pictures Networks from 2008 to 2017. Then, Star India took over from 2018 to 2022. In 2022, Disney Star lost the online streaming rights to JioStar, but they kept the TV rights for Star Sports.

List of Broadcasters

See also

In Spanish: Liga Premier de India para niños

• Cricket in India
• Sport in India – overview of Indian sports culture
• List of cricket leagues in India
• List of professional sports leagues in India