Indian Premier League facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Indian Premier League

Countries	India
Administrator	Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
Headquarters	Cricket Centre, Churchgate, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Format	Twenty20
First edition	2008
Latest edition	2023
Tournament format	Round Robin format with Group System and Playoffs
Number of teams	10
Current champion	Chennai Super Kings (5th title)
Most successful	Chennai Super Kings Mumbai Indians (5 titles each)
Most runs	Virat Kohli (7,897)
Most wickets	Yuzvendra Chahal (201)
TV	India Star Sports (TV) JioCinema (Internet) International List of broadcasters

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a super exciting Twenty20 (T20) cricket league. It happens every year in India during the summer, usually from March to May. The BCCI started the IPL in 2007.

Ten teams, each representing a different city, play in the league. The IPL is the most popular cricket league in the whole world! In 2010, it was the first sports event ever shown live on YouTube.

The IPL is also very valuable. In 2022, it was worth about US$11 billion. The 2023 final was watched by 32 million people online, making it the most-streamed live event ever!

The Chennai Super Kings are the current champions. They won the 2023 season by beating the Gujarat Titans.

History of the IPL

The Indian Premier League has an interesting past. Let's look at how it all began and how it grew!

How the IPL Started

Before the IPL, another cricket league called the Indian Cricket League (ICL) was created in 2007. The main cricket board in India, the BCCI, did not officially recognize the ICL.

To respond, the BCCI decided to start its own T20 cricket league. On September 13, 2007, they announced the Indian Premier League. The first season was planned for April 2008.

Lalit Modi, a BCCI Vice-president, helped create the IPL. He shared details about how the tournament would work. This included how teams would earn money and how players would be chosen.

To decide who would own the teams, an auction was held in January 2008. Eight teams were bought for a total of $723.59 million. The first teams were Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Deccan Chargers, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

A match during the 2008 IPL inaugural season in Chennai

New Teams and Changes

Over the years, the IPL has seen teams join and leave. In 2011, two new teams, Pune Warriors India and Kochi Tuskers Kerala, joined the league. However, Kochi Tuskers Kerala left after just one season.

In 2012, the Deccan Chargers team also left. A new team, Sunrisers Hyderabad, took its place in 2013. Pune Warriors India left in 2013, bringing the league back to eight teams.

Crowd during a match of the 2023 IPL season in Kolkata

In 2015, two successful teams, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, were suspended for two seasons. This was due to some issues that happened in 2013. Two temporary teams, Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions, played in their place.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season was played in the United Arab Emirates. In 2022, the IPL grew to ten teams again. Two new teams, Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans, joined the league.

Many IPL team owners also own teams in other cricket leagues around the world. These include leagues in the Caribbean, South Africa, UAE, and USA. They often use similar names for their teams in these other leagues.

How the IPL Works

The IPL is managed by a special group called the Governing Council. Their job is to make sure everything runs smoothly. The main office for the IPL is in Mumbai, India.

How Players Join Teams

Teams get players in a few ways:

• Player Auction: This happens every year. Players sign up and set a starting price. Teams then bid for them. The team that bids the highest gets the player.
• Trading: Teams can trade players with each other during special times.
• Replacements: If a player can't play, teams can sign a new player to replace them.

There are also rules about how many players a team can have and how much they can spend. For example, a team's total player salaries cannot be more than ₹85 crore (US$14 million). Also, young players (under 19) can only join if they have played in other important cricket matches before.

Players usually sign contracts for one year. These contracts can be extended. Since 2014, players are paid in Indian Rupees. Foreign players can choose to be paid in their own country's money.

The BCCI gives 10% of foreign players' salaries to their home country's cricket board. The average IPL salary is very high, making it one of the highest-paying sports leagues in the world!

Prize Money for Winners

The IPL offers a lot of prize money! In 2022, the total prize money was ₹46.5 crore (equivalent to ₹49 crore or US$8.4 million in 2023). The team that wins the tournament gets ₹20 crore (equivalent to ₹21 crore or US$3.6 million in 2023). The team that comes in second gets ₹13 crore (equivalent to ₹14 crore or US$2.3 million in 2023).

Half of the prize money that a team wins must be shared among its players.

Special Rules in IPL

The IPL has some unique rules that are different from other cricket games:

• Strategic Time-outs: Each team gets two short breaks during their batting and bowling turns. These breaks last two and a half minutes.
• Decision Review System (DRS): Since 2018, teams can ask the umpire to review a decision they think is wrong. Each team gets two chances per innings. From 2023, they can even review decisions about "wides" and "no-balls."
• Over-rate Penalty: 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 the match. This player can come in at the start of an innings, when a wicket falls, 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 other team gets 5 penalty runs.
• Overseas Players: Teams can have up to four international players (from outside India) in their playing eleven.
• Squad Size: Teams must have 25 players in total, with a maximum of eight international players.
• Bouncers: From the 2024 season, bowlers can bowl two bouncers (fast balls that bounce high) in one over.

IPL Teams

There are ten teams that play in the IPL. Each team is based in a different city in India.

Current Teams

Former Teams

Over the years, some teams have also left the IPL.

Timeline of Teams in the IPL

This timeline shows which teams have played in the IPL over the years.

Present teams Former teams Suspended

Tournament Results and Champions

The IPL has had many exciting seasons! Let's see which teams have won the most titles.

Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians are the most successful teams. They have each won the IPL five times! Kolkata Knight Riders have won two titles. Other teams like Rajasthan Royals, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Gujarat Titans have each won once.

The Chennai Super Kings are the current champions. They won their fifth title in the 2023 IPL final against the Gujarat Titans.

Number of Titles Won by Teams

^† Team now defunct

IPL Finals: Winners and Runners-up

Here's a list of all the IPL finals, showing who won and who came in second.

Team Performances by Season

This table shows how each team performed in every IPL season.

• Current teams are listed alphabetically. Defunct teams are listed by order of entry to the league, then alphabetically.

^† Team now defunct

•      C: champions
•      RU: runner-up
•      3rd: team won the 3rd place playoff. A third-place playoff only took place in 2010
•      4th: team lost the 3rd place playoff
•      SF or PO: team qualified for the semi-final or playoff stage of the competition

Team Standings in Points Table (2008–2024)

This table shows where each team finished in the league stage each season.

•      indicates qualified for playoffs

(C) = Eventual champion; (R) = Runner-up.

All-Time Team Standings

This table shows how teams have performed overall in the league stage from 2008 to 2023.

IPL Records and Statistics

The IPL has seen many amazing performances! Here are some of the top records.

• Source: records extracted from ESPNcricinfo

IPL Awards

Each IPL season, special awards are given to players and teams for their great performances.

Orange Cap: Top Run Scorer

The Orange Cap goes to the player who scores the most runs in a season. The player who is currently leading in runs gets to wear the cap during matches! The first player to wear it was Brendon McCullum. Shaun Marsh was the first player to win the award for a whole season. David Warner has won it three times, more than anyone else. In 2023, Shubman Gill won the Orange Cap.

Purple Cap: Top Wicket Taker

The Purple Cap is given to the bowler who takes the most wickets in a season. Just like the Orange Cap, the leading wicket-taker wears it during games. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Dwayne Bravo are the only players to win this award twice. Mohammed Shami won the Purple Cap in 2023.

Most Valuable Player

This award goes to the player who has the biggest impact on the tournament. It used to be called "Man of the Tournament." A special rating system helps decide the winner. Shubman Gill was the Most Valuable Player in 2023.

Fair Play Award

The Fair Play Award is given to the team that shows the best sportsmanship. Umpires score teams on how fairly they play after each match. The team with the highest score at the end of the season wins. The Delhi Capitals won this award in 2023.

Emerging Player Award

This award celebrates the best young player in the league. The rules for who qualifies have changed over the years, but it's always for a rising star. Mustafizur Rahman is the only international player to win it. Yashasvi Jaiswal won the Emerging Player Award in 2023.

Maximum Sixes Award

This award is for the player who hits the most sixes (balls hit out of the park) in a season.

IPL Finances

The IPL is a huge business! Let's look at how it makes money.

Title Sponsors

The IPL has had different main sponsors over the years. These companies pay a lot of money to have their name linked with the league. From 2008 to 2012, DLF was the main sponsor. Then PepsiCo took over.

Later, the Chinese smartphone company Vivo became the main sponsor. For the 2020 season, Dream11 was the sponsor. Then Vivo returned for 2021. Since 2022, the Tata Group has been the main sponsor.

How Much the IPL is Worth

The value of the IPL has grown a lot! In 2016, it was worth about US$4.16 billion. By 2018, it grew to US$6.13 billion. This growth happened partly because of new TV deals. The IPL was shown on more channels and in many different languages.

In December 2022, the IPL was valued at US$10.9 billion. This shows how popular and successful the league has become.

The BCCI also takes out insurance for the IPL. This helps protect against money losses if something unexpected happens, like bad weather or other events.

Broadcasting the IPL

Millions of people around the world watch the IPL. Let's see how it's broadcast.

Watching the IPL: 2023–2027

From 2023 to 2027, different companies have the rights to show IPL matches. Star Sports shows the games on TV in India. JioCinema streams the games online for free in India.

In February 2023, JioCinema announced they would stream the 2023 IPL for free. They offered it in 12 languages and even in 4K quality! This was a big deal for viewers. The 2023 final set a new record for online viewing, with over 32 million people watching at the same time!

List of Broadcasters Around the World

Here's where you can watch the IPL in different parts of the world.

Territory	Channels and Online streaming	Years
India	Star Sports 1 HD Star Sports 1 Hindi HD Star Sports 1 Kannada Star Sports 1 Tamil HD Star Sports 1 Telugu HD Star Gold HD Star Bharat SD Star Utsav Movies SD Star Jalsa Movies SD Star Maa Movies SD Star Suvarna Plus SD Star Vijay Super SD	2024–2027
	Jio Cinema (Internet)	2024–2027
Afghanistan	ATN HD ATN News HD	2024
	Ariana Television (Internet) https://www.arianatelevision.com/live/	2024
Australia	Foxtel Fox Cricket Kayo Sports	2023–present
	Kayo Freebies (Internet)	2023–present
Bangladesh	T Sports HD	2024
	T Sports APP	2024
Indonesia	Vidio (Internet)	2023
New Zealand	Colors TV	2024–present
Pakistan	Tapmad APP https://www.tapmad.com/watch/watch-ipl-2024-live-free/110751	2024
Ireland	Sky Sports DAZN	2023–present
United Kingdom
South Africa	SuperSport	2023
Sri Lanka	Supreme TV	2023–present
	The Papare.com https://live.thepapare.com/event/indian-premier-league-2024
United States	Willow TV	2023
Middle East and North Africa	Times Internet	2023
Sub-Saharan Africa	SuperSport	2021–present

Images for kids

• 

  A match during the 2008 IPL inaugural season in Chennai

• 

  Crowd during a match of the 2023 IPL season in Kolkata

See also

In Spanish: Liga Premier de India para niños