Since 2008, the Indian Premier League has given cricket fans some of the most thrilling finals in history. Every season comes to a close with drama, passion, and unforgettable moments. The IPL final is not just a match. It is where heroes are made and rivalries grow stronger. From last-ball finishes to record-breaking knocks, these finals are etched in the memories of millions. Each year adds new stories to the league’s legacy. Let us look back at the history of IPL finals, the champions, and the performances that shaped the world’s biggest cricket league.
The Legacy of IPL Finals: More Than Just a Match
Why the IPL Final is the Most Anticipated Game of the Season
The Indian Premier League is the world’s biggest cricket league. It has a massive fanbase all across the globe. Therefore, when the final of the IPL season comes, it creates next-level anticipation among the fans. In recent years, many IPL finals have been decided by the last ball of the game. This also adds a next-level thrill to this specific game.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) features some of the world’s biggest cricket stars. This also increases the excitement among the fans to see their favourite stars playing in front of them. The numbers tell the whole story. The IPL 2025 finals between RCB and PBKS were watched by 169 million people on Star Sports (Indian Television). It was the highest number after the India-Pakistan 2021 T20 World Cup Game. It shows that IPL is more than just a league; it has a massive fan base, which takes it to the level of ICC tournaments in terms of viewership.
Memorable Finals That Changed IPL History
Over the 18 seasons of the IPL, there have been many thrilling and memorable finals that remain fresh in the minds of fans. First of all, the IPL 2008 final in which the Underdogs, the Rajasthan Royals, won against the quality side, the Chennai Super Kings. Rajasthan Royals, led by Shane Warne, won their first-ever title in IPL history.
The IPL 2009 final was also exciting and thrilling, where the Deccan Chargers defeated one of the best teams of that season, the RCB. Deccan Charges lifted its first-ever IPL under the captaincy of another Australian captain, Adam Gilchrist. In IPL 2010, CSK won its first-ever title against the Mumbai Indians and became the 3rd side to win the IPL title. The IPL 2019 final was one of the most exciting and thrilling IPL finals. Mumbai Indians lifted their 4th IPL title, beating CSK in a close encounter.
The IPL 2023 final was one of the most memorable and exciting finals in IPL history. Chennai Super Kings lifted its 5th IPL title with the crucial 10 runs of Ravindra Jadeja in the last two balls of the game. IPL 2025 finals will always be remembered as the most iconic and memorable finals in IPL history. Royal Challengers Bangalore, after a 17-year struggle, lifted its first-ever IPL title in IPL 2025. H2: IPL All Final Match Results: Year-by-Year Champions
Complete List of IPL Finals (2008–2025)
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Venue | Final Score |
| 2008 | Rajasthan Royals | Chennai Super Kings | DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai | CSK 163/5 — RR 164/7 (RR won by 3 wkts) |
| 2009 | Deccan Chargers | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg | DC 143/6 — RCB 137/9 (DC won by 6 runs) |
| 2010 | Chennai Super Kings | Mumbai Indians | DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai | CSK 168/5 — MI 146/9 (CSK won by 22 runs) |
| 2011 | Chennai Super Kings | Royal Challengers Bangalore | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | CSK 205/5 — RCB 147/8 (CSK won by 58 runs) |
| 2012 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Chennai Super Kings | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | CSK 190/3 — KKR 192/5 (KKR won by 5 wkts) |
| 2013 | Mumbai Indians | Chennai Super Kings | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | MI 148/9 — CSK 125/9 (MI won by 23 runs) |
| 2014 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Kings XI Punjab | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | KXIP 199/4 — KKR 200/7 (KKR won by 3 wkts) |
| 2015 | Mumbai Indians | Chennai Super Kings | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | MI 202/5 — CSK 161/8 (MI won by 41 runs) |
| 2016 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Royal Challengers Bangalore | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | SRH 208/7 — RCB 200/7 (SRH won by 8 runs) |
| 2017 | Mumbai Indians | Rising Pune Supergiant | Rajiv Gandhi Intl. Stadium, Hyderabad | MI 129/8 — RPS 128/6 (MI won by 1 run) |
| 2018 | Chennai Super Kings | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | SRH 178/6 — CSK 181/2 (CSK won by 8 wkts) |
| 2019 | Mumbai Indians | Chennai Super Kings | Rajiv Gandhi Intl. Stadium, Hyderabad | MI 149/8 — CSK 148/7 (MI won by 1 run) |
| 2020 | Mumbai Indians | Delhi Capitals | Dubai Intl. Cricket Stadium | DC 156/7 — MI 157/5 (MI won by 5 wkts) |
| 2021 | Chennai Super Kings | Kolkata Knight Riders | Dubai Intl. Cricket Stadium | CSK 192/3 — KKR 165/9 (CSK won by 27 runs) |
| 2022 | Gujarat Titans | Rajasthan Royals | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | RR 130/9 — GT 133/3 (GT won by 7 wkts) |
| 2023 | Chennai Super Kings | Gujarat Titans | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | GT 214/4 — CSK 171/5 (15 ov, DLS) (CSK won by 5 wkts) |
| 2024 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Sunrisers Hyderabad | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | SRH 113 — KKR 114/2 (KKR won by 8 wkts) |
Starting with IPL 2008, Rajasthan lifted its first IPL title, beating CSK. Deccan Charges got better off Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2009 final to lift its first IPL title. CSK became the first IPL side to win the title in consecutive years, in 2010 and 2011. CSK beat MI in 2010 and RCB in the IPL 2011 final.
In IPL 2012, under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir, Kolkata Knight Riders won its first-ever title, defeating CSK in the final.
Rohit Sharma became the youngest IPL captain to lift the IPL trophy for the Mumbai Indians by winning the final against CSK. In IPL 2014, KKR lifted its 2nd title by winning the final against Punjab Kings. Under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, Mumbai has won 5 IPL titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. In IPL 2016, David Warner became 3rd Australian Captain to lift the IPL trophy. He won the IPL trophy for SRH, beating RCB in the final.
Chennai Super Kings lifted its 3rd IPL title beating SRH. CSK is the second side to win five IPL titles, which were in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, and 2023. In IPL 2022, the Gujarat Titans became the 2nd IPL side to win the IPL title in their first-ever IPL season. In IPL 2025, Virat Kohli and RCB fulfilled their dream to lift the first-ever IPL title, beating the Punjab Kings in the finals.
Teams with the Most IPL Final Appearances
| Team | Final Appearances | Years Reached Final | Titles Won |
| Chennai Super Kings (CSK) | 10 | 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023 | 5 |
| Mumbai Indians (MI) | 6 | 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 | 5 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) | 4 | 2012, 2014, 2021, 2024 | 3 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) | 4 | 2009, 2011, 2016, 2025 | 1 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) | 3 | 2016, 2018, 2024 | 1 |
| Rajasthan Royals (RR) | 2 | 2008, 2022 | 1 |
| Gujarat Titans (GT) | 2 | 2022, 2023 | 1 |
| Deccan Chargers (DC) | 1 | 2009 | 1 |
| Delhi Capitals (DCap) | 1 | 2020 | 0 |
| Kings XI Punjab / Punjab Kings (PBKS) | 2 | 2014, 2025 | 0 |
| Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) | 1 | 2017 | 0 |
Chennai Super Kings have been the most consistent side in IPL finals. It has played in 10 IPL finals across 16 seasons of the IPL. One of the primary reasons CSK has taken this step is the leadership of MS Dhoni. MS Dhoni led the side to five IPL titles and played in 10 IPL finals. The Mumbai Indians have played 6 IPL finals. Mumbai struggled in the opening years of IPL. Then Rohit Sharma came as the captain of MI. Under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, MI played 5 IPL finals and won all of them. He became the first-ever IPL captain to lift 5 IPL titles. KKR is the 3rd most successful side in the IPL. It has appeared in 4 IPL finals. Out of 4, KKR lifted 3 IPL titles. Under the success of KKR, Gautam Ghambir played a massive role. He was the captain of KKR in the first 2 IPL triumphs for KKR. In 2024, Gautam Ghambir was part of the management team at KKR. In 2024, KKR lifted its 3rd IPL title under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer. RCB has appeared in 4 IPL finals. But in IPL 2025, RCB got a chance to win its first-ever IPL title under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar.
Breaking Down the Numbers: IPL Final Match Statistics
Highest Team Scores in an IPL Final
| Year | Team | Opponent | Score |
| 2011 | Chennai Super Kings | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 205/5 |
| 2016 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 208/7 |
| 2014 | Kings XI Punjab | Kolkata Knight Riders | 199/4 |
| 2018 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Chennai Super Kings | 178/6 |
| 2015 | Mumbai Indians | Chennai Super Kings | 202/5 |
| 2023 | Gujarat Titans | Chennai Super Kings | 214/4 |
| 2025 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Punjab Kings | 190/9 |
| 2012 | Chennai Super Kings | Kolkata Knight Riders | 190/3 |
Many teams gained an advantage by posting a high score in the IPL finals. It benefits the sides to put pressure on the opposition in the chase. In 2011, CSK won easily against RCB by posting a 205-run target. Mumbai Indians posted 202 runs against CSK in the IPL 2015 final. But is it not the same case in every IPL final that the team cannot chase a big total? In IPL 2014, KKR chased down a massive 199-run target to lift its first-ever title. In 2023, GT posted a 214-run target, which CSK chased under the DLS method.
Best Individual Performances in a Final
| Year | Player | Team | Opponent | Performance | Result |
| 2013 | Kieron Pollard | Mumbai Indians | Chennai Super Kings | 60 (32) & 1/10 (1)* | MI won by 23 runs |
| 2017 | Krunal Pandya | Mumbai Indians | Rising Pune Supergiant | 47 (38) & 3/16 (4) | MI won by 1 run |
| 2010 | Suresh Raina | Chennai Super Kings | Mumbai Indians | 57 (35) & 1/21 (2)* | CSK won by 22 runs |
| 2016 | Ben Cutting | Sun Risers Hyderabad | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 39*(15) & 2/35(4) | SRH won by 8 runs |
| 2011 | Murali Vijay | Chennai Super Kings | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 95 (52) & 1 catch | CSK won by 58 runs |
| 2019 | Kieron Pollard | Mumbai Indians | Chennai Super Kings | 41 (25) & 1 catch* | MI won by 1 run |
Besides the batting masterclass, many bowling performances were crucial for the side to win the IPL title. Just like in IPL 2017, Krunal Pandya pulled off a magnificent performance for MI with the bat & bowl to lift the 3rd IPL title for MI. He took three wickets with an exceptional economy rate of 4 runs per over and scored a crucial 47 runs as well. Ben Cutting scored an important 39 runs and took two wickets for SRH in the IPL 2016 final. Kieron Pollard has been a crucial player for MI in IPL finals, as evidenced by his brilliant performances with both bat and ball, as well as in the field. Krunal Pandya bowled really well for RCB in the IPL 2025 final to lift its first-ever title. These crucial performances make a significant difference in the outcome. These performances also make a crucial difference in the game’s outcome at the end. And that is why IPL finals become thrilling and exciting to watch.
Conclusion
The IPL final is more than just a closing game of the season. It is a stage where legends rise, dreams are fulfilled, and fans witness history in the making. From the Rajasthan Royals’ first win in 2008 to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifting their maiden trophy in 2025, every final has written a new chapter of excitement. The thrill, the pressure, and the iconic performances keep fans waiting for the next season. The legacy of IPL finals proves why this league stands as the most exciting tournament in world cricket.
FAQs
1. Which team has won the most IPL finals?
The Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings have won the most finals. Both sides have won 5 IPL finals each.
2. Which player has the most Man of the Match awards in finals?
Krunal Pandya is the only player in IPL history to win 2 IPL final Man of the Match awards. Krunal won the IPL 2017 and 2025 final Man of the Match award.
3. Has any IPL final ended in a Super Over?”
In 18 IPL finals, not a single game has ended in a Super Over.
