The opening game of the eagerly anticipated 16th season of the Indian Premier League was played on March 31, 2023, pitting the reigning champion Chennai Super Kings against the Gujarat Titans. As usual, the tournament has fans all over the world buzzing with anticipation. We have discovered some of the most interesting IPL facts that even the most ardent fans may not be aware of.
The Indian Premier League has been popular worldwide among cricket fans ever since it began in 2008. One of the most iconic moments in IPL history occurred when the gifted Brendon McCullum smashed 158 runs off just 73 deliveries, scoring an astounding 222/3 for Kolkata Knight Riders’ while smashing an unbelievable 13 sixes and 10 boundaries.
The IPL has crossed borders and gained popularity among people of many different nationalities all around the world, not only in India. One such instance is the “Twin Game,” which saw two IPL games played on the same day and in the same stadium, each involving two separate teams. Fans were astounded and excited when this rare occurrence occurred during the 2010 IPL.
IPL fans will no doubt be kept amused and intrigued for years with all the amazing facts about the game. The following information has been compiled from the 55 most fascinating IPL facts, although there is no particular sequence in which they are presented. Let’s begin discussing some of the most intriguing and little-known IPL facts without further ado.
PS: The facts listed below are in no particular order. We are only listing the 55 most IPL interesting facts not ranking them in any way whatsoever.
Top 55 Amazing Facts About IPL That Will Make You Crazy
In a country with a population which crosses 138 crores and love Cricket as a religion, people are always looking for stats and facts which make them a clear die-hard fan of the game, and the tournament IPL is no different, people, withing their circle of friends, family, colleagues, want to come on top with knowing some facts who are not known by others. And we will help with just that. So without further ado let us start with the list comprising of some of the most unknown facts of IPL.
1. Most Valuable Player Award in 12 Seasons of IPL
The Indian Premier League has been held 12 times and the 13th edition will be held soon in the UAE but little do people actually know that in the entire history of this competition, which is an Indian competition at heart, only 2 Indian players have every received the MVP awards making it one of the most amazing IPL facts.
The first one came in in the 3rd edition of IPL (IPL 2010) when Sachin Tendulkar scored 618 runs for Mumbai Indians, interestingly he also won the Orange Cap in the tournament.
Virat Kohli was the 2nd India who won the MVP award and it came in the 8th season of the IPL when he scored a staggering 973 runs.
Also Read: Top Batsman in The World
Please not, though Robin Uthappa won the orange Cap back in 2014, he was not awarded the MVP of the season. It went to Glenn Maxwell.
2. IPL Could Have Been A One Day Tournament
The mastermind behind IPL, Lalit Modi, initially pitched a 50 over (One Day format) format tournament back in 1995 to the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), but was rejected them. It was only when ICL was launched by Zee in 2007, BCCI decided to start its own Twenty20 league. Isn’t this an interesting IPL fact.
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Imagine being a fan of 50 over cricket tournament, and how things would have been different, less matches and probably less franchises.
3. The Only Team To Never Have Played IPL Finale
The IPL finale has been played 12 times and there is one team who has never played in the finale of the Indian Premier League, yet. Can you guess this team? Well, if you guessed Delhi Daredevils (DD) you are absolutely correct. This is one of the most unknown fact of the IPL. With this said, do you know the team which has played the most IPL Finals? Check out our next fact.
Also Read: 15 Batsmen With Highest Sixes In IPL History
4. The Team Which Has Played Most IPL Finals
We now know which team has never played an IPL finale, but there is one team which has played IPL finals 6 times out of the 12 seasons which has taken place. Chennai Super Kings (CSK), despite being banned for 2 years from IPL has played 8 IPL finals. Technically that means reaching the finale 80% of the times they played the tournament. Tell us about more interesting fact about IPL, we will wait. Hahaha
Also Read: Top 10 Best Cricket Bats In The World
5. Teams With Most IPL Title Wins
Fact number 4 told you that CSK played the most IPL finals across all the IPL franchises in the history of this tournament, however, they are not the team who have won the IPL title the most number of time. Mumbai Indians have won the IPL title a total of 4 times. CSK comes close to 3, we hope they could tie it this time.
6. Team With Most IPL Final Losses
This fact is a no brainer given the earlier facts on the list, but for someone who does not know those, this will be a rather interesting fact of IPL as the team with most IPL final losses is the same team who has made it to the IPL finals the maximum number of time. It is Chennai Super Kings.
7. Cost Of 1 Ball For IPL 2018 Broadcasters
In 2018, Star Sports won the broadcasting rights for IPL for a tenure of 5 years for an eye watering sum of Rs. 16,347.5 crore. That is Rs. 3269.5 crore per year. This means that every delivery in the IPL will cost the network over Rs. 24 lakh given every season 56 matches are played and every match is played with each side playing all their 20 overs. Majority of the people do not know this making it one of the most unknown facts of IPL.
8. Longest Run By a Bowler Without Bowling A No-Ball
A bowler tries to do everything right, but sometimes the calculations don’t work out and the players bowl a no-ball. However, this was not the case with leg-spinner Piyush Chawla. He is one of the most underrated spinners in the Indian Cricket and during his time with Delhi Daredevils he did not bowl a single no-ball for 386 overs. That’s for 8 long years he did not give the other side a free-hit.
9. Most Dot Balls In IPL
Harbhajan Singh has played a total of 160 matches and has bowled 1,249 dot balls. This is the most number of dot balls delivered by any player in the history of this tournament. Lasith Malinga comes second with 1,155 dot balls.
10. First Bowler Of IPL
Praveen Kumar was the bowler who bowled the first delivery in the IPL. The first ball was played by Sourav Ganguly. Praveen Kumar also gave away the first run in the IPL but Sourav Ganguly was not the one who scored it.
11. First Run In IPL
The first run in IPL came from a delivery bowled by Praveen Kumar, however, it came from the bat of Brendon McCullum. Adding to this interesting fact about IPL the first extra run in the next 2 seasons of IPL came from Sri Lankan players, Thilan Thishara and Chaminda Vaas respectively.
12. First Four In IPL
In the year 2008 when the first match was played between KKR and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Brendon McCullum hit the first boundary against Zaheer Khan.
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13. First Six Of IPL
Interestingly, the first six of the IPL was scored by Brendon McCullum but it is a rather unknown fact of IPL that the first six was also conceived by Zaheer Khan.
14. Most Maiden Overs In IPL
Another Indian shines as Praveen Kumar is the IPL bowler with most number of maiden over at 14. Interesntingly, the 2nd and 3rd spots are also taken by Indian players with 10 and 8 maiden overs. Irfan Pathan has bowled 10 maiden overs while Dhawal Kulkarni has bowled 8 maiden overs.
15. The Only Team To Never Change Its Captain
The IPL is dynamic, and changes happen left and right when things are not working because, let us face it, it is more of a business. However, there is one team who has never changed its captain which is Chennai Super Kings. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been the captain of this franchise.
16. Most Number of Scores Under 100 In IPL
Talking about amazing ipl facts, there are some which nobody wants their name on, however, there is one team which have been restricted under 100 runs for the maximum number of times. This team is Royals Challenger Bangalore. In total, on 5 occasions the team was sent back to the dressing room before scoring 100 while once the team scored 96/9 after playing all 20 overs.
17. Highest And Lowest Total Put Up In IPL
One thing nobody can deny about RCB is that their team is full of explosive players. This makes them one of the most dangerous team to face as they can change the face of the game at any moment. RCB has scored the highest run in IPL in a game which was against Pune Warriors India in 2013.
Having said that they also hold the title of scoring the lowest runs in a match with measly 49 runs when the entire team was sent back to the dressing room after just 9.4 overs by KKR in 2017.
However, another amazing fact of IPL is that RCB also holds the record of 2nd highest tally. They scored 248 runs in 2016 against Gujarat Lions.
18. Most Ducks In IPL History
Cricket is a very interesting game, even the best of players can have bad days. In the history of IPL, there are two players who share the title for being sent to the dressing room without scoring a single run. Harbhajan Singh and Parthiv Patel, both, have been sent back 13 times without scoring a single run. However, Bhajji attained this feat in just 88 innings in IPL.
However, a lesser known fact of IPL is that Rohit Sharma has been sent back to the dressing room on a duck 12 times. We hope this number does not increase.
19. Most Sixes In IPL
The IPL has been a fast pace game where players come, try to hit hard and long and do their job as soon as possible. It is no surprise that Chris Gayle, who has given so many explosive performances, has the most sixes. He has hit 326 sixes in just 125 matches he played.
However, an unknown fact of IPL is that in the 12 seasons of this tournament, 5 out of the top 10 players with the most number of sixes are Indians. Let that sink in.
20. Most Hat-Tricks In IPL
In the 12 seasons of the Indian Premier League, the most number of times a bowler has taken a hat-trick is as low as 3. The 2nd player on the list has taken 2 hat-tricks. Can you guess these 2 people?
The person with 3 hat-tricks is Amit Mishra and the player who has taken 2 hat-tricks in his IPL career is Yuvraj Singh. Talk about an IPL fun fact.
21. Most Dot Balls In A Single Season Of IPL
The most dot balls ever bowled in a single season of IPL came from the South African fast pacer, Dale Steyn. In IPL 2013 Steyn bowled a total of 75.5 overs out of which he bowled 211 dot balls which is 35.1 overs. Talk about an amazing IPL fact.
Deepak Chahar comes second as he delivered 190 dot balls (or 31. 4 overs) in IPL 2019 after bowling just 64.3 overs.
22. Most Runs Scored In IPL
The Indian Skipper, Virat Kholi has played a total of 177 matches in the 12 seasons of IPL and in those 12 seasons he has garnered a total of 5,412 runs with a strike rate of 131.61 making him the highest run scorer of the tournament.
Interestingly, the 2nd and 3rd spots are also taken by Indian players with Suresh Raina scoring 5,368 runs and Rohit Sharma scoring 4,898 runs respectively.
23. Most Run In A Single Season Of IPL
It would be safe to say that the year 2016 was one of the most explosive seasons of the Indian Premier League. With the top 2 spots for the highest runs scored in a single season of IPL coming from it.
Virat Kholi smashed 973 runs in IPL 2016 while David Warner scored 848 runs in the same year.
24. Player Part Of Most Double Century Partnerships In IPL
Virat Kohli does not have a stupendous performance in International games, but in IPL as well. There have been 5 double century partnerships in the history of IPL however, it is just Virat Kohli who has been a part of 3 of them. This is one of the most unknown facts of IPL and obviously about Virat Kohli as well.
25. Overseas Players Who Played More Than 100 Matches For The Same Franchise
In the 12 seasons of IPL, there have been just 2 international players who have played more than 100 IPL matches for the same team. Before you read any further, make some guesses who these 2 loyal players could be.
These two players are Kieron Pollard and AB de Villiers.
Pollard made his debut for Mumbai Indians back in 2010 and has played 123 matches for the team, AB de Villiers, on the other hand, made his debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore back in 2011 and played 101 matches for the team.
26. Team Which Promotes “Go Green” Initiative By Switching Jersey For A Match
There is one IPL team which promotes “go green” initiative by switching its jersey to green for a match in the tournament. This ritual has been performed by the team in each and every season of IPL and we hope they keep this tradition for eternity.
This team is none other than Royal Challengers Bangalore. Isn’t this an interesting IPL fact. Let us know if you knew this already.
27. Fastest Half Century In IPL
An amazing IPL fact revolves around the quickest half century every scored in the history of IPL, do you know who that player is and in how many balls he managed to score his 50?
If you guessed K L Rahul, you are absolutely correct, in IPL 2018, K L Rahul smashed a half century in just 14 balls, a record which still holds strong. The second fastest came from Yusuf Pathan’s bat when he managed to touch 50 runs in 15 balls in IPL 2014.
28. Most Dismissals In One Inning
A rather amazing fact of IPL is that most number of dismissals done by a wicketkeeper in a single innings in IPL. If you are guessing it is MS Dhoni, we are afraid you are wrong. Though he has achieved a high dismissal of 4 wickets in a single inning, he and many others are overshadowed by Sri Lankan player Kumar Sangakkara.
He dismissed 5 players of RCB in the match played on 14th April 2011 in IPL 2011.
29. Most Runs Conceded By A Bowler In An Innings
Bowlers never want to get thrashed, it is nothing short of a nightmare for any bowler to have a high economy. If you think that you know the answer and it is Ishant Sharma who conceded the most runs in an innings in the history of an IPL you would are in for a treat.
An amazing IPL fact is that Ishant Sharma held this record for 5 years until Basil Thampi was thrashed by the batting line-up of RCB in IPL 2018 when he conceded 70 runs in 4 overs with an economy of 17.5.
30. Most Catches In One Season Of IPL By A Non-Wicketkeeper
In a cricket match, it is expected that a wicket keeper will take the most catches, so keeping it aside and bringing you an interesting IPL fact we have the fielder who has taken the most number of catches in a single season of IPL.
AB de Villiers has not only taken some of the most stunning catches in the history of IPL but his record of taking 19 catches in IPL 2016 still holds strong. What’s even amazing is that he attained this feat in just 16 matches, and dethroned David Miller who held the record earlier with 14 catches in an IPL season.
31. Most Catches In IPL
The most catches taken by nay player in the history of the Indian Premier League comes from Indian player Suresh Raina, we know how extraordinary he is on the field and he proves it time and time again.
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In the 12 seasons of IPL Suresh Raina has managed to take 102 catches while playing 193 matches. AB de Villiers comes next with 84 catches in 151 matches. Another Indian with just 2 catches away from snatching 2nd position is Skipper of Mumbai Indians with 83 catches in 187 matches.
32. First Indian To Win An Orange Cap In IPL
The first Indian to ever win an orange cap, the award given to the highest scorer of the tournament, was won in 2010, in the 3rd edition of IPL. What comes out as an interesting fact of IPL is that it was none other than the master blaster, Sachin Tendulkar, who won it.
33. Most Orange Caps In IPL
The IPL has been held 12 times and in this period 9 people have won the Orange Cap in total. Chris Gayle has won it twice, in 2011 and 2012, however, it is the Australian Cricketer who have won the Orange Cap thrice, in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
The cricketer is none other than David Warner who scored 562 runs in 2015 IPL, 641 in IPL 2017 and 692 runs in IPL 2019.
Isn’t it an interesting fact of IPL that Australian cricketer excelling in an Indian competition.
34. First Orange Cap In IPL
The first Orange Cap award in IPL was given to Shaun Marsh, an Australian Cricketer, who scored 616 runs in just 11 matches. He played for Kings XI Punjab.
35. Most Man Of The Match Awards In IPL
Jamaican cricketer Chris Gayle wins it big here as well, in the 125 matches he has played in the IPL he has been crowned the Man of the Match 21 times. AB de Villiers comes close with 20 Man of the Match awards in 154 matches he played.
36. First Purple Cap In IPL
People who do not follow IPL very closely or do not have a vivid memory of the 1st IPL which was played in 2008, this will be one heck of an amazing IPL fact. Purple Cap is given to a player who takes the most wickets in a season of IPL.
The first ever Purple Cap award was given to Pakistani left-arm medium pacer Sohail Tanvir who was playing for Rajasthan Royals.
37. Most Purple Caps In IPL
This is a rather shared spot. Dwayne Bravo and Bhuvneshwar Kumar share the record for being awarded the Purple Cap the most number of time with 2 times each. However, you will find it a rather unknown fact of IPL that while Australians (4 players) rule the Orange Cap category in IPL, the Purple Cap is ruled by Indians with a total of 4 players being presented with this award.
38. Most Wickets In A Single IPL Season
IPL is not just a game where the batsmen shine, the bowlers have performed equally in the 12 seasons of the Indian Premier League. Back in IPL 2013, a bowler made a record which has not been beaten yet.
The bowler who played for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2013 took 32 wicket in just 18 matches and has held the record for most wickets in a single IPL season ever since. Can you guess him?
If you guessed Dwayne Bravo, you are absolutely correct.
39. Most Wickets In The History Of IPL
Lasith Malinga has been the best bowler in the Indian Premier League when we talk about wicket taking capabilities, and we have statistics to back this amazing IPL fact.
Malinga has played 122 matches in IPL and has taken a total of 170 wickets which the most by any bowler, not just this, amongst the top 5 wicket takers he has played the least number of matches.
40. Youngest Player To Debut In IPL
Do you know who is the youngest player to debut in the Indian Premier League? If you think it is Mujeeb-ur-Rahman at the age of 17 years and 11 days is the youngest player to play IPL, we don’t blame you but you would be wrong.
In IPL 2019, this title was taken away by Prayas Ray Barman from India became the youngest debutant at the age of 16 years and 157 days when he played for Sun Risers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore on 31st March 2019. Talk about an interesting fact about IPL, we do not think any other would beat it, or another fact could? Keep reading to know.
41. Oldest Player To Play An IPL Match
Australian Cricketer Brad Hogg still retains the title for being the oldest player to have played an IPL match. Back in IPL 2016, Brad Hogg was 45 years and 92 days old when he played his last match for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Interest fact of IPL is that Pravin Tambe was 44 years and 219 days old when he played his final match back in 2016 for Sunrisers Hyderabad, however, he was bought by KKR at base price for IPL 2020 and if he gets to play even a single match, he will take the 1st position at the age of 48.
42. Bowler With Best Economy In IPL
In 12 seasons of the Indian Premier League, Rashid Khan has bowled 182 overs with an exceptions economy of 6.55, Anil Kumble, on the other hand, has bowled 160.5 overs with an economy of 6.57
However, an interesting face in IPL is that Sunil Narine ranks 4 on best economy with 6.67 but he has bowled 426.2 overs in total. So we leave it up to you, who you choose to be the best.
43. Only Player To Have Played Both 1st And 500th Game Of IPL
Zaheer Khan is the only player in the history of the Indian Premier League who played both 1st and 500th game of the tournament.
In the first match, he was part of RCB when they faced KKR. The 500th game of IPL was played on the 3rd May 2015 between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils and Zaheer Khan was the part of Delhi Daredevils in that season of IPL. This is one of the most unknown facts of IPL.
44. Most Half Centuries In IPL
In the entire 12 seasons of IPL, the Australian batsman David Warner has been one of the most brutal players. In the 126 matches he has played in the tournament he scored 44 fifties which is the most by any player.
Interestingly, 2nd to 6th positions are taken by Indian with 2nd position going to Suresh Raina with 38 fifties, Shikhar Dhawan with 37 and Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir on 4th, 5th, and 6th position on the list respectively with 36 fifties each.
45. Most Centuries In IPL
It will be not a huge surprise if we tell you that Chris Gayle has the most number of centuries scored in the history of IPL with 6 tons to his name. But, what we are sure of you will find to be an interesting IPL fact is that in the top 6 players on the list he has played the least number of matches with just 125.
46. Team With Most Captain Changes In IPL History
A rather fun fact in IPL, in the 12 seasons of IPL which have been held, there is a team which has changed its captain a total of 10 times. The team is Delhi Capitals/ Delhi Daredevils.
The list of its captains comprises of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, James Hopes, Mahela Jayawardena, Dinesh Karthik, Kevin Pietersen, JP Duminy, Zaheer Khan, Karun Nair, and Shreyas Iyer.
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47. Only 1 Player In IPL Representing His Country
IPL is a sight for sore eyes with so many great players from several countries, however, this is just 1 player who represents Nepal in IPL. Sandeem Lamichhane, 20 year old made history in IPL 2018 when at the age of 18 years he mad his debut in IPL.
48. Team With Best Winning Percentage IN IPL
Chennai Super Kings have the best winning percentage in IPL. The team have played a total of 165 matches and have won 100 of them, lost 63, tied once and had a game with no result giving them the winning percentage of 60.61%.
49. Team With Most Wins In IPL
Do you think CSK is the team with most wins in IPL? Well, ready to be amazed by this interesting IPL fact. Mumbai Indians have won the most number of matches in the history of IPL. In total the team has won 107 matches out of 187 matches they played.
50. Most Toss Wins In IPL
This has to be one of the most unknown facts in IPL. The most number of tosses won by any team in the history of IPL is Mumbai Indias with 98 total toss wins, we hope they make it 100 with their initial two matches in IPL 2020.
51. Captain With Best Winning Ratio In IPL
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been the most successful captain in the history of Indian Premier League. In the 160 matches he led his team, 99 times have resulted in victory. I really hope MS Dhoni makes it 100, but not in the first game of IPL 2020, sorry but I am a Mumbai Indian fan.
52. Most Fours In IPL
We know Chris Gayle is a hard hitter and has the most number of sixes in the history of IPL to his name. However, the person with most boundaries to his name in IPL is Shikhar Dhawan with 524 fours in just 159 matches.
What’s also an interesting fact in IPL is that out of the top 5 players to have hit most fours in IPL, 4 are Indians.
53. Best Batting Strike Rate In IPL
Do you know which batsman in the IPL has the best strike rate? If you think it is Virat Kohli, you will be left wide eyed. The player with the best SR in IPL is Andre Russell with 186.41, the 2nd person on the list is Sunil Narine with a Strike rate of 168.34.
Another bonus interesting IPL fact is that Virat Kohli and Chris gayle don’t even make top 10. While Chris Gayle ranks 11th with SR of 151.02, Virat Kohli ranks 53rd with a SR of 131.61, and no, wew are not lying.
54. Most Sixes In An Inning In IPL
We now know who has the most sixes in IPL to his name, so it will not be a huge surprise if we tell you that it is Chris Gayle who has the record of hitting the most number of sixes in one inning of IPL with 17 which he did in IPL 2013, dethroning Brendon McCullum of his record of 13 sixes which he held since the 1st game of IPL back on 18th April 2008.
Having said this, what will be an interesting fact of IPL is that out of the top 5 spots of most sixes in a single inning, Chris Gayle takes 1st, 3rd, and 5th spot. Talk about hard hitting.
55. Longest Winning Streak In IPL
Though Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings have the most number of IPL matches wins and the best winning percentage in the history of IPL respectively, it will be taken as an amazing IPL fact that neither of these two teams has the longest consecutive wins in IPL.
The team with the longest winning streak in IPL is Kolkata Knight Riders which in IPL 2014 won 9 consecutive games with them winning the IPL 2014 title and it was continued for another match in IPL 2015. In total the team has won 10 consecutive wins in IPL, a record which is yet to be broken.
The Indian Premier Leagues is one of the most popular sports in not just India but all around the globe and IPL has been one of the most-attended cricket league in the World. These were the 55 interesting facts about IPL, we may remind you that these IPL facts are in no particular order and do not take this listing as ranking.
With that said, we hope you would like this list and could find some IPL facts which would make you the biggest, undeniable, IPL fan amongst your peers and family. If you liked our list, do tell us your favourite fact(s) which you absolutely loved and if you think we missed a fact, we would really like to increase the number of facts on our list.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Question 1: Which is the no. 1 team in IPL
Answer 1: Currently, Mumbai Indians holds the most number of wins of the Indian Premier League with 4 titles to their name, they also have the most number of matches won in the tournament. You can see many more facts in our list.
Question 2: Who was sold highest in IPL 2020?
Answer 2:Nathan Coulter-Nile was bought for the highest price in IPL 2020 by Mumbai Indians by paying Rs. 8 crore, Shimron Hetmyer came close on 2nd position with Rs. 7.75 crore.
Question 3: Which IPL team is the most dangerous in 2020?
Answer 3: Choosing 1 team would be very difficult, as KKR has the longest successive wins in IPL history, MI have won the most IPL title and IPL matches, RCB has the highest score in IPL and CSK has the best winning percentage. We have a huge list of amazing facts which would help you make the decision.
Question 4: Did RCB ever won IPL?
Answer 4: The Royal Challengers Bangalore or more commonly knows as RCB has never won an IPL title, however, they are definitely a team that cannot be taken lightly, see why with our list of interesting IPL facts.
