The Indian Premier League (IPL) is celebrated annually world wide as it bring lot of joy and exciting events for cricketing fans as that brings together some of the finest T20 talent. Some franchises have enjoyed IPL victory while others continue their quest for it; we explore those teams which have never won and why they have yet to achieve victory at this tournament.
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Which Team Has Never Won The IPL Tournament
Before exploring the stories of teams still seeking IPL glory, let’s recall those that have already made history in this league. Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings stand tall with five titles each, having become undoubted kings of IPL history. Kolkata Knight Riders too has two victories under their belt to cement their legacy within IPL history.
At IPL, each team will give its best effort to become one of the top teams and win. Winning the IPL cricket cup not only brings prize money but also proves that they are one of the greatest teams across the globe and becomes trending overnight. Here’s the list of IPL no cup team who haven’t won single title even after playing 100+ matches across seasons.
Delhi Capitals (DC)
The Delhi Capitals (DC) have had a challenging IPL journey so far. Characterized by inconsistent performances and captaincy changes as well as difficulties to make an impactful mark in the tournament, DC have struggled mightily in making its mark in the tournament. Let’s check the matches DC has played year wise and their reasons for failure.
| IPL | Matches | Won | Loss | Tied | No Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 15 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 2009 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | 14 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| 2012 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 16 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 14 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 2016 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 239 | 108 | 128 | 0 | 3 |
1. Lack of IPL Final Appearances:
DC stands out as one of the team in IPL history that hasn’t reached the finals even once. Delhi Capitals has reached the playoffs five times on 2009, 2012, 2019, 2020, and 2021. But they couldn’t reach final even once as they couldn’t win matches at crucial moments making them fallen early out without making much of an impression in knockout stages.
2. Opening Pair Challenges:
T20 cricket requires a consistent and reliable opening pair, and DC have experienced difficulties finding one at the top of their batting order. Frequent changes to an opening pair have often undermined a team’s stability at the start of innings and limited their ability to establish strong foundations for future innings.
3. Captaincy Issues:
DC has seen its captaincy changes over the course of multiple season, as they search for someone to lead and guide the team consistently towards success and failed miserably. Changes in leadership have long been a hallmark of DC as they have been captained by 13 players across seasons.
Delhi captaincy started with Virender Sehwag. Since he didn’t get the desired result later it was taken by Gautam Gambhir. But still they couldn’t win trophy so there were continuous change in captaincy. DC captains are Zaheer Khan, Ross Taylor, Shreyas Iyer, David Warner, Karun Nair, James Hopes, Mahela Jayawardene, Kevin Pietersen, Dinesh Karthik, JP Duminy, Rishabh Pant.
4. Inability to Seize Key Moments:
DC have struggled in key match moments, missing opportunities and failing to capitalize on winning positions. Though Delhi has been playing all seasons they are one team which hasn’t reached final even once. They have reached play off but couldn’t win any of those must win matches till now. The leading run scorer for Delhi in Play Offs is 203 runs in 6 innings.
5. Lack of IPL Title:
DC has won multiple nail biting matches in league stage but when it comes to knock outs their performance hasn’t been upto the mark. As their captain Rishabh Pant is expected to comeback this year they can dream of DC cup winning moment. IPL 2024 should be the year for DC to break the myth and raise the trophy and achieve true IPL success.
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
The journey of Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been marked by inconsistency, leadership changes, and struggles to convert promising starts into championship victories. Let’s delve into the details of PBKS’s IPL failures:
| IPL | Matches | Won | Loss | Tied | No Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 14 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 232 | 107 | 125 | 0 | 0 |
1. Lack of Consistency:
Punjab Kings have struggled mightily during various IPL seasons due to their inconsistent performances. They have reached play offs only twice in 16 seasons they have played in IPL. PBKS has found themselves in strong positions in 2014 and reached finals but they couldn’t win the final.
2. Leadership Conundrum:
Punjab Kings have experienced difficulty in finding stable and effective leadership, with captaincy changes becoming a recurrent feature of their IPL campaigns. They have 15 captains in 16 seasons they have played so far. George Bailey took his team very close to lift the trophy but they couldn’t win as they lost to KKR.
3. Team Selection Issues:
Punjab Kings have struggled with poor team selection as captains kept changing match after match, which has prevented them from building a balanced and competitive squad. Though some areas of weakness were clear, at times the team neglected addressing middle-order stability, depth over bowling and quality Indian all-rounders.
4. Middle-Order Inconsistency:
Punjab Kings have struggled to establish a reliable middle-order, making it hard for them to capitalize on strong starts provided by top-order batsmen. While PBKS has traditionally relied on explosive starts from top-order batsmen for early breakthroughs, their middle order has proven difficult to rely upon when pressure situations arise.
5. Spin Bowling Deficiency:
Leg spinners can win matches in T20 cricket, since lacking of quality spin bowlers has left PBKS struggle during middle overs. But in IPL 2024 they have quality spinners Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar who can win PBKS cup this year.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), one of the most admired franchises in Indian Premier League (IPL), has encountered multiple setbacks over time that prevented them from winning an IPL title. RCB with cup is dream of followers across the world here’s details about the reason of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s failure here:
| IPL | Matches | Won | Loss | Tied | No Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 2012 | 16 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 2013 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 2016 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 2020 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 242 | 116 | 120 | 0 | 6 |
1. Final Losses:
RCB have made three attempts at reaching the IPL final in 2009, 2011 and 2016, only to come up short each time and leave with heartbreaking defeats each time. These repeated failures have contributed significantly to RCB cup winning chances as an team who comes close but finds itself falling short at each hurdle in reaching victory.
- 2009 Final: Under Anil Kumble’s captaincy, Royal Challengers Bangalore faced Deccan Chargers in the final. Chasing 143 runs, they came close but fell short by six runs; eventually losing in a closely contested match.
- 2011 Final: RCB faced off against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), led by MS Dhoni. However, RCB suffered an overwhelming defeat; CSK won by 58 runs to win this final.
- 2016 Final: Virat Kohli’s record-setting season as a batsman wasn’t enough to ensure Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) failed against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final – although they tried their hardest as they lost by only 8 runs.
2. Weak Bowling Lineup:
One of RCB’s main issues has been their weak bowling lineup. While their batting lineup filled with star names like Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers – it often struggles to contain opposition batsmen with its bowling attacks.
RCB’s failures wholly was due to their inability to pick wickets consistently and control run rates, even after recruiting numerous bowlers over time. Their bowlers have yet to establish themselves as an effective bowling unit as they have conceded 200+ runs multiple times.
3. Lack of All-Rounders:
Successful IPL teams often include all-rounders who can contribute both with bat and ball, yet RCB have struggled at times due to an absence of all-rounders, adding extra pressure onto its specialist batsmen and bowlers.
RCB’s overall team performance is lacking due to an absence of all-rounders other than Glenn Maxwell who could contribute in multiple aspects of the game, impacting balance. In IPL 2024 they have added power packed all rounders like Cameron Green, Will Jacks and Tom Curran to the squad which could bring Royal Challengers Bangalore cup winning moment.
4. Dependency on Few Key Players:
For several seasons, Royal Challengers Bangalore have come under fire for being overly dependent on certain key players – most notably Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Whenever key players fail to deliver in must win games their team falls like a pack of cards which makes RCB often finds itself on the losing side.
IPL Guest Teams – Short Stints, No Titles
Apart from its regular participants, IPL has also seen guest teams with short stints. They are Pune Warriors, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiant. Though they have performed well in short span none could achieve success as championship contenders.
Guest Teams’ Brief IPL Moments
- Pune Warriors India team has played three seasons in IPL (2011, 2012 and 2013) and didn’t reach play off in any of the seasons. Pune Warriors team finished 9th position in 2011, 2012 and finished 8th in 2013.
- Kochi Taskar played only one season in IPL (2011) and finished 8th in the points table. They were led by Sri Lankan player Mahela Jayawardene.
- Gujarat Lions is another team who has played two seasons (2016 and 2017) and ended as top of the table in 2017 under Suresh Raina captaincy. They couldn’t reach finals in that season as they lost both qualifiers and couldn’t lift the trophy.
- Rising Pune Supergiant team was captained by one of the best captain of IPL MS Dhoni. Rising Pune team played in 2016 and 2017, in the first year they ended up a place at the bottom but the next year they ended up as runner ups. Though they went close to lift the trophy but lost the nail biter in 1 run against Mumbai Indians.
Conclusion
As IPL unfolds its spectacular cricketing spectacle each season, its tales of teams yet to win. Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals continue their efforts for IPL trophy while facing unique obstacles compared to giants Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings who continue celebrating victories season after season. In this IPL all these teams will hope to change the fortune and come out of this list.
