For years since cricket’s invention, test cricket was the only form in vogue. Played over five days with players in all whites and the red cherry in hand, you could take a blissful nap and wake up in time to share tea and scones with the players and yet not miss much of the action.

In 1977, Australian Kerry Packer founded World Series Cricket to provide an exciting alternative to test cricket. The current mainstays of one-day cricket, such as colored kits, protective helmets, field restrictions, and playing under floodlights, all came about in the shortlived two-season run of World Series Cricket.

Further innovation came along in the form of the Indian Premier League, or the IPL, with its maiden season being played in 2008. The twenty overs a side match format with multiple franchises competing for the trophy instantly captivated the audience and ushered in a new era in cricket.

The IPL has kept the audience glued to their television sets thanks to the numerous rivalries it generated over the years. In 2020, the IPL surpassed English Premier League (EPL) viewership in the UK, as reported by Moneycontrol.

Thankfully the excitement of IPL can be relived when playing on a fantasy cricket app by the many cricket enthusiasts in the country and elsewhere. Now with the 16th edition of IPL underway, let us look at some of the most cherished rivalries (Top Rivalries in the History of IPL) in IPL history.

Greatest Rivalries in the Indian Premier League

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

The IPL rivalry between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders is iconic. It has been the focus of fans of both teams ever since Brendon McCullum took the RCB bowlers to the cleaners with a stellar 158 in their inaugural face-off in 2008.

And this was on the RCB home turn, no less! The KKR-RCB rivalry has witnessed close calls, heated arguments, heartbreaks, and plenty of other emotions that have been wrung dry by fans of both teams.

Memorable Match – In 2011, when Chris Gayle was lazing on the Caribbean shores, he got a call from RCB. He walked out jet-lagged against his former team, but you would never guess that. With RCB needing 172 to win against a formidable KKR bowling attack, Gayle showed no nerves and was in a bad mood.

He knocked the ball all around the massive Eden Gardens and, in innings studded with seven sixes and ten fours, single-handedly took RCB across the finish line. Their head-to-head scoreline reads 15-10 in favor of KKR.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Mumbai Indians (MI)

The Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians rivalry is the most famous cricket rivalry in the IPL. CSK vs MI rivalry is Also known as the El Clásico of the IPL.

Any face-off between two of the most successful IPL franchises is bound to generate all the hype and attention it can muster. While CSK was the team to beat in the IPL earlier editions, With Rohit Sharma at the helm, MI has proved to be a force to reckon with. Memorable Matches – when one won’t do! The 2010 finale in which CSK pipped MI to the post by 22 runs in the match’s final over, thanks to a consistent all-around performance.

Top 10 Most Watched Sports Leagues In The World

The Mumbai Indians got one up on Chennai Super Kings in the 2019 final, with a dramatic, if somewhat controversial, runout of MS Dhoni that left fans debating the outcome for a considerable time. MI won the match by a whisker with a mere one run to spare. MI has five IPL titles to CSK’s four, with the Mumbai-based team winning 21 out of their 36 meetings.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Any meeting between these two regional rivals can drag the spectators in. In every match-up, fireworks are most likely to ensue. It doesn’t hurt that their respective captains, the ice-cool MS Dhoni and the fiery Virat Kohli, are polar opposites regarding temperament and have vastly diverse playing styles that keep fans of both teams in rapture.

Memorable Match – The 2013 IPL edition saw these popular teams take on each other in a high-scoring match in the playoff stage. CSK posted a set mammoth target of 205 runs for RCB to chase down, which they did in style.

Gayle got off to a good start scoring a brisk 68 runs. However, Kohli stole the show with his match-winning knock of 58 of 35 balls, which sealed the deal for RCB as they triumphed over their old rivals with two balls to spare. In the thirty-one matches RCB and CSK have played, CSK has prevailed in twenty, with RCB winning ten and one ending in a tie.

Delhi Capitals (DC) vs Mumbai Indians (MI)

A competition between Delhi and Mumbai, with one being the national capital and the other, the financial system was always bound to keep the cash registers ringing.

Their individual track records in the IPL don’t shed light on the numerous close calls between the Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils) and the Mumbai Indians. Even though MI has the edge over DC, the Delhi-based squad has seen a revival of fortunes, as manifested by their tally of 15 IPL wins to Mumbai’s 17.

Memorable Match – One of their best meetings came in 2017, with the Mumbai Indians chasing down 164. Not a tall order at all. But Chris Morris playing for Delhi Capitals, claimed two scalps in the final over, including that of the dangerous Rohit Sharma, to see off the Mumbai Indians by ten runs.

This list is a small glimpse of the constant tug-of-war during the IPL matches played between Indian and international cricketing greats and their popular franchises since the Indian Premier League’s inception. And if the current season is any indication, IPL fans are in for a good time.

Top 10 Richest Sports Leagues in The World Now 2023

FAQs