IPL teams ranked in order of most points accumulated in first 10 seasons

The Indian Premier League, since its inception in 2008, has seen 13 different teams grind it out for the trophy over the years. The first decade of the cash-rich league has witnessed six franchises being crowned champions - Mumbai Indians in 2013, 2015 and 2017, Chennai Super Kings in 2010 and 2011, Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016, Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012 and 2014, Deccan Chargers in 2009 and Rajasthan Royals in 2008.

While winning the trophy is the ultimate aim, the first step towards it is a top-four finish in the league stage. On that note, we rank franchises in order of most points accumulated in the league stage over the first 10 season of the IPL.

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#13 Kochi Tuskers Kerala: 12 points, 1 season

This franchise boasted of some notable T20 names like Mahela Jayawardene, Brad Hodge, Ravindra Jadeja, Muttiah Muralitharan, and Brendon McCullum. However, they got just one season to make it or break it in the league.

They could not gel together in the season and finished at the 8th position in 2011. They managed to stay above two other teams, but could not go beyond that. They won six games and acquired 12 points from them.

The main problem with this franchise was that they could not get their playing XI right. This is an understandable situation for a first-time squad, but it is unfortunate that this team never got a chance to rectify the mistakes they made in their first, and last, IPL season.

#12 Pune Warriors India: 25 points, 3 seasons

PWI was the first franchise to represent the Maharashtrian city in the Indian Premier League, almost half a decade before RPSG took centre stage at the MCA stadium in 2016.

However, the Pune Warriors India could not achieve even moderate success in their three-year stint in the tournament. Despite being led by international superstars like Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh, they could win just 12 matches out of 46.

They could never go above the second-last place on the league table before ending their miserable run in the competition after the 2013 season.

#11 Gujarat Lions: 26 points, 2 seasons

While Dhoni was bought by RPSG, Suresh Raina went the other way to become a part of the Gujarat Lions after the suspension of CSK back in 2016.

This franchise had an impressive run in their first ever year at the IPL when they finished at the top of the table after the group stages. However, the Raina-led side capitulated to two back-to-back defeats to tumble out of title contention in the eighth edition of the tournament.

GL got another chance at the league, but could not click as a unit at all in the following season. They ended up reversing roles with RPSG, who took the playoffs spot that season.

#10 Rising Pune Supergiant: 28 points, 2 seasons

Rising Pune Supergiant were one of the teams that were formed to replace the suspended RR and CSK in the previous two editions of the IPL. They had a poor first season where they finished second from bottom, below KXIP. It was the first time Dhoni had failed to reach the playoffs with an IPL side.

RPSG went for a revamp in the following season and handed over the captaincy reins to Smith ahead of the Indian wicket-keeper. The team found some unexpected performers in youngsters like Rahul Tripathi and Washington Sundar that year while progressing to the final of the tournament with ease. They faced Mumbai Indians in the same and looked ready to take home the trophy in their final season.

However, RPSG lost the Maharashtra Derby by an excruciating margin of one run and capped their two-year stint in the IPL with a heartbreaking loss.

#9 Deccan Chargers: 55 points, 5 seasons

Deccan Chargers were the franchise that represented Hyderabad before SRH took over. They were crowned champions in the second season of the IPL.

Adam Gilchrist was amongst the most popular faces of this side and was one of their most consistent performers. The franchise became defunct after the 2012 season, which led to the inception of SRH before the sixth edition of the tournament.

#8 Sunrisers Hyderabad: 79 points, 5 seasons

Sunrisers are a quiet team that go about their business without making much noise, churning out laudable results. That is probably the reason for this franchise being respected and admired even by rival fans in the last five years.

After their inception in IPL 2013, the Sunrisers Hyderabad qualified for the playoffs thrice in just five seasons. They advanced to the final of the tournament in 2016 and won it against an incredible RCB side that had looked almost unbeatable through that season.

The franchise have always relied on a strong bowling attack to take it out of crunch situations in low-scoring matches. However, with their leader, David Warner, also being involved in the controversy against South Africa, SRH might find it difficult to start IPL 2018 on a positive note.

#7 Rajasthan Royals: 124 points, 8 seasons

While the Rajasthan Royals won the maiden season of the Indian Premier League under the inspired leadership of Shane Warne, they have been largely inconsistent since.

Their policy of unearthing talent from unprecedented sources and adoption of the horses-for-courses theory has produced mixed results in the tournament. That attests directly to the low number of points they have accumulated through the eight seasons that they have played.

However, they have managed to punch above their weight and have challenged the giant franchises on multiple occasions.

It will be interesting to see how they respond to the challenges before them this season. They are returning to the league after a two-year hiatus and will have to deal with the aftermath of Steve Smiths ball-tampering embarrassment against South Africa. RR recently sacked the right-handed batsman from his captaincy duties and gave the leadership mantle to Ajinkya Rahane.

#6 Delhi Daredevils: 127 points, 10 seasons

Inconsistency to create a brand for themselves over the ten seasons of the tournament has hurt the Delhi Daredevils extensively. They have never been able to retain the core of their team and have looked unconvincing as a unit more often than not.

They have finished at the bottom of the league thrice over the last decade and that shows why they have such a low number of points on their record. DD managed to qualify for the playoffs in the 2008, 2009, and 2012 seasons, but have never been to advance to the final of the IPL.

This time, they have brought in an able leader in Gautam Gambhir and a terrific mentor in Ricky Ponting. Will that help the Delhi-franchise change its fortunes this time around?

#5 Kings XI Punjab: 138 points, 10 seasons

Kings XI Punjab are another franchise that should have won the tournament at least once till now but have come up empty-handed in terms of titles over the last decade.

They have had a fair share of success through the years, but the fact that they have an average of just about 14 points per season shows why they do not come in the same bracket as MI, CSK, KKR or even RCB.

They have qualified for the playoffs just twice in ten seasons and the one time when they were at the top the table in 2014, they were defeated by KKR in the final.

They went all guns blazing into the auction this year and have a revamped unit that will be led by Ravichandran Ashwin. It will be interesting to see if this overhaul helps KXIP turn into a more formidable name in the IPL.

#4 Chennai Super Kings: 140 points, 8 seasons

When it comes to consistency, the Chennai Super Kings are second to none in the Indian Premier League. The MS Dhoni-led franchise have played two seasons less than the teams at the top of this list, but are still just one point behind the third-placed team and eight points below the second-placed.

That, in itself, is enough to assert the supremacy of this side. The average number of points earned by CSK stands at a staggering figure of 17.5 per season. It explains why they have made it to the playoff stage in every season they have participated in.

Of those eight times, the Men in Yellow advanced to the final on five occasions and were crowned champions in back-to-back seasons in 2010 and 2011. It would be interesting to see if the franchise can live up to the high standard it has set for itself, as it returns to the fray after a hiatus of two years.

#3 Royal Challengers Bangalore: 141 points, 10 seasons

Though the Bangalore-based franchise are considered underachievers in the tournament, the fact that they have secured the third place in this list is a testament to their consistency.

The Royal Challengers came painfully close to getting their hands on that coveted trophy on three separate occasions but could not cross the last hurdle every time. They were beaten in the final of the tournament by the Deccan Chargers, Chennai Super Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2008, 2011, and 2016 respectively.

So far, Virat Kohli and Co. have qualified for the playoffs five times in ten editions of the IPL. That is not a bad statistic by any means, but still bears a stamp of disappointment due to the lack of silverware at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

#2 Kolkata Knight Riders: 148 points, 10 seasons

Kolkata Knight Riders, too, underperformed in the first few seasons of the tournament before reinventing themselves under the able leadership of Gautam Gambhir in 2012. They had another triumphant campaign in the IPL two years after that, when they beat the Kings XI Punjab by 3 wickets to win the 7th edition of the same.

They have reached the playoffs of the IPL five times till now, advancing to the final on two occasions and ended up lifting the trophy both those times.

The franchise from Eden Gardens have never made to the playoffs of the league without the leadership of Gambhir. The left-handed batsman has now moved on to Delhi and Dinesh Karthik has taken over the mantle the side. It would be interesting to see how KKR perform with a fresh name as their skipper this season.

#1 Mumbai Indians: 169 points, 10 seasons

This franchise started off slow in the Indian Premier League. Despite boasting of a strong squad, the Mumbai-based team could not win the tournament in its first five editions.

However, the captain of the Mumbai Indians changed in 2013, and so did their fortunes. Since Rohit Sharma took over, they have won three IPL titles in the next five seasons.

In total, the Mumbai Indians made it to the playoffs of the IPL seven times out of ten and of these seven times, reached the final on four occasions. On an average, the franchise have 16.9 points per season, which is more or less the number required to make it to the top four of the league.

This statistic further advocates the consistency of MI and proves why they are the most successful team in the IPL today.