IPL 2018: Teams with most playoff appearances without a title

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is without a doubt one of the best T20 leagues in the world. Players from around the world rate it very highly.

It acts as the perfect platform for the young Indian and foreign players. It also helps various other cricketers fine-tune their skills and compete and play along with the best players in the world.

However, it is important for each team to gel well which helps them go a long way in the tournament.

However, out of the 13 teams that have taken part in the IPL across the 10 years, only six have gone onto claim the coveted title. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have won it twice while Mumbai Indians (MI) have won it thrice.

Hence, here we look at teams with most appearances in the playoffs without winning a title.

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#5 Gujarat Lions – 1

Suresh Raina was the captain of Gujarat Lions for two years

Gujarat Lions were one of the new teams inducted in the IPL in the ninth edition (2016) after Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) were banned.

They started off with a bang as they won their first three games. In fact, they just lost one game in their first seven games and a playoff spot was almost certain. They ended as the table toppers with nine wins out of 14.

However, they lost the qualifier and the eliminator and lost both opportunities to go through to the finals in their maiden season. They finished third in their first season.

In the next season, the Gujarat franchise failed to live up to expectation. In 14 games they played they lost 10 and won only four. Hence, they just about managed to avoid the wooden spoon and finished seventh in their second and final season.

#4 Rising Pune Supergiant - 1

MS Dhoni was the captain in 2016 but after a poor season, Steve Smith was appointed as captain.

Rising Pune Supergiant was the other new team that was introduced into the IPL after CSK and RR were banned. They played the first game of the 2016 IPL and started with a win over defending champions Mumbai Indians.

However, injuries combined with a loss of form of key players meant that RPS could never get going and it required MS Dhoni to hit 12 runs off the last two deliveries (two sixes off the last two balls) to avoid the wooden spoon in their maiden season.

However, they had a season to remember in the following year. In 2017, they finished second on the points table with nine wins and five losses.

They won the first qualifier as well to go through to the finals. But a heartbreak in the finals came along as they by one run. RPS ended up second and their term was over as they were on a two-year contract.

#3 Kings XI Punjab – 2

Kings XI Punjab have the worst record in the playoffs

Kings XI Punjab have the worst record when it comes to the playoffs (top 4) when we consider the teams that have played the IPL since the start.

They have made it to only two playoffs. Once was in the inaugural season when they finished second after winning 10 out of the 14 games in the group stage. However, they lost the semi-final to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) comprehensively.

They finished last during the 2010 edition but otherwise, they were always stuck in the mid-table tussle and ended up losing a playoff berth after losing a key game.

In 2014, they were once again a dominant force. After investing in a new captain, George Bailey, results started to turn in KXIP’s favour.

They finished at the top of the table in the seventh season with 11 wins and three losses. However, they lost in the final as KKR chased down 200 to lift their second IPL title.

#2 Delhi Daredevils – 3

Delhi Daredevils have managed to reach the IPL playoffs only thrice.

Delhi Daredevils is another team that has a poor playoff record. They have reached the top four only thrice in 10 seasons.

In fact, out of the three times, they’ve reached the playoffs, the Delhi based franchise have managed to top the points table twice (in 2009 and 2012).

In the inaugural season, they managed to come in fourth with seven wins and six losses (one no result) but they faltered against eventual champions RR in the semi-final.

In the next season, they topped the table (10 wins and four losses) but lost to eventual champions Deccan Chargers in the semi-final.

Then they missed out on a playoff berth by a whisker in the 2010 edition but finished last (10th) in the fourth season.

But they were back to their best in the next season (2012) as they once again finished at the top of the points table. They still couldn’t make it to the final, losing both the qualifier 1 and 2.

In the following years, they finished in the lower half of the table and never made it to the top four again.

#1 Royal Challengers Bangalore – 5

RCB is one of the most popular teams around the globe.

It baffles everyone that the kid of squad Royal Challengers Bangalore have year after year and they still haven’t won a single edition of the IPL.

After a poor inaugural season where they finished seventh (second last), they finished at the third position and then qualified for the final after winning the semi-final against CSK. However, they lost in the final to Deccan Chargers by six runs.

In 2010, they had a similar season where they were good through the league stage but faltered in the semi-final against Mumbai Indians.

In 2011, the team was rebuilt around Virat Kohli, the Bangalore-franchise reached the final after topping the table. But once again, RCB lost against a strong CSK team.

In 2012 and 2013, they narrowly missed out on the playoffs berth as they finished fifth in the next two editions before falling down to seventh in the 2014 season.

In 2015, the Kohli-led side reached the playoffs on the back of some thrilling rain-curtailed games. However, RCB (who were third on the points table) were knocked out after they lost to CSK in the Qualifier 2.

In 2016, they had a fantastic season and it looked like finally, RCB would get their hands on the elusive trophy.

However, it was not the case as the Bangalore franchise lost the final to SRH by eight runs. RCB has reached five IPL playoffs out of which three are finals.