Top 5 IPL teams of all time

Huge sixes, diving and sliding stops, brilliant fielding, close finishes are all part of the show. Three hours of frenzied action spiced up with a trumpet tune, screaming fans and cheerleaders. This is essentially what the Indian Premier League is all about.

The most entertaining cricket league has completed a decade and a total of 13 teams have played in the IPL out of which only Rajasthan Royals, Deccan Chargers, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians have lifted the trophy in IPL history so far.

The teams are ranked on the basis of the number of times they made it to the playoffs.

The 5 best teams to have played in the IPL are -

#5 Rajasthan Royals (3)

It was a close call between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals with the latter getting a node. Led by some incredible cricketers like Shane Warne, Rahul Dravid and Steve Smith, Royals have been a force to reckon with in every IPL they have played.

They won the inaugural tournament and have also reached playoffs in 2013 and 2015.

Having a win % of close to 54 is great for a team that doesn't spend much and starts as an underdog in almost every IPL. Coming back to IPL after an exile of 2 years, Royals would love to win their 2nd IPL title.

IPL stats:

Matches 118 | Wins 63 | Lost 54 | N/R 1 | Best Result: Champions (2008)

#4 Royal Challengers Bangalore (5)

Having reached the playoffs 5 times, being the runners-up thrice and not getting to lay their hands on the trophy is itself a big thing for a team like RCB.

Having a star-studded line up every year, RCB has fumbled at the last step. The team led by current Indian skipper Virat Kohli have had the likes of AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Jacques Kallis to play for them. This team had its shares of ups and downs with 2016 season being the worst in their history.

Change in the squad regularly and players not performing to their level were the main reasons as they finished a disappointing 8th. RCB would want to change their fortunes this time and win their 1st IPL trophy.

IPL stats:

Matches 153 | Wins 73 | Lost 77 | N/R 3 | Best Result: Finalist (2009, 2011, 2016)

#3 Kolkata Knight Riders (5)

Being one of the only 3 teams to have won the IPL more than once Kolkata Knight Riders saw their fortunes change after appointing Gautam Gambhir as captain. Having one of the biggest fan bases in IPL they finished 6th, 8th & 6th in the opening 3 editions.

Since then, they have QualIfied for playoffs 5 times with winning the title twice. They also hold the record for longest winning streak by any Indian team in T20s having won 14 matches on the trot.

They lost in qualifiers in the previous edition and would love to go a step further and win the trophy for the 3rd time.

IPL stats:

Matches 148 | Wins 77 | Lost 71 | N/R 0 | Best Result: Champions (2012, 2014)

#2 Mumbai Indians (6)

Mumbai Indians have won 3 IPL titles, the most by any team but even they had their share of ups and downs.

They had some of the best players playing for them with Sachin Tendulkar at the helm in inaugural IPL.

A lot was expected from the team of such calibre but they couldn't win IPL for 5 seasons.

Appointing Rohit Sharma as captain in the middle of the 2013 season turned out to be a masterstroke as they won 3 out of the next 5 titles.

The captain led from the front and had support from players like Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, and the Pandya duo playing exceedingly well for the franchise.

They became the first team to top the group and win the title in the previous season. The defending champions are among the favourites to retain the title.

IPL stats:

Matches 157 | Wins 91 | Lost 65 | N/R 1 | Best Result: Champions (2013, 2015, 2017)

#1 Chennai Super Kings (8)

Without any doubt, the greatest team to have played IPL is Chennai Super Kings. Lead by "captain cool" MS Dhoni, CSK is the only team to have reached the playoffs in every season in which they have played.

CSK has reached the final 6 times which is most by any team and have won the trophy twice.

They won the IPL in 2010 & 2011 as they became the only team to have successfully defended their title.

CSK have had the likes of MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo, Brendon Mccullum to play for them. CSK would be returning after 2 years and would love to win the IPL this time.

IPL stats:

Matches 132 | Wins 79 | Lost 52 | N/R 1 | Best Result: Champions (2010, 2011)