IPL 2018: How title defenders have played over the years

Mumbai Indians (MI) slumped to their fifth defeat in six games in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday, April 24, by failing to score a moderate target of 119 against Surisers Hyderabad and getting skittled out for just 87.

The humiliating loss on the birthday of their former captain – the iconic Sachin Tendulkar – meant MI now have to scale Mount Everest to make their defence of the 2017 title a success. Rohit Sharma’s boys will have to win almost all their remaining games if they fancy an outside chance to qualify for the playoffs. But given their current form, it sounds nothing more than a wishful thinking.

Looking at MI’s pathetic title defence, one can’t resist but ask whether this is the worst ever performance by an IPL title defender? Which team has done it the best and who hasn’t?

Here we take a look at all the title defence campaign in the IPL over the past editions:

2009: Title defence by Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals (RR) had the onus on them as the winner of the inaugural edition in 2008. That year, Shane Warne’s side had won 13 of the 16 games they played in the tournament, including the semifinal and the final, and lost just three. The Royals went into the next edition played in South Africa and before the tournament started, they played the local champions Cape Cobras and lost the game by 27 runs.

In their first game of the tournament, the Royals were bundled out for 58 by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). It was a sort of an indicator of what was coming as Warne’s team could win just six of their 14 games in the league stage, losing seven while one was inconclusive.

The Royals finished sixth out of eight teams and it was a horrendous title defence by the inaugural champions of the mega event.

2010: Title defence by Deccan Chargers

It was the now-defunct Deccan Chargers (DC) who were defending their title in 2010 as the winners of the 2009 edition. They did a better job than RR even after losing the first game against Kolkata Knight Riders as Adam Gilchrist’s team won eight out of 14 games in the league stage to end second in the points table which was actually two positions better than their show in 2009. But DC’s quest for their second consecutive title was scuttled by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) who beat Gilchrist’s men by 38 runs in the semifinal to set up a title clash with Mumbai Indians and eventually lifted their first title. But DC’s title defence in 2010 wasn’t too dissatisfactory.

2011: Title defence by CSK

The era of the CSK started in the IPL with their 2010 title victory. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men fumbled at the final hurdle of the 2008 title but they consistently made the top four almost in all editions. Since 2010, CSK became a regular finalist playing in four consecutive finals, proving how much seriously they took their IPL stints.

In the 2010 edition, they won 9 of their 16 games, while lost 7 and in 2011, they bettered their record by winning 11 out of their 16 games, losing 5. They finished second in the group stage, finishing a position better than the 2010 campaign and went on to win the title by defeating RCB by 58 runs in a one-sided final. CSK hence became the only team to win consecutive IPL titles – a record which is yet to be matched by another team.

2012: Title defence by CSK

CSK were looking for their hat-trick of crowns this year and were en route but failed at the final hurdle like in 2008. This IPL was very closely contested as seven points separated six teams in the fray and Dhoni’s men qualified for the playoffs as the fourth team after finishing with same points with RCB owing to a better run rate.

But they were ruthless with their games in the knock-out stages, blowing away MI by 38 runs in the eliminator and Delhi Daredevils by 86 runs in the second qualifier to set up the title clash with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Chennai got its second consecutive final and CSK supporters were hopeful about the third straight title as Dhoni’s men put up 190 runs on the board. But it was not CSK’s day as Gautam Gambhir’s KKR chased down a steep target to lift their first title. Dhoni’s fate took him the way of Clive Lloyd in 1983 who was also denied a great feat by Kapil’s Devils.

In the 2012 edition, CSK won a total of10 games out of 19; lost 8 while one was undecided.

2013: Title defence by KKR

KKR struggled in the initial years of the IPL with captain and coach problems but after Gambhir took over, things changed drastically for them. In 2011, he took KKR to the qualifiers for the first time while led it to win the title in 2012.

The pressure of expectations was naturally huge in 2013 but the golden-purple brigade failed to rise to the occasion this year. They did not even qualify for the qualifiers, losing 10 of their 16 games in the league to finish seventh in the fray of nine teams (in 2012, they won 12 out of 18 games, lost 5 while one was inconclusive). CSK went ahead to the final for the fourth successive team but lost it to MI in a reverse result of 2010 final.

2014: Title defence by MI

The Mumbai Indians got their first taste of success in IPL six years after its inauguration and given their star-studded team and high-profile management and support, the euphoria was quite high.

They found their hero in local lad Rohit Sharma and expected him to match Dhoni’s 2010-11 record. MI closely beat RR in run-rate to qualify for the playoffs as the fourth team (winning 7 out of 14 games) but was walloped by CSK in the eliminator by 7 wickets in a revenge of the previous year’s final.

In 2013, MI lost their first game in the playoffs but got another chance to reach the final by winning the second qualifier. That was not the case in 2014 since Rohit’s team finished fourth in the group stage, two slots poorer than in 2013. In 2013, MI won 13 of their 19 games while lost 6. KKR defeated Kings XI Punjab in the final in Bengaluru.

2015: Title defence by KKR

Gambhir gave KKR their second title in two years and the pressure of defending it was high again. The 2015 IPL had a tense finish as all but one team were engaged in a rat race in the closing stages. KKR were on their way to the playoffs but lost their last two games closely – by 5 runs and 9 runs – to finish fifth in the table, trailing the fourth team by a solitary point. It was a heartbreak for KKR fans but IPL is all about the uncertainty. KKR won 7 of their 14 games, lost 6 while one match was not finished. In 2014, they won 11 out of 16 games and lost 5. MI won this year’s title, defeating CSK in the final, again.

2016: Title defence by MI

In a rerun of the 2013-14 performance, MI flopped in their bid to defend title yet again, failing to qualify for the playoffs. MI finished with 14 points from 14 matches (7-7 record) and finished fifth owing to a better run-rate over DD who also finished with 14 points.

In 2015, MI won 10 of their 16 games and lost 6. This was the first year when the IPL had no CSK as they were handed a two-year suspension. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who made their debut in 2013, became the new champions in IPL defeating RCB in a close final.

2017: Title defence by SRH

Hyderabad supporters hoped for their third taste of winning IPL (after DC won it in 2009 and SRH in 2016) but David Warner’s men despite qualifying for the playoffs as the third team like in 2016 could not make any more progress.

They met the same KKR in the eliminator as they did in 2016 and it was Gambhir’s men who avenged the previous year’s loss by winning by 7 wickets in a rain-curtailed game and showed defenders SRH the door. SRH won 8 matches and lost 6 in the 15 matches they played in 2017 (one match was disrupted) as against 11 wins and 6 losses in 17 games in 2016.

MI won their third title this year, defeating Pune Warriors India by just 1 run in the final. It was the only time that MI defeated Pune who they met four times in the competition. MI henceforth set up a strange sequence of winning the tournament in odd years. It was also the seventh IPL final for Dhoni who played for Pune and he lost yet one more time to Rohit Sharma.

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