SOURCE: BCCI
Since its debut in 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has established itself as the cricket competition that fans across the world look forward to the most. In the twenty-20 league, every game is an exhilarating rollercoaster ride.
Just a small number of IPL teams have remained constant over the years as many others have risen, fallen, or undergone rebranding. Under the direction of former Mumbai Indians star Hardik Pandya, the Gujarat Titans won their first IPL championship in their first season the previous year.
There are always two teams competing in a tournament: one takes home the trophy, while the other places last. The IPL’s champions are remembered by fans, while the teams are generally forgotten.
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So, Let’s look at the 5 teams that ended up at the bottom with lowest points.
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#5 Sunrisers Hyderabad: 6 Points (IPL 2021)
Sunrisers Hyderabad, who had a dismal season in 2021, is the first team on the list. The squad failed to produce on all fronts despite having a star-studded lineup that included Kane Williamson, David Warner, Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Rashid Khan, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, and T Natarajan.
They only managed to win one of their first six games, which prompted a change in captaincy, with Kane Williamson replacing David Warner for the remaining games. Warner was kept out of the team for the whole of the second leg of the IPL, which sparked outrage from fans on social media.
Warner also made a public announcement about leaving the team during the season, claiming a lack of possibilities. Throughout the whole season, Sunrisers Hyderabad only managed to win three games, and Manish Panday was their leading run scorer with 292 runs. With 18 wickets, Rashid Khan led the squad in wicket-taking.
#4 Kings XI Punjab: 6 Points (IPL 2015)
In the Indian Premier League, Kings XI Punjab has recently seen some poor luck. In 2014, they advanced to the championship game but fell to Kolkata Knight Riders. The squad made little adjustments the next year and, led by Australian batter George Bailey, aimed to repeat their triumph.
However, in 2015, things did not proceed as expected. The 2015 IPL was exclusively staged in India, unlike the 2014 season, where the first matches were played in the United Arab Emirates. The venues in Sharjah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi, which in the previous season had benefited foreign hitters, were not used this time.
Rewinding to the 2015 campaign, Kings XI Punjab only managed to win three games, and from April 25 to May 11, they were defeated seven times in a row. While the team had a talented lineup that included players like Virender Sehwag, Murali Vijay, Glenn Maxwell, George Bailey, Mitchell Johnson, and others, they were all out of shape.
#3 Delhi Daredevils: 6 Points (IPL 2013)
Before being rebranded as Delhi Capitals in 2018, Delhi Daredevils had a poor reputation in the IPL. Unfortunately, they performed particularly poorly in the 2013 season. They only won three of of 16 games in 2013, falling to last place on the league table after taking first position the year before.
Delhi Daredevils had a difficult season despite Eric Simons’ best efforts as their coach. They dropped their opening six games before beating the Mumbai Indians. They subsequently on to defeat Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors India in two more games.
Sehwag, Jaywardhane, and Pietersen, the top order batsmen for Delhi who had helped their team win multiple games the previous season, were entirely out of form in 2013. Mahela Jaywardhane’s team had a bad run as a result, losing their previous six games as well.
#2 Deccan Chargers: 4 Points (IPL 2008)
After an amazing success in the 2009 IPL season, Deccan Chargers’ entry into the Indian Super League was far from flawless. Their group, captained by VVS Laxman, was one of the most expensive in the league, and they were regarded as one of the front-runners. Names like Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Rohit Sharma, Herschelle Gibbs, RP Singh, Chaminda Vaas, and Scott Styris were on the team.
The Chargers’ inaugural season, though, was off to a poor start. Despite just scoring 110 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders, they were defeated. Up until their fourth game against the Mumbai Indians, which Adam Gilchrist brilliantly won, they kept losing.
But, their luck quickly ran out when VVS Laxman had a wrist injury that ended his season early and Andrew Symonds withdrew from the competition owing to his international obligations. The new skipper was then introduced as Gilchrist. Deccan Chargers only managed two victories all season, against the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.
#1 Delhi Daredevils: 4 Points (IPL 2014)
The Delhi Daredevils’ terrible season in 2014, led by Kevin Pietersen, tops the list of the worst IPL performances. The Daredevils entered the auction with a full budget after a dismal season and were successful in securing many notable athletes from many countries, including JP Duminy, Ross Taylor, and Nathan Coulter-Nile.
Even though the team appeared unstoppable on paper, they were ineffective on the pitch. Due to Pietersen’s finger injury, Dinesh Karthik took over as captain as they began their season, although they lost their opening match to Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The club won their next game and showed some potential, but it was short-lived. Pietersen was re-appointed captain, however the squad lost their last nine games, and Pietersen’s captaincy and batting both failed.
JP Duminy was the team’s leading scorer with 410 runs, while Imran Tahir was the most successful bowler with 9 wickets.
Also Read: MS Dhoni To David Warner: List of batters with 5000 or more runs in IPL (cricfiles.com)
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