The Indian Premier League (IPL) remains one of the most tightly contested sports leagues in the world. Last year, two franchises that hadn't won the event featured in the final.
That's how Royal Challengers Bengaluru became the 8th team to lift the IPL trophy.
You'd think that, despite the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) holding mega-auctions at three-year intervals, it would level the playing field, which would result in consistent results for most teams. Basically, after 18 editions, most teams would've won the IPL at least once. But that isn't the case.
In fact, there are 2 franchises who've been part of the IPL since its inception in 2008 and are yet to be crowned champions. Who are these trophy-less teams? Well, let's take a gander.
Teams that have never won an IPL trophy
| Punjab Kings | Delhi Capitals | Rising Pune Supergiant | Lucknow Super Giants | Gujarat Lions | Pune Warriors India | Kochi Tuskers Kerala | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Semifinal | Semifinal | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2009 | 5th | Semifinal | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2010 | 5th | 5th | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2011 | 8th | 10th | - | - | - | 9th | 8th |
| 2012 | 6th | 3rd | - | - | - | 9th | - |
| 2013 | 6th | 9th | - | - | - | 8th | - |
| 2014 | Runners-up | 8th | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2015 | 8th | 7th | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2016 | 8th | 6th | 7th | - | 3rd | - | - |
| 2017 | 5th | 6th | Runners-up | - | 7th | - | - |
| 2018 | 7th | 8th | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2019 | 6th | 3rd | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2020 | 6th | Runners-up | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2021 | 6th | 3rd | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2022 | 6th | 5th | - | 4th | - | - | - |
| 2023 | 8th | 9th | - | 4th | - | - | - |
| 2024 | 9th | 6th | - | 7th | - | - | - |
| 2025 | Runners-up | 5th | - | 7th | - | - | - |
Which teams have reached the IPL final but not won the trophy?
Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, and Rising Pune Supergiant have all reached the IPL before but fallen short. The Kings in 2014 and 2025, the Capitals in 2020 and Pune in 2017.
Which teams have played all editions of the IPL but have yet to win the tournament?
Punjab and Delhi have featured in all 18 editions but have yet to lift the IPL trophy.