List Of Teams To Have Won Fairplay Of The Season Awards In IPL

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the biggest T20 league in the world. There are bound to be altercations and verbal duels because of the high-intensity contests. But there are also players and teams which have carried themselves with grace and played in the spirit of the game, respecting the sport and the opposition.

Hence, the BCCI and the IPL council decided to introduce the fair play award to teams according to how they adhere to the “spirit of the game”. The umpires award the points after each match.

Fairplay award winners for each season in the IPL:

2008-Chennai Super Kings

The inception of the IPL embarked the world on a new and glorious journey in cricket which changes the course of the game altogether. Led by the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup winner, MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings lost the final to Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royals. However, CSK were on top of the fair play chart. Players like Stephen Fleming, Mike Hussey, Lakshmipathy Balaji along with captain cool showed everyone the manner to conduct themselves after losing the final.

2009-Kings XI Punjab

Kings XI Punjab came fifth on the points table. However, the Yuvraj Singh-led outfit won the fair play award. The team comprised of players like Brett Lee, Mahela Jayawardene, Irfan Pathan, and Shaun Marsh, who were highly respected by the opposition. Deccan Chargers, led by another gentleman of the game won the title.

2010-Chennai Super Kings

CSK won their maiden title in 2010 after falling short in the final in 2008. Dhoni led the yellow army to the IPL trophy and also bagged the fairplay award. Chennai, after finishing third in the points table defeated Mumbai in the final.

2011-Chennai Super Kings

It was the golden era of CSK where everything Dhoni touched turned to gold. The Super Kings defended their title in 2011 by defeating a Chris Gayle-inspired Bangalore. The champions also won the fairplay award for the consecutive time. Players like Ravichandran Ashwin and Suresh Raina were instrumental in CSK’s victory, and also were winning hearts with their sportsman spirit.

2012-Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals led by Rahul Dravid won the fair play award in 2012- not surprising as Dravid is one of the most respected people in the cricket fraternity. The Royals finished seventh in a nine-team tournament on the points table, but they accepted their losses with grace. They didn’t involve themselves in any altercations with players or the umpires. Kolkata under Gautam Gambhir won its maiden title in 2012.

2013-Chennai Super Kings

CSK won its fourth fairplay award in 2013. They finished top of the points table. However, Chennai lost to the Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians in the final. Dhoni’s equanimity has rubbed on the team as they maintained themselves the same – in victories and losses.

2014-Chennai Super Kings

MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings were the torchbearers of on and off-field mannerisms. Not only Dhoni’s men respected the umpires’ decision but also gave utmost respect to the opposition. Chennai were blown away by Virender Sehwag in Qualifier 2, but that didn’t stop the yellow army to take away another fairplay award. Gambhir’s KKR won their second trophy in 2014.

2015- Chennai Super Kings

In 2015, CSK made the hat-trick of the fairplay awards. Despite finishing first in the points table, Dhoni’s team fell to Rohit’s Mumbai for the second time in the final. Team members like Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo and Brendon McCullum were adored by everyone for their calmness and never involved in any tussle with anyone.

2016- Sunrisers Hyderabad

David Warner led Sunrisers Hyderabad to their maiden IPL title after winning three games on a bounce in the playoffs. SRH also won the fairplay award – which is a great testament to Warner’s leadership. SRH beat a Virat Kohli inspired RCB in the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in the final.

2017- Gujarat Lions

The Suresh Raina-led Gujarat Lions, which was defunct post-2017, won the fairplay award. The team ended up at the 7th spot on the points table. But a team having players like Raina, Bravo, McCullum and Dinesh Karthik always held themselves calmly on the field. Raina received high praise after he was seen consoling Rishabh Pant as the latter missed a century. MI won their third title in 2017.

2018- Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians couldn’t qualify for the playoffs. However, they won the fairplay award for the first time in 2018. Mumbai had legends like Mahela Jayawardene and Sachin Tendulkar in the dugout. Hence it wasn’t a surprise the team led by Rohit Sharma – who himself is also a composed skipper – won the fairplay award. Chennai, on their return to the IPL, won their third title in 2018.

2019- Sunrisers Hyderabad

All eyes were on David Warner, who was returning from his year-long ban. Warner was observed as a more collected and controlled person than he was before getting banned. With Tom Moody, VVS Laxman, and Muttiah Muralitharan in the dressing room, the team’s environment always remained serene, and SRH bagged the fair play award. Warner led SRH to the playoffs. MI won their fourth title defeating CSK in the final.

2020- Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians successfully defended their title and won the IPL trophy for an unprecedented fifth time. Not only they finished the tournament with a trophy, and the Rohit Sharma-led outfit won the fair play award as well.

There was always a calm aura around the MI team, which had them remain tranquil in the nervy moments without showing too many emotions. The senior player has taught a lot to youngsters about cricket and life.

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