The Extravagant Indian Premier League (IPL) has been a great platform for cricketers all over the world to showcase their skills. The league has witnessed some outstanding talent over the years. From towering sixes to cartwheeling stumps, the league is rightly known as the Cricket Festival of India.
The Player who outperforms everyone with his exceptional performance becomes the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Indian Premier League. The MVP ratings are based on various factors such as runs scored, boundaries, strike rate, wickets, economy rate, catches, etc.
In this article, we will take a look at the Most Valuable Players (MVP) in the Indian Premier League over the last thirteen editions.
IPL 2008: Shane Watson (Rajasthan Royals)
Shane Watson lit up the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League. The Australian All-rounder was a vital cog of the Rajasthan Royals squad. His remarkable performance with both the bat and the ball led the Royals to the IPL Championship title. He accumulated 472 runs with a strike rate of 151.77, along with 17 wickets at 22.52.
Watson earned 406.5 points and became the Most Valuable Player in the first edition of the Indian Premier League. Over the years, he has continued to be a part of the IPL, playing for different teams in the league.
IPL 2009: Adam Gilchrist (Deccan Chargers)
Adam Gilchrist was leading the Deccan Chargers squad in the Indian Premier League 2009. He hit 495 runs in 16 matches at an average of 30+ and a strike rate of around 152. His best knock of 85 runs from 35 balls came against Delhi Daredevils in the semi-final at Centurion.
Gilchrist played a key role as a captain and a batsman in Deccan Charger’s winning campaign of IPL 2009. He was thus awarded the Most Valuable Player title in the second edition of the Indian Premier League.
IPL 2010: Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai Indians)
The Legendary Sachin Tendulkar was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the 2010 edition of the Indian Premier League. He led the Mumbai Indians team from the front, scoring 618 runs at an average of 47.54 and a strike rate of 132.61 in 15 matches.
Tendulkar’s knock of 48 runs in the final of IPL 2010 against the Chennai Super Kings was unfortunately not enough as they fell 22 runs short of the target. But his consistent performance throughout the tournament earned him the Most Valuable Player award in the Indian Premier League 2010.
IPL 2011: Chris Gayle (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Chris Gayle is probably the most destructive batsman in the shortest format of the game. He announced his arrival in IPL 2011 with a century against KKR and hasn’t looked back since then. The Royal Challengers Bangalore opener scored 608 runs in 12 matches at a staggering average of 68.
Gayle’s two hundreds and three fifties during Indian Premier League 2011, with 107 being his best, got him the Most Valuable Player award.
IPL 2012: Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Sunil Narine was a surprise asset for the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2012. He finished the season with a total of 24 wickets, being the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament. He picked up 5/19 against Kings XI Punjab and dismissed the likes of Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh.
Narine was the Most Valuable Player in the Indian Premier League 2012 edition because of his astounding show for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
IPL 2013: Shane Watson (Rajasthan Royals)
After his domination in the Inaugural season of the Indian Premier League, Shane Watson’s performances in the league reached new heights. He scored 543 runs from 16 matches at an average of 38 and strike rate of 142 at the top of the order for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2013
His best in this season, 101, came against Chennai Super Kings in the league stages of the tournament.
Watson also picked up 13 wickets at an average of 22.92 that season and was thus awarded the Most Valuable Player award.
IPL 2014: Glenn Maxwell (Kings XI Punjab)
Kings XI Punjab, now the Punjab Kings bought Glenn Maxwell for a whopping 6 crores in the Indian Premier League 2014 Auctions. Maxwell set the stage that season scoring 552 runs at an outstanding strike rate of 187.75 and hit 36 sixes, most by any player in IPL 2014.
The Destructive middle-order batsman, hit 4 fifties, 95 being his best, that season. He also took 9 catches, to sneak past Dwayne Smith in the Most Valuable Player ratings by just half a point. Kings XI Punjab finished the season as runners-up.
IPL 2015: Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Andre Russell played several blistering knocks throughout the Indian Premier League 2015 season. The Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder scored 326 runs from 13 matches at a strike rate of 192.29 scoring 35 boundaries and 19 maximums.
Russell topped the Most Valuable Players rating table with 312 points, on the back of his power-packed batting performance plus 14 wickets and 6 catches during the season.
IPL 2016: Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
In the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League, Virat Kohli became the Most Valuable Player with 357.5 points. His brilliant leadership and performance with the bat led the Royal Challengers Bangalore to the finals of IPL 2016, which they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 runs.
Virat played 16 matches, scoring 973 runs at an average of 81.08 and 4 centuries, the most by any in a single IPL season. The Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper was in flawless form churning out a bucketful of runs.
IPL 2017: Ben Stokes (Rising Pune SuperGiants)
Ben Stokes became the most expensive overseas player in the Indian Premier League as Rising Pune Supergiants bought him for 14.5 Crore in the 2017 auctions. The English all-rounder too did not disappoint his franchise as he went on to justify that tag.
Ben Stokes turned the season around for the Rising Pune Supergiants, who started off slowly by taking 12 wickets in 12 matches with an average of 26.33 and scoring a total of 316 runs. Ben Stokes was almost a one-man army for the Pune-based franchise.
IPL 2018: Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Sunil Narine proved to be very useful at the top of the batting order for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League 2018.
Narine scored 357 runs in 16 matches at an average of over 22 and strike rate of 189 with 2 fifties and 75 as his best from the season. He also picked up 17 wickets in the tournament and hence earned the Most Valuable Player title in the 2018 Indian Premier League season.
IPL 2019: Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders)
In the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League, Andre Russell of Kolkata Knight Riders was awarded the Most Valuable Player Award. He scored 510 runs in 14 matches at an average of 56 and a strike rate of 204. He hit 4 fifties during the season and an 80 not out as his best.
IPL 2020: Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals)
Rajasthan Royals finished at the bottom of the table in the Indian Premier League 2020, but Jofra Archer’s effort with the ball and the bat throughout the season earned him the Most Valuable Player IPL 2020.
Archer claimed 20 wickets at an average of 18.25 and an economy of 6.55 in IPL 2020 season in 14 matches for the Rajasthan Royals and also hit ten sixes, scoring 113 runs at a strike rate of 179.36. In addition to this, Archer took five wickets, which earned him 307 points in the Most Valuable Player ratings.
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