In terms of producing some of the most popular names in cricket, no league comes close to the Indian Premier League. However, there are just a handful of players who have been dominant during a single season by their batting, bowling, and fielding abilities. The IPL MVP is designed for the cricketers who have been playing consistently and have helped win many matches during a tournament. Since the debut season of 2008, when Shane Watson emerged as the MVP, there have been several changes in the league, and in 2024, Sunil Narine emerged victorious in the awards category.
Since its inception, the MVP awards have gained massive popularity as one of the best achievements for players in IPL. It is much different from the Orange Cap or Purple Cap because this particular award is presented on the basis of the all-round performance of the player. There have been some notable performers in the history of the tournament. Notable names that have dominated the list include Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, Jos Buttler, and Shubman Gill.
🚨 Most Wickets in an IPL Season Since 2008 🚨 2008 - Sohil Tanvir (22 wickets) 2009 - RP Singh (23 wickets) 2010- Pragyan Ojha (21 wickets) 2011 - Lasith Malinga (28 wickets) 2012 - Morne Morkel (25 wickets) 2013 - Dwayne Bravo (32 wickets) 2014 - Mohit Sharma (23 wickets)… pic.twitter.com/akLZ2gLr8x
— Mufaddal Shailu (@Shailu_15Jul) May 21, 2026
IPL Most Valuable Player (MVP) List from 2008 to 2026
|
Year |
Player |
Team |
|
2008 |
Shane Watson |
Rajasthan Royals |
|
2009 |
Adam Gilchrist |
Deccan Chargers |
|
2010 |
Sachin Tendulkar |
Mumbai Indians |
|
2011 |
Chris Gayle |
Royal Challengers Bangalore |
|
2012 |
Sunil Narine |
Kolkata Knight Riders |
|
2013 |
Shane Watson |
Rajasthan Royals |
|
2014 |
Glenn Maxwell |
Punjab Kings |
|
2015 |
Andre Russell |
Kolkata Knight Riders |
|
2016 |
Virat Kohli |
Royal Challengers Bangalore |
|
2017 |
Ben Stokes |
Rising Pune Supergiant |
|
2018 |
Sunil Narine |
Kolkata Knight Riders |
|
2019 |
Andre Russell |
Kolkata Knight Riders |
|
2020 |
Jofra Archer |
Rajasthan Royals |
|
2021 |
Harshal Patel |
Royal Challengers Bangalore |
|
2022 |
Jos Buttler |
Rajasthan Royals |
|
2023 |
Shubman Gill |
Gujarat Titans |
|
2024 |
Sunil Narine |
Kolkata Knight Riders |
|
2025 |
Surya Kumar Yadav |
Mumbai Indians |
The MVP tale in IPL originated back in 2008, when Shane Watson played for Rajasthan Royals, winning them their first trophy. He won the title once again in 2013, making him the first player to receive such an accolade twice in the tournament. The following year witnessed another star player winning the title with Deccan Chargers; Adam Gilchrist did so thanks to his aggressive style of batting and impeccable wicketkeeping.
Sachin Tendulkar took control of Mumbai Indians in 2009 with 618 runs. The next seasons turned out to be those of T20 players. Firstly, it was Chris Gayle, the winner of the MVP Award for his impressive performance with the bat in Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2011. Afterwards, it was Sunil Narine, who proved himself to be the most successful MVP in IPL history winning three times - in 2012, 2018, and 2024, respectively.
Several standout individual campaigns followed. Virat Kohli won in 2016 after scoring 973 runs, one of the greatest IPL batting seasons. Ben Stokes earned the award in 2017 with his all-round role for Rising Pune Supergiant. Jofra Archer claimed the honour in 2020 despite the Rajasthan Royals struggling as a team. Harshal Patel, Jos Buttler and Suryakumar Yadav later continued the trend with dominant seasons in 2021, 2022 and 2025 respectively.
