The Indian Premier League (IPL) started in 2008, a year after India lifted the inaugural T20 World Cup 2007. Over the years, many young talents have made their name and career while playing with the established names of Indian and overseas cricket. Meanwhile, in this listicle, we will have a look at the players who won the Player of the tournament awards at the end of every season.
Winners of the Player of the Series award in IPL
1. Shane Watson (2008)
The two-time ODI World Cup winner for Australia helped Rajasthan Royals clinch their only IPL title in 2008. In the inaugural season, Watson took 17 wickets and scored 472 runs to win the Player of the Series award. RR beat Chennai Super Kings in the final.
2. Adam Gilchrist (2009)
The former Australia wicket keeper batter was appointed the captain of the now-defunct Deccan Chargers. The Hyderabad based team finished last in the 2009 season. Gilchrist hit 495 runs and helped his side win their only IPL title, beating Royal Challengers Bangalore before the franchise was discontinued in 2012.
3. Sachin Tendulkar (2010)
The 2011 World Cup winner is the first Indian to win the award. Apart from this, he is the first player to not win an IPL trophy while winning the Player of the tournament award. The right-hander scored 618 runs, helped his team reach the final but couldn’t help his side cross the final hurdle against Chennai Super Kings.
4. Chris Gayle (2011)
The two-time T20 World Cup winner for the West Indies came as a replacement for Dirk Nannes in the RCB side. Gayle hit 618 runs in the tournament and helped the team qualify for the final, only to lose against CSK.
5. Sunil Narine (2012)
Former West Indies spinner made his IPL debut with Kolkata Knight Riders. Narine took 24 wickets and was the second-highest wicket taker, helping his side win their maiden IPL season.
6. Shane Watson (2013)
The former Australia all-rounder had a stellar season with the bat and ball in 2013. He hit 543 runs and picked 13 wickets with the Royals ending up losing to eventual champions, Mumbai Indians.
7. Glenn Maxwell (2014)
The T20 World Cup winner 2021 announced himself in the 2014 season with 552 runs for Punjab Kings. The team ended up playing the final, losing against KKR.
8. Andre Russell (2015)
The explosive had a great season with the bat and ball for KKR. He hit 326 runs and picked 14 wickets. However, his team failed to qualify for the playoffs.
9. Virat Kohli (2016)
The former India and RCB captain had the best season of his IPL career with 973 runs. No player has ever come close to this many runs in a season. However, despite his best efforts, the T20 World Cup 2024 couldn’t help RCB beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final.
10. Ben Stokes (2017)
The two-time World Cup winner for England was one of the players responsible for the resurgence of Rising Pune Supergiant in the 10th season. The team started poorly but ended up playing the final, only to agonisingly lose by a run against Mumbai Indians.
11. Sunil Narine (2018)
Six years after winning his first IPL title and the Player of the tournament award, Narine won the POTS award with 357 runs and 17 wickets. His team KKR lost Qualifier Two against SRH.
12. Andre Russell (2019)
The West Indies all-rounder won the POTS award for the second time after 2015. He hit 510 runs and took 11 wickets for KKR but the team failed to qualify for the playoffs.
13. Jofra Archer (2020)
The 2019 World Cup winner was carrying Rajasthan Royals bowling during the season with 20 wickets. His team, as expected, didn’t make it to the playoffs.
14. Harshal Patel (2021)
The former RCB player took 32 wickets, equaling Dwayne Bravo’s record made in 2013. He helped RCB qualify for the playoffs but they lost the Eliminator against KKR.
15. Jos Buttler (2022)
The two-time World Cup winner had the best season of his IPL career in 2022. He scored 863 runs including four hundreds, equaling Virat Kohli’s record made in 2016. Buttler helped Royal qualify for the final but lost to Gujarat Titans.
16. Shubman Gill (2023)
The opening batter had a great season with 890 runs for the Ahmedabad-based team. His team qualified for the final in a bid to defend their title but lost to CSK in a last-ball thriller.
17. Sunil Narine (2024)
Last year, Narine became the first player to win the POTS award three times. He helped KKR win their third title with 488 runs and 17 wickets.
18. Suryakumar Yadav (2025)
The Indian T20 captain won the Player of the Series award for the first time in the IPL 2025. His team qualified for the semi-finals but lost.
