The Indian Premier League has witnessed many champions fall from glory in their very next campaign. Only twice in its storied history has a team managed to defend their title successfully. Speaking for the 2025 season, Kolkata Knight Riders have become the latest to suffer the defending champions' curse, crashing out of playoff contention.
After the washout at Chinnaswamy on Saturday against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kolkata Knight Riders' playoff hopes came crashing down. With just 12 points from 13 games, their exit from the race is now confirmed. All that remains for the defending champions is a final outing on May 25 against SunRisers Hyderabad.
However, it's not rare in the IPL to see defending champions struggle the following season. In fact, several teams have faced a similar fate over the years. Here's a look at all the times it has happened:
IPL Defending Champions Who Failed To Qualify For Playoffs:
Rajasthan Royals in 2009:
Let’s rewind to where it all began -- the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League in 2008. Rajasthan Royals, under Shane Warne’s leadership, lifted the very first IPL trophy by edging past Chennai Super Kings in the final by 3 wickets. But defending that title the following year Royals failed to make the playoffs and ended the 2009 season in sixth place.
Kolkata Knight Riders in 2013:
In 2012, Kolkata Knight Riders lifted their first-ever IPL trophy. But the very next season, 2013, they couldn’t defend their title and missed out on the playoffs, finishing a disappointing 7th.
Mumbai Indians in 2016:
In 2015, Mumbai Indians claimed their second IPL title with a commanding 41-run win over Chennai Super Kings in the final. But the celebrations didn’t last long -- the following season in 2016, they couldn’t find the same rhythm and narrowly missed out on the playoffs, finishing 5th on the points table.
Mumbai Indians in 2018:
In 2017, Mumbai Indians pulled off a thrilling 1-run win over Rising Pune Supergiant to claim their third IPL title. But the following season didn’t go as planned -- they fell just short of the playoffs in 2018, finishing 5th despite a strong squad.
Mumbai Indians in 2021:
In 2020, Mumbai Indians clinched their fifth IPL title, becoming the first team to achieve that feat by defeating Delhi Capitals in the final by 5 wickets. However, in 2021, the five-time champions missed the playoffs, finishing 5th despite a strong squad.
Chennai Super Kings in 2022:
Again in 2021, Chennai Super Kings won their fourth IPL title. But the MS Dhoni-led team faltered badly the following season, finishing 9th in 2022 and missing the playoffs.
Chennai Super Kings in 2024:
Then in 2023, Chennai Super Kings bounced back strong, beating Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets in the final to claim their fifth IPL title--tying Mumbai Indians for the most championships. But even as defending champions, CSK stumbled the next season (2024), finishing 5th and just missing out on the playoffs.
And in 2025, things haven’t gotten any easier for CSK--they’re currently stuck at the bottom of the table with just 6 points from 12 matches, already out of playoff contention.
Kolkata Knight Riders in 2025:
Now coming to the present -- the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, who lifted their third IPL title in 2024 by thrashing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final, have stumbled in their title defense.
KKR are currently sitting 6th on the table with just one game left in the league stage -- against the very team they beat in last year's final, Sunrisers Hyderabad, on May 25. Even if the Ajinkya Rahane-led side wins that game, they’ll finish with 14 points -- a total unlikely to crack the top four. At best, they could end up 5th or 6th if Lucknow Super Giants lose their remaining matches -- but it still won’t be enough to keep their playoff hopes alive.
When did the IPL Title Defenders succeed?
In 2010, Chennai Super Kings clinched the title by outplaying Mumbai Indians in the final -- and then made history the very next year by becoming the first team to successfully defend their crown, winning back-to-back IPL titles in 2010 and 2011.
In 2019, Mumbai Indians edged out Chennai Super Kings by just 1 run in a nerve-wracking final to claim their fourth IPL title. They carried that momentum into the next season and went on to win back-to-back trophies -- becoming only the second team after CSK (2010–11) to achieve that feat. MI comfortably defeated Delhi Capitals in the 2020 final, becoming the first team to win five titles.
In 2009, the Deccan Chargers (now defunct) clinched the IPL title by defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore (now Bengaluru) by 6 runs. The following season, while they couldn’t defend their crown, they still made it to the playoffs. However, their campaign ended in the semifinals, where they lost to Chennai Super Kings by 38 runs.
That same year, Sunrisers Hyderabad clinched their maiden IPL crown -- and unlike many champions before them, they managed to return to the playoffs in 2017.
