The 2021 Indian Premier League, also known as IPL 14, or for sponsorship reasons, Vivo IPL 2021, was the fourteenth season of the

Indian Premier League The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...

(IPL), a professional

Twenty20 cricket Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single inning ...

league established by the

Board of Control for Cricket in India The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national governing body for cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at Cricket centre, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The BCCI is the richest governing body of cricket in the world ...

(BCCI) in 2007. The tagline was ''Asli Picture Abhi Baaki Hai'' (Now the original picture will come).

Mumbai Indians Mumbai Indians are a franchise cricket team based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, that competes in the Indian Premier League and is the most successful team of the tournament with 5 titles. Founded in 2008, the team is owned by India's biggest conglo ...

were the two-time defending champions. Ahead of the tournament, Kings XI Punjab were renamed as the

Punjab Kings Punjab Kings (PBKS) are a franchise cricket team based in Mohali, Punjab, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Established in 2008 as the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), the franchise is jointly owned by Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, Preity Zin ...

. In March 2021, the BCCI announced the fixtures for the tournament. The tournament started on 9 April. However, on 4 May, the tournament was suspended indefinitely, after a rise in

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

cases within the

bio bubbles A bio-secure bubble, also known as a bubble, or hub city, was a hosting arrangement for sporting events that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, under which events were held at a centralized site, often behind closed doors, with strict quarant ...

of some teams. At the time of the suspension, 31 of the scheduled 60 matches were still left to be played. On 29 May 2021, the BCCI announced that the remaining matches of the tournament would be played in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

in September and October 2021. The schedule for the remainder of the tournament was released in July 2021. In

the final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

Chennai Super Kings Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise cricket team based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 2008, the team plays its home matches at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The team is owned by India ...

beat

Kolkata Knight Riders Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are a franchise cricket team representing the city of Kolkata in the Indian Premier League. The franchise is owned by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, actress Juhi Chawla and her spouse Jay Mehta. The Knight Riders p ...

to win their fourth IPL title.

Ruturaj Gaikwad Ruturaj Dashrat Gaikwad (born 31 January 1997) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for Maharashtra in domestic cricket and for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He made his international debut for the Indi ...

scored the most runs in the tournament, while

Harshal Patel Harshal Patel (born 23 November 1990) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian cricket Team. He plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League and Haryana in the domestic cricket. Patel made his internat ...

took the most wickets and also won the

Most Valuable Player award In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

Background

were the two-time defending champions, having won both the

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

and the

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

seasons. Although early reports suggested the addition of two more teams in the season, the

(BCCI) announced in their 89th that the inclusion of two new teams would be delayed until the 2022 season. The Kings XI Punjab were renamed to

ahead of the tournament. On 30 January 2021, the BCCI announced that they expected to host the tournament in India, and that the

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

, which had hosted the previous season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, was not being considered as a backup venue. On the day of the

auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...

, the BCCI also confirmed that Vivo had returned as the title sponsor, after it had pulled out of the previous tournament. As of late February, the BCCI was considering hosting the tournament in a few shortlisted cities:

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

and

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, with

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

as an additional option. On 7 March 2021, the BCCI announced the full schedule for the season. Six venues, including all the five shortlisted venues and the additional option, Mumbai, were scheduled to host matches. To avoid home advantage, no team was scheduled to play at their home venue. The season was scheduled to start from 9 April, with the final taking place on 30 May at the

Narendra Modi Stadium The Narendra Modi Stadium (Gujarati: નરેન્દ્ર મોદી સ્ટેડિયમ; Hindi: नरेन्द्र मोदी स्टेडियम), formerly known as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium is a cricket stadium ...

in Ahmedabad. The BCCI also confirmed that the tournament would begin behind closed doors, and a call on letting spectators in would be taken at a later stage. After the sudden rise in COVID-19 cases in India,

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

was also added as a backup venue, though no matches were played there.

Personnel changes

The released players were announced on 20 January 2021.

Steve Smith Stephen, Steve, Stevie, or Steven Smith may refer to: Academics * Steve Smith (political scientist) (born 1952), British international relations theorist and senior university manager * Stephen Smith (journalist) (born 1956), American journalist, ...

Aaron Finch Aaron James Finch (born 17 November 1986) is a Australian international cricketer who captains the Australian cricket team in T20I and formerly captained the national team in ODI cricket. Finch currently holds the record for two of the three h ...

and

Glenn Maxwell Glenn James Maxwell (born 14 October 1988) is an Australian professional cricketer, who represents Australia national cricket team in One Day International and Twenty20 International formats of the game and has played Test cricket for Australia ...

were the prominent names among the released players.

Piyush Chawla Piyush Chawla (; born 24 December 1988) is an Indian cricketer who has played for the India national cricket team. He has also played for the India under-19 team and the Central Zone. He is seen as a leg-spinning all-rounder in domestic cricke ...

, the costliest Indian player at the 2020 auction, was also released. The players' auction was held on 18 February 2021 in

. Chris Morris was the most expensive player, purchased by the

Rajasthan Royals Rajasthan Royals (often abbreviated as RR) are a franchise cricket team based in Jaipur, Rajasthan, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Founded in 2008 as one of the initial eight IPL franchises, the team is based at the Sawai Ma ...

for . The most expensive Indian player sold was

Krishnappa Gowtham Krishnappa Gowtham (born 20 October 1988) is an Indian cricketer who plays for Karnataka cricket team, Karnataka. He made his international debut for India national cricket team, India in July 2021. His father M. Krishnappa represented Karnatak ...

, who was purchased by the

for .

COVID-19 impact

Due to the worsening COVID-19 situation in India, several players, including

Liam Livingstone Liam Stephen Livingstone (born 4 August 1993) is an English cricketer who plays for Lancashire and England. Livingstone is a right-handed batter and spin bowler, capable of bowling both right-arm leg and off spin. He made his Twenty20 debut for ...

and

Adam Zampa Adam Zampa (born 31 March 1992) is an Australian international cricketer who represents Australian cricket team in limited-overs cricket. Youth career As a child, Zampa bowled medium pace, but Cricket Australia had placed restrictions on how m ...

, withdrew from the tournament. After the Chennai leg of the tournament,

Ravichandran Ashwin Ravichandran Ashwin () (born 17 September 1986) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian cricket team as a bowling All-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls right-arm off-break, he plays for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricke ...

left the

Delhi Capitals Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils) are a franchise cricket team based out of Delhi in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise is jointly owned by the GMR Group and the JSW Group. The team's home ground is Arun Jaitley Stadium, ...

bio-bubble to "support isfamily" during the pandemic. On 3 May 2021, the scheduled match between

and

Royal Challengers Bangalore Royal Challengers Bangalore (often abbreviated as RCB) are a franchise cricket team based in Bangalore, Karnataka, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). It was founded in 2008 by United Spirits and named after the company's liquor b ...

was postponed after two Kolkata players tested positive for

. On the same day, three members of the Chennai Super Kings camp – including their bowling coach

Lakshmipathy Balaji Lakshmipathy Balaji (born 27 September 1981) is an Indian cricket coach and former cricketer. He is a right arm fast medium bowler. He announced his retirement from first-class and List A cricket in November 2016. He was the bowling coach for ...

and CEO Kasi Viswanathan, tested positive. Later, the entire Delhi Capitals team was put into quarantine.

and

Sunrisers Hyderabad Sunrisers Hyderabad (stylised as SunRisers Hyderabad, SRH) are a franchise cricket team based in Hyderabad, Telangana, India, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise is owned by Kalanithi Maran of the SUN Group and was ...

skipped their practice sessions ahead of their match on 4 May. As a result, the BCCI looked at hosting the remaining fixtures of the tournament in

. However, on 4 May 2021, the Chennai Super Kings versus

match, scheduled for the following day, was also postponed due to the Chennai players being in quarantine. Later the same day, Hyderabad's

Wriddhiman Saha Wriddhiman Prasanta Saha (born 24 October 1984) is an Indian cricketer who plays for the Indian national cricket team. He is a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman. He plays for Tripura in domestic cricket and for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Pr ...

and Delhi's

Amit Mishra Amit Mishra (born 24 November 1982) is an Indian cricketer. He is an right-arm leg-break bowler and right-handed tail-ender batsman. He plays for Haryana in the domestic Ranji Trophy and currently appears for the T20 franchise Delhi Capitals ...

tested positive for the virus. On 4 May, the season was suspended indefinitely. On 5 May 2021,

Michael Hussey Michael Edward Killeen Hussey (born 27 May 1975) is an Australian cricket coach, commentator and former international cricketer, who played all forms of the game. Hussey is also widely known by his nickname 'Mr Cricket'. Hussey was a relative la ...

, the batting coach of Chennai, became the first overseas individual to test positive.

Tim Seifert Tim Seifert (born 14 December 1994) is a New Zealand international cricketer. He was part of New Zealand's squad for the 2014 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, and made his international debut for the New Zealand cricket team in February 2018. ...

and

Prasidh Krishna Muralikrishna Prasidh Krishna (born 19 February 1996) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for Karnataka in domestic cricket and Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. He is a right-arm medium fast bowler who regularly bowls a ...

of Kolkata tested positive as well. On 6 May 2021, a group of

English counties The counties of England are areas used for different purposes, which include administrative, geographical, cultural and political demarcation. The term "county" is defined in several ways and can apply to similar or the same areas used by each ...

made an offer to host the remaining matches of the tournament in England in September 2021. But

Sourav Ganguly Sourav Chandidas Ganguly (; natively spelled as Gangopadhyay; born 8 July 1972), affectionately known as Dada (meaning ''"elder brother"'' in Bengali), is an Indian cricket administrator, commentator and former national cricket team captain w ...

, the president of the BCCI, ruled out the possibility of the tournament being completed in England or India, citing difficulties around quarantine rules. The BCCI were looking to play the remaining matches in September and October 2021, a plan that was confirmed on 25 July. It was then announced that the remainder of the tournament would take place in the UAE. The second half started on 19 September, with the final to be held on 15 October in Dubai. After the relocation to the UAE, the organisers were looking to allow at least 50% capacity of vaccinated audience in the stadium, if permitted by the local government. Four days before the restart, spectators who followed COVID-19 protocols were allowed in.

Venues

Matches in the first leg were played in

and

. In addition, the

Eden Gardens The Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata, India. Established in 1864, it is the oldest and second-largest cricket stadium in India and third-largest in the world. The stadium currently has a capacity of 66,000. Eden Gardens is often re ...

in Kolkata and

M. Chinnaswamy Stadium The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium (formerly known as the Karnataka State Cricket Association Stadium) is a cricket stadium located in Bangalore, Karnataka. Flanked by the picturesque Cubbon Park, Queen's Road, Cubbon and uptown MG Road, this five-dec ...

were also scheduled to host matches, but they were relocated. After the tournament was shifted to the UAE, the matches were held in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

Sharjah Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. Sharjah is the capital o ...

, and

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

Teams and standings

Points table

Each team received two points for a victory, one each for a no-result match, and none for a loss. The teams were ranked based on the number of points. If it was equal, the

net run rate Net run rate (NRR) is a statistical method used in analysing teamwork and/or performance in cricket. It is the most commonly used method of ranking teams with equal points in limited overs league competitions, similar to goal difference in foo ...

would determine the rankings.

Match summary

League stage

The schedule for the league stages was published on the official IPL website on 7 March, and the schedule of the postponed matches to be held in the UAE was released on 25 July. The final two games of the league stage were played concurrently for the first time in the IPL history, as decided in the IPL Governing Council meeting on 28 September. The league follows the double round-robin format, where every team plays each other twice, and the top four teams advance to the playoffs. There were no

home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

and

away Away may refer to: Film and television * ''Away'' (2016 film), a 2016 British film * ''Away'' (2019 film), a 2019 animated silent film * ''Away'' (TV series), a 2020 science fiction drama on Netflix Literature * ''Away'' (play), a 1986 play by M ...

games, and no team played at their

home ground In sports, home is the place and venue identified with a team sport. Most professional teams are named for, and marketed to, particular metropolitan areas; amateur teams may be drawn from a particular region, or from institutions such as sch ...

. Rules and regulations dictated by the

International Cricket Council The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are List of International Cricket Council members, 108 national associations, with 12 List of Internation ...

were followed. If both teams score the same number of runs, a super over would follow.

Matches

India

----

UAE

----

Playoffs

The top-four teams qualified for the playoffs. The first two teams would play each other in the first qualifier, where the winner would progress to the final, while the loser would play in the second qualifier. The eliminator was played between the third and fourth teams. While the loser was knocked off, the winner would advance to the second qualifier. The winner of this match would qualify as the second finalist. The IPL 2021 playoffs started on 10 October 2021, and the final was played on 15 October.

Preliminary

;Qualifier 1

---- ;Eliminator

---- ;Qualifier 2

Final

won the toss and opted to bowl.

scored 192 runs in 20 overs, losing 3 wickets.

Faf du Plessis Francois "Faf" du Plessis ( ; born 13 July 1984) is a South African professional cricketer and former captain of the South Africa national cricket team. He is considered one of the greatest fielders of all time and is among the best all-forma ...

became the highest scorer with 86 runs, while

and

Moeen Ali Moeen or Moein or Moien is a given name and surname. It is a Quranic name which means: helper, supporter, or provider of refuge. Notable persons with the name include: Persons with the given name * Moein (singer) (born 1951), Iranian singer * Mo ...

complimented with substantial scores. For the fielding team,

Sunil Narine Sunil Philip Narine (born 26 May 1988) is a Trinidadian cricketer who plays internationally for the West Indies. He made his One Day International (ODI) debut in December 2011 and Test match debut in June 2012. Primarily an off-spin bowler, he ...

took 2 wickets. In the second innings, Kolkata started well after

Venkatesh Iyer Venkatesh Iyer (born 25 December 1994) is an Indian cricketer who plays for Madhya Pradesh cricket team, Madhya Pradesh in Ranji Trophy, domestic cricket and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Domestic career Iyer made ...

made a fifty. But they soon lost many wickets, with

Shardul Thakur Shardul Narendra Thakur (born 16 October 1991) is an Indian international cricketer. He is a bowling all-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls right arm medium pace. Domestic career Thakur was initially criticized for his lack of height for ...

taking 3 of them. Chennai went on to win the match by 27 runs.

Statistics and awards

Players are given several awards with a trophy and prize money at the end of each season. The

is given to the player who accumulates the most points, depending upon their overall performance like the number of fours, sixes and wickets. The ''Orange Cap'' is given to the player who scored the most runs, while the ''Purple Cap'' is presented to the one with most wickets. The ''Emerging Player'' award is given to a young player with the most promising performance, who meets the given guidelines. ''Fairplay'' award is given to the team which played most in accordance with the rules, being fair, and upholding the spirit of the game. The player who changed the game for their teams gets the ''Gamechanger'' award, and the one with the highest

strike rate Strike rate refers to two different statistics in the sport of cricket. Batting strike rate is a measure of how quickly a batter achieves the primary goal of batting, namely scoring runs, measured in runs per 100 balls; higher is better. Bowling ...

is presented with the ''Super Striker'' award. The player hitting the most

sixes Sixes, home to approximately 14,540, is an unincorporated community in western Cherokee County, Georgia, United States, located about three miles west of Holly Springs and near the eastern shore of current-day Lake Allatoona. The community is l ...

gets an award, along with the one who performs the best in the powerplay. The ''Perfect Catch of the Season'' award is given to the player who took the best catch in the season.

Ravi Bishnoi Ravi Bishnoi (born 5 September 2000) is an Indian international cricketer. He plays for the Indian cricket team in white ball cricket. He is a Right-arm leg-break bowler. He made his International debut in February 2022. He plays for Lucknow ...

of the Punjab Kings won the award for his catch taken against Kolkata Knight Riders in match 21 to dismiss

, where he took a diving catch at deep mid-wicket.

Most runs

* Orange Cap

Most wickets

* Purple Cap

End of the season awards

References

External links

Series home
at ''

ESPNcricinfo ESPN cricinfo (formerly known as Cricinfo or CricInfo) is a sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches (including liveblogs and scorecards), and ''StatsGuru'', a ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Indian Premier League, 2021 Indian Premier League seasons