Top 5 Most Unsuccessful Teams in IPL History

Indian Premier League is the best T20 league in the world and the reputation set by this league is very high. As cricket fans, we only look at the best teams of this league because the teams that are successful in this league, have performed consistently well in this league. On the other hand, teams that haven’t won any trophies yet have struggled since the beginning of this tournament.

Teams like Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, and Kolkata Knight Riders have done consistently well in this tournament and won the IPL Trophy multiple times.

Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians have won the Trophy 5 times, which speaks about the legacy of these teams, KKR has also won the trophy Three times. These teams are the best ipl team in the history of this league.

Ranking Factors that make a team unsuccessful in any tournament

• Lowest Win % of the team
• Least Number of Trophies won by that Team
• The number of times they are qualified for the Play-offs

In this article, we will talk about the top 5 most unsuccessful teams in IPL history based on all the above criteria. This ranking has been done only for teams who have played for at least 10 seasons.

Here is the list of the Top 5 most unsuccessful teams in IPL

5. Rajasthan Royals (2008-15) & (2018-2024): 

The inaugural Champions of this tournament (Rajasthan Royals) started their IPL Journey on a very high note. RR defeated CSK in the finals of the 1st season and became the champions, however, after that, their performance wasn’t good enough. They have faced difficulties even in the qualification for the play-offs.

RR has played a total of 222 matches in the IPL and won 110 matches.  

Here are the stats of Rajasthan Royals in IPL history:

Team Name	Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Season Played	(2008-15) & (2018-2024)
Number of matches played	222
Win %	49.54
won	110
lost	106
No Result	3
Tie	3 (won 2-1 Lost)
No. of Play-off Qualification	6 times
Number IPL Titles	1

4. Sunrisers Hyderabad (2013-2024): 

The team that won the IPL title in the year 2016 has the fourth-worst winning percentage, hence they find themselves on the list of the most unsuccessful teams in IPL history. They started their IPL journey in the 9th edition of this tournament in the year 201,3 and after three years they won their 1st and only IPL title.

SRH has played a total of 182 matches and won 87 of them. SRH has faced defeat in 91 matches. Their win % is 47.80 in IPL.

Here are the stats of the SRH in IPL history:

Team Name	Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Season Played	(2013-2024)
Number of matches played	182
won	87
Win %	47.80
lost	91
No Result	0
Tie	4 (won 1-3 Lost)
No. of Play-off Qualification	6 times
Number IPL Titles	1

Also Read: Top 10 Greatest IPL Players

3. Royal Challengers Bangalore (2008-2024)

Royal Challengers Bangalore, with the most loyal fans in the world, are also on the list of the most unsuccessful teams in IPL. Despite having the best batting trio (which includes Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers) in the world, RCB has yet to win this tournament. RCB has been known for its heavy batting lineup and always has the best batters around the world in their squad. But their bowling line-up hasn’t been good enough to win the title. This team has been most popular team in IPL since the beginning of this IPL league.

RCB has played a total of 256 matches in IPL history. They have won 121 and lost 128 matches. 

They have gone into finals three times (2009, 2011, and 2016), but still, they weren’t able to grab the victory from the opponent.

Team Name	Royal Challengers Banglore (RCB)
Season Played	2008-2024
Number of matches played	256
won	121
Win %	47.26
lost	128
No Result	04
Tie	03 (won 2-1 Lost)
No. of Play-off Qualification	9 times
Number IPL Titles	Yet to win the title

2. Delhi Capitals (2008-24)

The 2nd most unsuccessful team in IPL is Delhi Capitals, they have the 2nd lowest winning % (44.44). They changed their team’s name in the year 2019 before they were known as Delhi Daredevils. Their fortune changed after they changed their name. After 2019 they started performing well under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer and also started qualifying consistently into the play-offs. 

DC has played a total of 252 matches in IPL. Out of 252 matches DC won 112 matches and lost 134 matches. Their win % is 44.44 (2nd lowest). Also, they are yet to win the IPL title. This team is one of the worst team in ipl.

Team Name	Delhi Capitals (DC)
Season Played	2008-2024
Number of matches played	252
won	112
Win %	44.44
lost	134
No Result	02
Tie	04 (won 3-1 Lost)
No. of Play-off Qualification	6 times
Number IPL Titles	Yet to win the title

1. Punjab Kings (2008-24)

Punjab Kings is the most unsuccessful team IPL team in the history of this league. Their performance has been good enough. One of the major reasons for that is the consistent change in their leadership department and coaches. 

Punjab Kings has played a total of 246 matches in which they got victory in 109 matches and lost 133 matches. Their winning percentage is the lowest in this tournament (44.30). 

They have also struggled in the qualification for the playoffs as they qualified just one time. It is the worst team of IPL.

Team Name	Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Season Played	2008-2024
Number of matches played	246
won	109
Win %	44.30
lost	133
No Result	00
Tie	04 (won 3-1 Lost)
No. of Play-off Qualification	1 time
Number IPL Titles	Yet to win the title

Also Read: All IPL Team Owners 2025: Meet the Heads of Every Franchise

Reasons why a team struggles in any tournament?

• Changes in the Leadership Department : 

It has been observed that teams that continuously changed their captains haven’t been able to be consistent. Teams like CSK, and MI have the least number of captains in this tournament. This is one of the major reasons for being unsuccessful, on the other hand, PKBS changes their captains every year.

• Changes in the Core Team:

The franchisee who are consistent have always retained their core team and built the entire team around that. Again Teams like CSK, MI, and KKR have done these things whereas teams like PKBS, DC, and RCB have always changed their entire squad and hence struggled in every season of IPL. 

• Too Much Reliance on Foreign Players:

IPL is a tournament in which there are 7 Indian players in every team out of eleven. Teams that are over-dependent on foreign players are always going to face problems. The best of the IPL teams always have domestic players who do well for the team.