The Indian Premier League (IPL) is knocking on the doorstep. It’s the cricket carnival that reignites homegrown rivalries every year. The thrill and chaos that come with seeing your favourite cricketing
idols on opposing teams is unmatched. As the country gears up to witness what the cricketing legends Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli, Chennai Super Kings’ Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma have in the store in the 19th edition of IPL 2026 that commences on March 28, an army of passionate cricket fans has taken it upon itself to dish out some of the whackiest IPL facts and stats that almost seem fantastical.
Did the online statisticians and gurus succeed in their endeavour?
Here’s what we discovered in this X thread.
23 April
23 April has a bittersweet connection to one of the most popular franchises of IPL, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
April 23, 2013: RCB registered their highest IPL score of 263/5 in 20 overs against Pune Warriors India at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. It was Christopher Henry Gayle’s day all the way. The Gayle storm struck the Chinnaswamy Stadium as the Jamaican batting force slammed an unbeaten 66-ball 175. He struck as many as 17 maximums while striking at 265.15. Pune lost this contest by a staggering 130 runs.
April 23, 2017: RCB registered their lowest score in any IPL season on April 23, 2017, against Kolkata Knight Riders at the iconic Eden Gardens. The Men in Red bled wickets at regular intervals as they were bundled out for a paltry 49/10 in 9.4 overs. KKR made short work of RCB as the side boasting a star-studded line-up failed to have a single batter touch double digits. Notably, RCB’s 49 remains the lowest score for any side in IPL’s rich history.
Jai-Veeru?
Cricketers Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa seemed inseparable in the IPL. In fact, the two batters have been teammates for a decade, sharing the dressing room for 10 consecutive seasons from 2008 to 2017.
The duo began their journey together with the Mumbai Indians in 2008. Their next movie was for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2009 and 2010. Together, they donned the now-defunct Pune Warriors India’s jersey from 2011 to 2013. Their longest stint together for a franchise, however, came after their move to the Kolkata Knight Riders, where they stayed from 2014 to 2017.
It was only in 2018 when Pandey moved to Sunrisers Hyderabad that their epic partnership was finally broken.
Three Seasons, Three Trophies
No other IPL player in league history has boasted three coveted trophies in three consecutive years except leg spinner Karn Sharma. Yes, Karn holds a distinct and almost improbable record of being an IPL champion thrice with three separate franchises in three consecutive years.
Winning back-to-back IPL trophies is incredibly difficult. Winning three in a row is almost unheard of, but doing it with three completely different franchises sounds like a fabricated story.
Leg-spinner Karn Sharma achieved exactly that:
• 2016: Won the IPL with Sunrisers… https://t.co/Hvp5vXBqkJ pic.twitter.com/12GB4b9JtN
— The Cricket Katha (@TheCricketKatha) March 24, 2026
The leggie won three consecutive IPL titles between 2016 and 2018. He was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad that lifted the trophy in 2016. His move to the Mumbai Indians earned him a trophy in 2017. His next trophy grab was in the Chennai Super Kings’ uniform as he picked up the third straight title in 2018.
Also Read: Why Pakistan Super League’s Captains Press Conference Turned Into An Online Circus
Sunrisers Hyderabad – The Anomaly
Sunrisers Hyderabad, has been at the crime scene not once but twice, playing the spoilsport to two franchises who were having a dream run in their respective IPL season debuts.
Gujarat Lions joined the IPL along with Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016, filling the void created by Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals who were temporarily suspended for two years. Captained by Suresh Raina, the Rajkot-based franchise had a sublime debut, as they secured six wins in their first seven matches, with their only loss coming to Sunrisers Hyderabad in their fourth outing.
Sunrisers Hyderabad weren’t done yet. They defeated the Gujarat Lions in Qualifier 2. Then, SRH outshone RCB by 8 runs in the grand finale to win their maiden and only IPL title.
SRH broke the Gujarat Titans’ winning streak in the latter’s fourth outing in the 2022 edition, a maiden season for the Ahmedabad-based franchise where Hardik Pandya’s men asserted dominance, winning eight out of their first nine encounters. However, that heartbreak was a minor blip as Pandya led his team to a stunning debut season triumph.
Rohit Sharma’s Hat-trick Against Mumbai Indians
Before leading the Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020), Rohit Sharma was a member of the Deccan Chargers squad that emerged victorious in 2009.
The right-handed batter, however, spun magic with the ball against the Mumbai Indians in Centurion as he sparked an MI batting collapse by picking up a hat-trick across two overs, dismissing Abhishek Nayar, Harbhajan Singh, and a well-set JP Duminy on three consecutive balls. As Deccan Chargers came from behind to steal a 19-run victory over MI, Sharma’s remarkable figures of four wickets for just six runs earned him the Player of the Match award.
