Indian Premier League is one of the toughest leagues in the world, and every season, it rises to new levels. There is no guarantee of results in IPL, even if a team has big names or international stars, and this season was a classic example of that. With some of the biggest names in the world, like Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah, Mumbai Indians failed miserably and ended up at the bottom of the table.
Not just this season, IPL has a reputation for punishing teams that fail to do their homework. Let’s look at teams that had a miserable season and went home with the most losses in a season. Here’s the list of 5 teams with the most losses in an IPL season in the last 10 years.
Mumbai Indians (2024)- 10 Losses 
Mumbai Indians have the most IPL titles in history and are always predicted to finish in the top four. The team, however, has experienced a steep downhill post-2020 winning campaign. They have qualified for playoffs only once since 2020. Mumbai had arguably the best squad in this season’s IPL, with Hardik Pandya coming from trade and Jasprit Bumrah returning from injury. There was a lot of expectation this season would be Mumbai India’s return to glory, but in the end, it proved to be their worst season ever.
Mumbai not only had poor performance on the field, but reports of rifts within the Mumbai camp also made a big difference in results. This season they lost a record 10 games, the same number they lost in 2022 as well. Mumbai’s batting did not show up to mark throughout the season. Also, Bumrah was the only bowler to shine, as other bowlers got smacked everywhere.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (2021)- 11 losses
A team that has won the IPL trophy and is usually a playoff contender are Sunrises Hyderabad. They played in playoffs all the time between 2016 and 2020, they were at their peak. While they had big guns like David Warner, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kane Williamson, and Jonny Bairstow, they had a horrible season in 2021 during their dream period.
As a result of COVID rescheduling IPL 2020 in Dubai, the IPL returned to India in 2021 with selected cities hosting matches. Sunrisers Hyderabad had a good 2020 season with a journey that took them to qualifiers two where Delhi Capitals defeated them. They arrived in 2021 with high expectations, but their worst season awaited them.
As a matter of fact, Hyderabad lost 11 matches during that entire season, the same season where David Warner and the SRH owners were at odds. Though the 2021 season was split into two parts, Hyderabad were completely annihilated by the opposition.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (2017 season)- 11 losses
Royal Challengers Bangalore had a heroic 2016 season where they missed the trophy by a whisker after losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad. When RCB arrived for the 2017 season, they had the same expectations, but it turned out to be the worst season of their lives. While Virat Kohli was missed in the initial games, the story remained the same even after he returned.
The old bowling woes haunted them again, and even after purchasing Tymal Mills, they still failed miserably. That season, only three wins were recorded by Royal Challengers Bengalore, with two coming against Delhi Daredevils and one coming against Gujarat Lions, who finished second lowest. During that year, Kolkata Knight Riders also humiliated them by being bundled out for 49 runs and getting smashed for 100 runs in the powerplay.
Kings XI Punjab (2015)- 11 losses
In 2014, Kings XI Punjab emerged as one of the strongest units of IPL after the auction. During the 2014 season, they exhibited their firepower with Miller and Maxwell going bonkers. The team played the final that season, and everyone was expecting the same in 2015. That season, however, the tables turned quickly for George Bailey and his men.
Their 2014 season was phenomenal, but their 2015 season was forgettable. Punjab won the tournament only three times with eleven embarrassing defeats to their record. Their big stars, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Johnson, George Bailey, and Virender Sehwag all failed miserably that season. Since 2014, Punjab hasn’t tasted the playoffs and it all began with the nightmare 2015 season.
Delhi Daredevils (2014)- 12 losses
In 2014, Delhi Daredevils let go big names like Virender Sehwag, David Warner, and Andre Russell in auction that sparked huge debates. They chose a whole new contingent led by Kevin Pietersen. Despite starting something new, they ended up having one of the worst seasons in the history of the IPL.
That season, Delhi Daredevils only won two games out of 14 games. They looked all over the place and despite having names like Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav and Murali Vijay, their campaign stunned everyone. Interestingly, both wins came in the Dubai leg only, and after coming to India, they failed to win even one game. Delhi’s 2014 season is now the worst in IPL history for any franchise.
