Cricket

List of IPL Champions Who Retained the Title Next Year

A list of IPL champions who successfully defended their title the following year, making them back-to-back champions in the history of the tournament.

3 itemsUpdated Mar 23, 2026

Retaining the IPL title is one of the hardest achievements in franchise cricket. Out of 18 seasons, only two teams have successfully defended their IPL crown. Chennai Super Kings were the first, winning in 2010 and retaining the trophy in 2011 with an even more dominant performance — a 58-run final win over RCB. Mumbai Indians replicated this feat in 2019 and 2020, though their back-to-back came under vastly different circumstances — the 2020 edition was held in the UAE due to COVID-19. Several strong teams like KKR (2012–2013), GT (2022–2023), and KKR again (2024–2025) attempted to retain but failed. The challenge of squad retention, auction rules, and player fatigue makes back-to-back IPL titles an elite achievement.

#	Name	Record	Captain	Seasons	Title 1 final
1	Chennai Super Kings — Retained Title in 2011 Won: 2010 & 2011 \| First Back-to-Back Champions After winning their maiden IPL title in 2010 by 22 runs over Mumbai Indians, CSK returned in 2011 to become the first back-to-back champions, demolishing RCB by 58 runs — the biggest winning margin in any IPL final. MS Dhoni became the first captain to defend an IPL title.	First team in IPL history to retain the title	MS Dhoni	2010 and 2011	vs Mumbai Indians — won by 22 runs
2	Mumbai Indians — Retained Title in 2020 Won: 2019 & 2020 \| Second Back-to-Back Champions Mumbai Indians became the second team to win consecutive IPL titles, defending their 2019 title in the UAE-hosted 2020 edition. Their 2019 win was a 1-run thriller over CSK; the 2020 win was more comfortable — 5 wickets over Delhi Capitals. Rohit Sharma is the only captain to achieve back-to-back IPL title defences.	Second team to retain IPL title; 2020 edition played in U...	Rohit Sharma	2019 and 2020	vs Chennai Super Kings — won by 1 run
3	Teams That Failed to Retain the IPL Title 16 Seasons — 16 Failed Title Defences (Excluding CSK 2011 & MI 2020) Every other IPL champion has failed to retain the title the following season. KKR (won 2012, lost 2013 semis), Gujarat Titans (won 2022, lost 2023 final to CSK), KKR (won 2024, failed 2025), and RCB (defending champions entering IPL 2026) have all tried and failed or are in the process of defending.	—	—	All other IPL seasons	—

This list is compiled from verified public records and reference sources. Last verified: March 23, 2026.

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