IPL's First Matches Throughout History

Sakshi Sharma

IPL 2025 (Source:@CricCrazyJohns/x.com)IPL 2025 (Source:@CricCrazyJohns/x.com)

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The much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 schedule has been officially released, with the 18th edition of the tournament set to commence on March 22. The opening match will be played between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. This marks the first time since the inaugural IPL season in 2008 that these two franchises will meet in the season opener.  

IPL 2025 will feature a total of 74 matches, including 70 league games and four playoff matches. The IPL 2025 playoffs will take place at two venues: Qualifier 1 and Eliminator will be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.Qualifier 2 and the Grand Finale will be hosted at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on May 25, 2025.  

With the schedule now officially released, the countdown to IPL 2025 has begun. One of the Key highlights of IPL 2025 is that the defending champions, KKR, will begin their campaign at home against RCB. It is worth mentioning that the first match of any season is very crucial, so in this article, let's take a look at the first matches of IPL over the years. 

IPL's First Matches Over The Years

Teams
Venue
Date
Year
Team Won
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Kolkata Knight Riders
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
 April 18 2008KKR won by 140 runs
Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai IndiansNewlands, Cape Town
April 182009MI won by 19 runs
Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knight Riders Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai March 122010
KKR won by 11 runs
Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight RidersMA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai April 82011CSK won by 2 runs
Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai IndiansMA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai April 42012MI won by 8 wkts
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi DaredevilsEden Gardens, Kolkata
April 32013KKR won by 6 wkts
Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight RidersSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi April 162014KKR won by 41 runs
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai IndiansEden Gardens
April 82015KKR won by 7 wkts
Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune SupergiantsWankhede Stadium, Mumbai April 92016RPS won by 9 wkts
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad April 52017SRH won by 35 runs
Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super KingsWankhede Stadium, Mumbai April 7
2018CSK won by 1 wkts
Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai March 232019CSK won by won by 7 wkts
Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super KingsSheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi September 192020CSK won by 5 wkts
Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers BengaluruMA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai April 92021RCB won by 2 wkts
Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight RidersWankhede Stadium, Mumbai March 26
2022KKR won by won by 6 wkts
Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad March 312023GT won by 5 wkts
Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers BengaluruMA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai March 222024CSK won by 6 wkts

IPL's First Matches: FAQ's 

Q.1 Which Was The First Match Of IPL History?

Answer: The first match in the IPL history was played on 18th April 2008 between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. 

Q.2 Who Played The First Ball Of IPL?

Answer: Praveen Kumar bowled the first ball of the IPL in 2008 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The batsman who faced the first delivery was Sourav Ganguly. 

Q.3 Who Won Most IPL?

Answer: Mumbai Indians (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020) and Chennai Super Kings (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023) both are the most successful IPL team, having won the IPL tournament five times.

Q.4 Who Won The 1st IPL?

Answer: IPL was started in 2008, the first match was played between KKR and RCB at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. However, the inaugural IPL season was won by Rajasthan Royals.