A revolution was started in cricket when the BCCI kickstarted the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008. It became a massive hit instantly after the former Kiwi skipper Brendon McCullum played a whirlwind knock of 158 runs in the inaugural game of the league between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The very first season began with 8 teams but a total of 15 teams have been a part of the cash-rich league since its inception. In the 2022 edition, the IPL working committee approved two new teams in the competition and it has now turned into a 10-team tournament. Mumbai Indians have been the most successful team since its inception with five championships.
Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings are the 2nd-most successful side in the mega league with four IPL championships against their name. Meanwhile, there have also been a few teams that are yet to win their maiden championship despite being a part of all 14 seasons. The Likes of Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, and Royal Challengers Bangalore have never won the coveted IPL trophy.
Hence, the question arises which team has been the worst in the history of the championship? Hence, in this post, we will try to decode which team has been the worst in IPL history. We will try to measure it down with the win percentage of all sides in the competition.
5 – Rajasthan Royals (Win Percentage: 50%)
The champions of the inaugural season had a wonderful season in the Indian Premier League 2022. Rajasthan Royals came agonizingly close to the championship in 2022 as they lost the final to the eventual champions Gujarat Titans.
The Jaipur-based franchise also served a ban of two years in the 2016 and 2017 editions. In 12 years, Rajasthan Royals have played a total of 192 matches. Out of those matches, the Royals have won 96 matches, lost 93, and three games have finished with no result.
Rajasthan Royals have the fifth-worst winning rate in the Indian Premier League as they have a win rate of 50%. The franchise has a strong squad at their disposal and they will look to improve their winning rate in the IPL 2023.
4 – Sunrisers Hyderabad (Win Percentage: 49.34%)
The Hyderabad-based franchise was incepted in 2012 after Deccan Chargers were scraped out of the competition. Since then the Orange Army has emerged as one of the better sides in the competition and won the championship in the 2016 edition.
However, the Sunrisers haven’t been as consistent as they would have liked and it has not reflected well on their winning ratio. SRH have played 152 matches in the IPL and won 75 of those. Meanwhile, the franchise has lost 77 matches and carries a win percentage of 49.34.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have the fourth-worst win percentage of all teams in the mega league. The Orange Army will be eager to make amendments to it in the upcoming season.
3 – Royal Challengers Bangalore (Win Percentage: 48.01%)
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are arguably the most popular team in the Indian Premier League. Over the years, they have assembled the most star-studded squads with an ambition to lift their maiden IPL trophy. However, RCB are yet to clinch their maiden IPL title despite reaching the final three times.
Tagged as the chokers of the IPL, the Royal Challengers reached the playoffs in IPL 2022 but failed to get past the qualifiers. They have the 3rd-worst win percentage in the history of the league as Royal Challengers Bangalore have won only 109 matches out of 227 they have played.
RCB have a win percentage of 48.01 as the team has lost 114 matches and their four games have finished without a result. The Bangalore-based franchise has made some changes in their recruitment policy and they are slowly bringing some consistency to their game.
2 – Punjab Kings (Win Percentage: 46.33%)
Formerly known as Kings XI Punjab, Punjab Kings are arguably the most underachieving side in the Indian Premier League. The Mohali-based franchise has never won a championship and has reached the final only once.
Furthermore, Punjab Kings are the team with the least appearances in the playoffs. However, when we talk about the winning percentage, Punjab Kings have the 2nd-worst win percentage in the history of the IPL at 46.33.
Punjab Kings have played 218 matches across 14 editions of the mega league. They have won 101 matches and lost 117 out of those games. They were at their inconsistent best in the IPL 2022 as well and will look to make amendments in the next season.
1 – Delhi Capitals (Win Percentage: 45.98%)
Formerly known as Delhi Daredevils, Delhi Capitals are also one of those sides who have featured in all editions of the IPL but haven’t won the league. In 2018, JSW acquired a 50% stake in the franchise and some changes were made in their recruitment policy.
Delhi Capitals have been doing well since then and they have been qualifying for the playoffs consistently. However, if you look at the overall picture, the Delhi-based franchise has the worst win percentage out of all teams at 45.98%.
Delhi Capitals have played a total of 224 matches in the Indian Premier League and they have won 103, lost 119, and two of their fixtures have ended up with no result. Delhi Capitals have shown improvement in the last few seasons and they will look to remove the tag of the worst team in the IPL by notching up a few wins in the IPL 2023.
Worst Team in the IPL
| Team | Matches | Wins | Losses | NR | Win% |
| Delhi Capitals | 224 | 103 | 119 | 2 | 45.98% |
| Punjab Kings | 218 | 101 | 117 | 0 | 46.33% |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 227 | 109 | 114 | 4 | 48.01% |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 152 | 75 | 77 | 0 | 49.34% |
| Rajasthan Royals | 192 | 96 | 93 | 3 | 50.00% |
Note: All numbers are updated till the end of the IPL 2022.
