Updated October 2026 | All stats are as of the end of IPL 2026 (final played 31 May 2026).
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of Rajasthan Royals won the IPL 2026 Most Valuable Player award with 436.5 points, at 15 the youngest winner in the award’s history. Sunil Narine has won it the most times: three, as Player of the Tournament in 2012 and as MVP in 2018 and 2024, when he set the points record of 450. This page lists every winner since 2008, explains how the points system works, and uses our own recalculation of every season to show the closest races and the biggest winning margins.
IPL Most Valuable Player Award: What the Award Is and How It Is Decided
From 2008 to 2012 the IPL named a ‘Player of the Tournament’ (also called Man of the Tournament), chosen by a panel. In 2013 the award was renamed Most Valuable Player and became a points race, calculated across the whole season, playoffs included. The published points system is:
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Four hit | 2.5 |
| Six hit | 3.5 |
| Wicket taken | 3.5 |
| Dot ball bowled | 1 |
| Catch taken | 2.5 |
| Stumping | 2.5 |
| Run-out | 1 to 2.5 (reports differ) |
Runs themselves earn nothing: only boundaries. That is the most important thing to understand about the award. A batter who scores many runs in ones and twos gains little, while a bowler who sends down plenty of dot balls collects a point for each. This is why bowlers and all-rounders win far more often than they win the Orange Cap, and why the MVP and the season’s leading run scorer are often different players: Suryakumar Yadav won in 2025 even though Sai Sudharsan scored more runs.
Complete Winners List, Season by Season
| Season | Player | Team | Points | Season figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Shane Watson | Rajasthan Royals | Panel award | 472 runs, SR 151.77; 17 wkts, econ 7.07 |
| 2009 | Adam Gilchrist | Deccan Chargers | Panel award | 495 runs, SR 152.31 |
| 2010 | Sachin Tendulkar | Mumbai Indians | Panel award | 618 runs, SR 132.62 |
| 2011 | Chris Gayle | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Panel award | 608 runs, SR 183.13; 8 wkts, econ 6.78 |
| 2012 | Sunil Narine | Kolkata Knight Riders | Panel award | 24 wkts, econ 5.48 |
| 2013 | Shane Watson | Rajasthan Royals | 386 | 543 runs, SR 142.89; 13 wkts, econ 7.15 |
| 2014 | Glenn Maxwell | Kings XI Punjab | 286 | 552 runs, SR 187.76 |
| 2015 | Andre Russell | Kolkata Knight Riders | 312 | 326 runs, SR 192.90; 14 wkts, econ 7.97 |
| 2016 | Virat Kohli | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 356.5 | 973 runs, SR 152.03 |
| 2017 | Ben Stokes | Rising Pune Supergiant | 279 | 316 runs, SR 142.99; 12 wkts, econ 7.18 |
| 2018 | Sunil Narine | Kolkata Knight Riders | 379.5 | 357 runs, SR 189.89; 17 wkts, econ 7.66 |
| 2019 | Andre Russell | Kolkata Knight Riders | 369 | 510 runs, SR 204.82; 11 wkts, econ 9.51 |
| 2020 | Jofra Archer | Rajasthan Royals | 307 | 113 runs, SR 179.37; 20 wkts, econ 6.56 |
| 2021 | Harshal Patel | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 264.5 | 32 wkts, econ 8.15 |
| 2022 | Jos Buttler | Rajasthan Royals | 387 | 863 runs, SR 149.05 |
| 2023 | Shubman Gill | Gujarat Titans | 343 | 890 runs, SR 157.80 |
| 2024 | Sunil Narine | Kolkata Knight Riders | 450 | 488 runs, SR 180.74; 17 wkts, econ 6.69 |
| 2025 | Suryakumar Yadav | Mumbai Indians | 320.5 | 717 runs, SR 167.92 |
| 2026 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | Rajasthan Royals | 436.5 | 776 runs, SR 237.31 |
Points are the official totals announced at the end of each season. 2008-2012 winners were chosen by a panel, so they have no points total. ‘Season figures’ are each winner’s runs and wickets in that IPL season, from our match database.
Every season in brief
- 2008 – Shane Watson: Watson was the all-round heart of Shane Warne’s Rajasthan side that won the first title as rank outsiders.
- 2009 – Adam Gilchrist: Gilchrist captained Deccan Chargers from last place in 2008 to the title in South Africa.
- 2010 – Sachin Tendulkar: Tendulkar won the Orange Cap and led Mumbai to their first final.
- 2011 – Chris Gayle: Gayle joined Bangalore mid-season as a replacement and transformed the team, reaching the final.
- 2012 – Sunil Narine: Narine’s debut season: a mystery spinner whom few batters could read, and Kolkata’s first title.
- 2013 – Shane Watson: The first points-based MVP; Watson combined over 500 runs with 13 wickets.
- 2014 – Glenn Maxwell: Maxwell’s 552 runs at almost 188 per 100 balls carried Kings XI Punjab to their only final of the decade.
- 2015 – Andre Russell: Russell’s first big season for Kolkata: fast runs at the death and 14 wickets.
- 2016 – Virat Kohli: Kohli’s record 973 runs, with four hundreds, took Bangalore to the final.
- 2017 – Ben Stokes: Stokes, the most expensive overseas buy of that auction, helped Rising Pune Supergiant reach the final.
- 2018 – Sunil Narine: Narine opening the batting, scoring at almost 190 per 100 balls as well as bowling his overs.
- 2019 – Andre Russell: Russell hit 52 sixes, the most in the season, at a strike rate above 200.
- 2020 – Jofra Archer: Archer’s pace, 20 wickets and a stack of dot balls in the UAE outweighed every batter’s boundaries.
- 2021 – Harshal Patel: Harshal Patel’s 32 wickets equalled the single-season record.
- 2022 – Jos Buttler: Buttler’s four hundreds and 863 runs took Rajasthan to their first final since 2008.
- 2023 – Shubman Gill: Gill’s 890 runs, the second-highest season total in IPL history, took Gujarat to a second straight final.
- 2024 – Sunil Narine: Narine opened the batting and bowled four overs nearly every game as Kolkata won their third title.
- 2025 – Suryakumar Yadav: Suryakumar Yadav passed 25 runs in every innings of the season and finished on 717.
- 2026 – Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: Sooryavanshi, the Orange Cap winner, set a season record of 72 sixes.
Players Who Have Won It More Than Once
| Player | Wins | Seasons | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunil Narine | 3 | 2012, 2018, 2024 | KKR |
| Shane Watson | 2 | 2008, 2013 | RR |
| Andre Russell | 2 | 2015, 2019 | KKR |
Sunil Narine is the only three-time winner, and every one of his wins came for Kolkata. His 2024 season, when he scored 488 runs as an opener and took 17 wickets, produced the highest points total in the award’s history. Andre Russell (2015 and 2019) and Shane Watson (2008 and 2013) have won it twice. Two Kolkata players, then, account for five of the nineteen awards.
Closest Finishes in Award History
The IPL publishes the winner’s total but not always the full table, so to compare races we recalculated every season from 2013 onwards from ball-by-ball data, using the published points for boundaries, wickets, dot balls, catches and stumpings. Run-outs are left out because the published value varies. Our totals land within a few points of the official ones in most seasons, and in every season but one our recalculation produces the same winner.
| Season | Top of our recalculation | Second | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Shane Watson (386.0) | Chris Gayle (349.0) | 37.0 |
| 2014 | Glenn Maxwell (286.0) | Dwayne Smith (285.5) | 0.5 |
| 2015 | Andre Russell (312.0) | Dwayne Bravo (284.0) | 28.0 |
| 2016 | Virat Kohli (356.5) | David Warner (338.5) | 18.0 |
| 2017 | Sunil Narine (298.0) | David Warner (273.5) | 24.5 |
| 2018 | Sunil Narine (373.5) | Shane Watson (317.0) | 56.5 |
| 2019 | Andre Russell (368.0) | Hardik Pandya (333.0) | 35.0 |
| 2020 | Jofra Archer (301.0) | Kagiso Rabada (291.0) | 10.0 |
| 2021 | Harshal Patel (261.5) | Faf du Plessis (260.5) | 1.0 |
| 2022 | Jos Buttler (387.5) | Andre Russell (278.5) | 109.0 |
| 2023 | Shubman Gill (343.0) | Yashasvi Jaiswal (316.0) | 27.0 |
| 2024 | Sunil Narine (442.0) | Virat Kohli (308.0) | 134.0 |
| 2025 | Suryakumar Yadav (320.5) | Sai Sudharsan (311.0) | 9.5 |
| 2026 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (414.5) | Shubman Gill (330.5) | 84.0 |
The closest race by our count was 2014: Glenn Maxwell finished just 0.5 points ahead of Dwayne Smith. 2021 (Harshal Patel over Faf du Plessis, 1.0 points) and 2025 (Suryakumar Yadav over Sai Sudharsan, 9.5) were almost as tight. In 2021 Harshal Patel’s 32 wickets were enough to edge two Chennai players, Faf du Plessis and Ravindra Jadeja, who finished within a point of each other.
The exception is 2017. Our recalculation puts Sunil Narine ahead of Ben Stokes, but the official award went to Stokes with 279 points. The difference probably comes from how run-outs and some fielding dismissals were scored that season. We show the official winner in the list above.
The Biggest Winning Margins
| Season | Winner | Runner-up (our count) | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Sunil Narine | Virat Kohli | 134.0 |
| 2022 | Jos Buttler | Andre Russell | 109.0 |
| 2026 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | Shubman Gill | 84.0 |
| 2018 | Sunil Narine | Shane Watson | 56.5 |
| 2013 | Shane Watson | Chris Gayle | 37.0 |
The most one-sided race was 2024, when Sunil Narine finished 134.0 points clear. Narine’s 2024 season, combining an opener’s boundaries with a full four-over spell nearly every game, is the template for a runaway MVP win: the system rewards players who contribute in both innings.
MVP versus Orange Cap
| Season | MVP / Player of the Tournament | Leading run scorer |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Shane Watson | Shaun Marsh |
| 2009 | Adam Gilchrist | Matthew Hayden |
| 2010 | Sachin Tendulkar | Sachin Tendulkar |
| 2011 | Chris Gayle | Chris Gayle |
| 2012 | Sunil Narine | Chris Gayle |
| 2013 | Shane Watson | Mike Hussey |
| 2014 | Glenn Maxwell | Robin Uthappa |
| 2015 | Andre Russell | David Warner |
| 2016 | Virat Kohli | Virat Kohli |
| 2017 | Ben Stokes | David Warner |
| 2018 | Sunil Narine | Kane Williamson |
| 2019 | Andre Russell | David Warner |
| 2020 | Jofra Archer | KL Rahul |
| 2021 | Harshal Patel | Ruturaj Gaikwad |
| 2022 | Jos Buttler | Jos Buttler |
| 2023 | Shubman Gill | Shubman Gill |
| 2024 | Sunil Narine | Virat Kohli |
| 2025 | Suryakumar Yadav | Sai Sudharsan |
| 2026 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi |
The MVP and the leading run scorer have been the same player in only 6 of nineteen seasons (2010, 2011, 2016, 2022, 2023, 2026). The points system rewards boundaries and bowling, so an opener who scores heavily mostly in singles, or a batter who does nothing with the ball, can top the run charts without winning the MVP.
How Each Winner Built His Points
| Season | Winner | Fours | Sixes | Wickets | Dot balls | Catches/st | Share from boundaries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Shane Watson | 59 | 22 | 13 | 101 | 6 | 58% |
| 2014 | Glenn Maxwell | 48 | 36 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 86% |
| 2015 | Andre Russell | 35 | 19 | 14 | 94 | 6 | 49% |
| 2016 | Virat Kohli | 83 | 38 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 96% |
| 2017 | Ben Stokes | 22 | 15 | 12 | 108 | 5 | 40% |
| 2018 | Sunil Narine | 40 | 23 | 17 | 131 | 1 | 48% |
| 2019 | Andre Russell | 31 | 52 | 11 | 60 | 4 | 71% |
| 2020 | Jofra Archer | 5 | 10 | 20 | 171 | 5 | 16% |
| 2021 | Harshal Patel | 6 | 2 | 32 | 120 | 3 | 8% |
| 2022 | Jos Buttler | 83 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 94% |
| 2023 | Shubman Gill | 85 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 96% |
| 2024 | Sunil Narine | 50 | 33 | 17 | 122 | 8 | 54% |
| 2025 | Suryakumar Yadav | 69 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 95% |
| 2026 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | 63 | 72 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 99% |
This breakdown, from our ball-by-ball recalculation, shows two ways to win the award. Batters such as Kohli (2016), Buttler (2022), Gill (2023) and Sooryavanshi (2026) earned nearly all their points from fours and sixes. All-rounders and bowlers such as Narine, Archer and Harshal Patel built theirs from wickets and, above all, dot balls: a bowler who sends down 150 dots in a season starts with 150 points before he has taken a wicket. Narine’s 2024 total is the only one in the table to combine both routes at an elite level.
Does the MVP win the title?
Less often than you might think. The MVP or Player of the Tournament has played for the champion team in 4 of nineteen seasons (2008, 2009, 2012, 2024), and for the beaten finalist in 7 more (2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023). In the other seasons the award went to a player whose team went out earlier, sometimes in the league stage. Individual brilliance and a title rarely arrive together, because the points race rewards volume across fourteen or more matches, while titles are decided in two or three knockout games.
Which Franchise Has Produced the Most Winners
| Franchise | Winners | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Rajasthan Royals | 5 | 2008, 2013, 2020, 2022, 2026 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 5 | 2012, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2024 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 3 | 2011, 2016, 2021 |
| Mumbai Indians | 2 | 2010, 2025 |
| Deccan Chargers | 1 | 2009 |
| Punjab Kings | 1 | 2014 |
| Rising Pune Supergiant | 1 | 2017 |
| Gujarat Titans | 1 | 2023 |
Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals have produced the most winners. Kolkata’s five all come from two players, Narine and Russell, which says as much about the franchise’s loyalty to its all-rounders as about the players themselves. Rajasthan’s five are spread across Watson, Archer, Buttler and Sooryavanshi. Chennai Super Kings, despite five titles, have never had an MVP or Player of the Tournament winner, a reflection of a team built on collective strength rather than one dominant individual.
Who Is Most Likely to Win It Next
| Player (2026 team) | Our 2026 points | Sixes | Fours | Wickets | Dots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (RR) | 414.5 | 72 | 63 | 0 | 0 |
| Shubman Gill (GT) | 330.5 | 33 | 74 | 0 | 0 |
| Abhishek Sharma (SRH) | 306.5 | 43 | 50 | 0 | 6 |
| Kagiso Rabada (GT) | 305.5 | 2 | 5 | 29 | 167 |
| Sai Sudharsan (GT) | 302.5 | 30 | 75 | 0 | 0 |
| Virat Kohli (RCB) | 292.5 | 25 | 73 | 0 | 0 |
| Jofra Archer (RR) | 285.5 | 4 | 4 | 25 | 154 |
| Ishan Kishan (SRH) | 284.5 | 32 | 60 | 0 | 0 |
Sooryavanshi, still a teenager, starts as the favourite to defend the award: 72 sixes in a season is worth 252 points on its own. Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma were his closest challengers in 2026 by our count. Historically, though, the award has rewarded all-rounders, and a player such as Narine, Hardik Pandya or a new spin-bowling all-rounder who bats in the top order can overtake a pure batter quickly. The safest prediction is that the winner will be an opener who hits a lot of sixes, or a bowler who also bats.
For the season’s leading run scorers and wicket takers, see IPL Orange Cap winners and IPL Purple Cap winners. The six-hitting records are on most sixes in IPL history.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has won the most IPL Most Valuable Player awards?
Sunil Narine, with three: Player of the Tournament in 2012 and Most Valuable Player in 2018 and 2024, all for Kolkata Knight Riders. Andre Russell and Shane Watson have won twice.
Who won the IPL Most Valuable Player award in 2026?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of Rajasthan Royals won the 2026 MVP award with 436.5 points. He also won the Orange Cap (776 runs) and hit a record 72 sixes.