Every year, the Indian Premier League (IPL) crowns a Most Valuable Player (MVP) based on their all-round performances in the tournament. Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson bagged the honour in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2008. Following that several Indians have also featured on the list like Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav. Ahead of IPL 2026, let’s take a look at who all have won the MVP award since the start of the league and what is the criteria to win the award.
Full list of MVP players in IPL history
| Year | Player | Team |
| 2008 | Shane Watson | Rajasthan Royals |
| 2009 | Adam Gilchrist | Deccan Chargers |
| 2010 | Sachin Tendulkar | Mumbai Indians |
| 2011 | Chris Gayle | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| 2012 | Sunil Narine | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| 2013 | Shane Watson | Rajasthan Royals |
| 2014 | Glenn Maxwell | Punjab Kings |
| 2015 | Andre Russell | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| 2016 | Virat Kohli | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| 2017 | Ben Stokes | Rising Pune Supergiant |
| 2018 | Sunil Narine | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| 2019 | Andre Russell | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| 2020 | Jofra Archer | Rajasthan Royals |
| 2021 | Harshal Patel | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| 2022 | Jos Buttler | Rajasthan Royals |
| 2023 | Shubman Gill | Gujarat Titans |
| 2024 | Sunil Narine | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| 2025 | Surya Kumar Yadav | Mumbai Indians |
How is a MVP selected in an IPL season?
As per the rules, players are awarded points for their contributions with the bat, ball and in the field based on every match. For every four and six hit, a player earns 2.5 points and 3.5 points each. For every wicket taken and dot ball bowled, a player gets 3.5 points and 1 point respectively. 2.5 points are awarded to a player for every stumping inflicted and catches taken in a game. The player with the highest points at the end of the season is awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
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