The IPL 2024 season began on March 22 with Chennai Super Kings facing Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Chennai and ended more than two months later with Kolkata Knight Riders lifting their third Indian Premier League trophy.
What started as another season filled with predictions quickly became one of the IPL’s most memorable years.
There were extraordinary batting totals, dramatic playoff races, record-breaking run chases, leadership changes and individual performances from players such as Virat Kohli, Sunil Narine, Harshal Patel, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma.
Kolkata Knight Riders ultimately emerged as champions after producing one of the most dominant final performances in IPL history.
Here is the complete IPL 2024 recap.
When Did IPL 2024 Start?
The 17th season of the Indian Premier League began on March 22, 2024.
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings hosted Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
The BCCI initially announced only the first 21 matches because the full schedule had to be coordinated around India’s 2024 Lok Sabha election. The remainder of the schedule was announced on March 25.
The official opening schedule can be viewed on the IPL website.
CSK Beat RCB in the Season Opener
The opening match produced a strong start for Chennai.
RCB scored 173/6, helped by Anuj Rawat and Dinesh Karthik after an earlier collapse.
Mustafizur Rahman was the standout bowler for CSK with 4/29.
Chennai then reached 176/4 in 18.4 overs, winning by six wickets. Rachin Ravindra made a rapid 37 from 15 balls on his IPL debut.
The match was also significant because it was Ruturaj Gaikwad’s first IPL game as CSK captain after MS Dhoni handed over the leadership.
For the complete match analysis, read our CSK vs RCB IPL 2024 opener report.
One Correction to the Original Article: There Was No “Mega Auction”
The original Buzz Content Corner article said that IPL 2024 followed a “mega auction.”
That is incorrect.
The official IPL described the December 19, 2023 event in Dubai simply as the IPL 2024 Player Auction.
The auction list included:
- 333 players
- 214 Indian players
- 119 overseas players
- 77 available squad slots
- up to 30 overseas slots
A true IPL mega auction involves franchises rebuilding much larger portions of their squads under different retention rules.
So this should be described as the 2024 player auction, not a mega auction.
Major Leadership Changes Added Extra Drama
IPL 2024 began with several important captaincy changes.
Ruturaj Gaikwad – Chennai Super Kings
Gaikwad replaced MS Dhoni as captain just before the season opener.
Hardik Pandya – Mumbai Indians
Hardik returned to Mumbai Indians after captaining Gujarat Titans and took over leadership from Rohit Sharma.
Shubman Gill – Gujarat Titans
Gill became Gujarat Titans captain following Hardik’s departure.
The Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians opening-week match therefore immediately attracted attention because it brought Hardik back against his former franchise while Gill began his own captaincy era.
Gujarat won that match by six runs.
Read our detailed GT vs MI IPL 2024 match report.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Transform IPL Batting Records
One of the defining stories of IPL 2024 was the aggressive batting approach of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Their top order included:
- Travis Head
- Abhishek Sharma
- Heinrich Klaasen
and the team repeatedly attacked from the first over.
SRH Score 277 Against Mumbai Indians
On March 27, Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 277/3 against Mumbai Indians.
At the time, it was the highest team total in IPL history, breaking Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s long-standing 263/5 record from 2013.
That record lasted less than three weeks.
SRH Smash 287/3 Against RCB
On April 15, SRH scored an astonishing:
287/3
against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
That broke their own record and became the highest total in IPL history at the time.
Travis Head led the assault with a century as Hyderabad demonstrated how dramatically T20 batting strategy had evolved.
The innings became one of the defining performances of IPL 2024.
SRH Also Set a Powerplay Record
Against Delhi Capitals later in April, Hyderabad scored 125 runs in the Powerplay, another extraordinary IPL benchmark.
They eventually finished with 266 and won by 67 runs.
The season therefore established SRH as one of the most aggressive batting teams in IPL history.
Rajasthan Royals Produce a Historic Chase
Another remarkable game came at Eden Gardens between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals.
KKR scored 223, driven by Sunil Narine’s maiden IPL century.
Narine made 109.
For most teams, that would have been enough.
But Jos Buttler produced an extraordinary chase.
Rajasthan reached the target despite being 128/6 after 14 overs.
Buttler stayed until the end and completed a century as Rajasthan equalled the record for the highest successful chase in IPL history at that point — 224.
The match featured two outstanding individual performances in the same game:
Sunil Narine – 109
Jos Buttler – match-winning century
and became one of IPL 2024’s finest contests.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Make a Stunning Comeback
RCB’s season looked almost over during the first half.
They lost seven of their opening eight matches and appeared destined to finish near the bottom.
Then the season changed dramatically.
Bengaluru won six consecutive league matches, completing an extraordinary recovery to reach the playoffs.
Their final league game against Chennai Super Kings became effectively a playoff qualification contest.
RCB won by 27 runs and secured fourth place ahead of Chennai based on net run rate.
The final league table showed RCB and CSK both on 14 points, with Bengaluru advancing because of their superior NRR.
IPL 2024 Final League Standings
| Position | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 20 |
| 2 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 17 |
| 3 | Rajasthan Royals | 17 |
| 4 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 14 |
| 5 | Chennai Super Kings | 14 |
| 6 | Delhi Capitals | 14 |
| 7 | Lucknow Super Giants | 14 |
| 8 | Gujarat Titans | 12 |
| 9 | Punjab Kings | 10 |
| 10 | Mumbai Indians | 8 |
KKR finished first with nine wins, three defeats and two no-results.
IPL 2024 Playoffs
The four playoff teams were:
Kolkata Knight Riders
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Rajasthan Royals
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Qualifier 1: KKR Beat SRH
KKR defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in Qualifier 1.
SRH were restricted to 159 before Kolkata comfortably completed the chase and advanced directly to the final.
Eliminator: Rajasthan End RCB’s Comeback
RCB’s remarkable recovery ended in the Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals.
Rajasthan advanced to Qualifier 2, while Bengaluru’s title wait continued.
Qualifier 2: SRH Beat Rajasthan
Sunrisers Hyderabad recovered from their Qualifier 1 defeat and eliminated Rajasthan to earn another opportunity against KKR in the final.
That set up:
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
at Chennai.
KKR Dominate the IPL 2024 Final
The final took place at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on May 26, 2024.
Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and chose to bat.
KKR’s bowlers immediately took control.
Mitchell Starc removed Abhishek Sharma early and Kolkata never allowed Hyderabad’s explosive batting lineup to recover.
SRH were bowled out for only:
113
KKR then chased the target in just:
10.3 overs
finishing on 114/2 and winning by eight wickets.
The victory gave Kolkata Knight Riders their third IPL championship.
KKR IPL Titles
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Champions |
| 2014 | Champions |
| 2024 | Champions |
The 2024 title arrived exactly ten years after their previous championship.
The fact that KKR won their first and third titles at Chennai added another historical connection to the victory.
Read the official IPL 2024 Final match report.
Sunil Narine: IPL 2024 Most Valuable Player
Few players influenced the season as much as Sunil Narine.
Kolkata moved him back to the top of the batting order, where he transformed into one of the league’s most destructive openers.
He finished IPL 2024 with:
488 runs
and
17 wickets
while playing a central role in KKR’s championship campaign.
Narine was named the Most Valuable Player of IPL 2024. The official IPL website also recognizes him as the season MVP.
His season demonstrated why all-round contributions can be so valuable in T20 cricket.
Virat Kohli Wins the Orange Cap
Virat Kohli finished IPL 2024 as the tournament’s leading run-scorer.
He made:
741 runs from 15 matches
to win the Orange Cap.
The top run-scorers were:
| Rank | Batter | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli | 741 |
| 2 | Ruturaj Gaikwad | 583 |
| 3 | Riyan Parag | 573 |
| 4 | Travis Head | 567 |
| 5 | Sanju Samson | 531 |
Kohli’s season also included a century and several important innings during RCB’s late playoff push.
It was his second IPL Orange Cap after previously winning it during his historic 2016 season.
Harshal Patel Wins the Purple Cap
Punjab Kings did not qualify for the playoffs, but Harshal Patel finished as IPL 2024’s leading wicket-taker.
He took:
24 wickets
and secured the Purple Cap.
The leading wicket-takers were:
| Rank | Bowler | Wickets |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harshal Patel | 24 |
| 2 | Varun Chakaravarthy | 21 |
| 3 | Jasprit Bumrah | 20 |
This is also why older articles saying Yuzvendra Chahal “won the 2024 Purple Cap” need correction.
Chahal led the standings earlier in the season but eventually finished with 18 wickets.
Read our updated Yuzvendra Chahal IPL 2024 analysis.
Major IPL 2024 Awards
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Champions | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| Orange Cap | Virat Kohli – 741 runs |
| Purple Cap | Harshal Patel – 24 wickets |
| Most Valuable Player | Sunil Narine |
| Emerging Player | Nitish Kumar Reddy |
| Electric Striker | Jake Fraser-McGurk |
| Catch of the Season | Ramandeep Singh |
| Fair Play Award | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
Technology Also Changed IPL 2024
IPL 2024 was significant not only because of batting records.
The league introduced the Smart Replay System.
The technology allowed the TV umpire to work more directly with Hawk-Eye operators and access synchronized high-speed camera footage.
That helped speed up decisions involving:
- catches;
- run-outs;
- stumpings;
- boundaries;
- other close incidents.
Smart Replay became another stage in the evolution of IPL officiating after DRS was introduced in 2018 and reviews for wides and no-balls were added in 2023.
For a full explanation, read our IPL DRS and Smart Replay guide.
What Made IPL 2024 Memorable?
Several themes defined the season.
Record-breaking batting
SRH changed expectations about what constituted a large T20 score.
KKR’s balance
Kolkata combined explosive batting with one of the tournament’s strongest bowling attacks.
RCB’s recovery
Going from one win in eight games to six consecutive victories and a playoff place was one of the season’s biggest turnarounds.
Narine’s reinvention
Sunil Narine’s return to opening the batting became one of the year’s most successful tactical decisions.
Emerging Indian talent
Players such as Nitish Kumar Reddy, Riyan Parag and others used IPL 2024 to strengthen their reputations.
Leadership changes
Gaikwad, Gill and Hardik Pandya entered the season carrying major captaincy storylines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won IPL 2024?
Kolkata Knight Riders won IPL 2024, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in the final.
Who won the Orange Cap in IPL 2024?
Virat Kohli won the Orange Cap with 741 runs.
Who won the Purple Cap?
Harshal Patel won it with 24 wickets for Punjab Kings.
Who was IPL 2024 MVP?
Sunil Narine of Kolkata Knight Riders was named the season’s Most Valuable Player.
Who finished top of the IPL 2024 points table?
Kolkata Knight Riders finished first with 20 points from 14 matches.
What was the highest team score in IPL 2024?
Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 287/3 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Who were the IPL 2024 playoff teams?
KKR, SRH, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru reached the playoffs.
Was there a mega auction before IPL 2024?
No. The December 2023 event was the IPL 2024 Player Auction, not a mega auction. The official auction list contained 333 players competing for up to 77 slots.
Final Takeaway
The original version of this article asked:
Who will lift the IPL 2024 trophy?
We now know the answer.
Kolkata Knight Riders.
KKR finished top of the league table and then dominated Sunrisers Hyderabad twice in the playoffs — first in Qualifier 1 and then in an eight-wicket final victory.
Sunil Narine was the season’s MVP after an extraordinary all-round campaign.
Virat Kohli finished with 741 runs to win the Orange Cap.
Harshal Patel took 24 wickets to claim the Purple Cap.
Sunrisers Hyderabad changed expectations around T20 scoring with a record 287/3, while RCB produced one of the most dramatic late-season playoff recoveries.
So rather than leaving this page frozen three days before the tournament began, the stronger version is a complete IPL 2024 recap documenting how those predictions actually played out.
For more cricket coverage, visit the Buzz Content Corner Sports section.
Also read:
CSK vs RCB IPL 2024: Mustafizur Powers Chennai to Victory
GT vs MI IPL 2024: Gujarat Titans Win by 6 Runs
Yuzvendra Chahal IPL 2024: Purple Cap Story and 200-Wicket Record