IPL is one of the most popular cricket tournaments in the world. Each season, millions of fans tune in to watch the 8 teams from 8 different cities compete to be crowned as champions.
An interesting fact about this league is that even though it was founded in 2008 and it is relatively new, this is the most-attended cricket league in the world and it also ranks as the 6th most attended among all sports leagues.
While guessing the winner of this tournament is fun and challenging, we decided to give you an insight into the most coveted prize of the IPL – Player of the Series award. There are many candidates this year and all of them have the potential to win it, but we decided to give you our top 3 picks.
Since betting on the player that can win this award is possible, as well as betting on the team that can win the IPL, we are also going to share a few words about betting on the IPL. Let’s begin.
Andre Russell
The Kolkata Knight Riders missed the play-offs on net run rate, but Andre Russell was shining. His strike rate was 204, batted 13 times and scored 510 runs, and had an average of 56.66. These numbers state that he is a serious competitor to win the Player of the Series award.
He is considered as one of the greatest T20 players to ever play the game. With over 300 Twenty20 matches, Andre Russel has the experience and will to rock the season and get his hands on this prestigious award.
Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler has the potential to cause mayhem, even though his team is not the strongest in the league. He is an English player that has enjoyed a prolific cricket record since a young age.
Jos plays for the Rajasthan Royals. Since English players are allowed to be at the IPL as long as their teams are still in it, Buttler will have a few games to showcase his talents. Recently, Jos praised Rohit Sharma and stated that he is a player to watch out for as well.
Hardik Pandya
The last player to be featured on our list is Hardik Pandya from the Mumbai Indians. Hardik topped his team averages and chipped in with 12 valuable wickets. He is a good candidate to win the Player of the Series and the Mumbai Indians are also among the favourites to win the IPL.
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IPL Player of the Season: Every Winner
The award now known as the Most Valuable Player, and often called player of the season or player of the series, has been given every year since the league began. Here is the full list.
| Season | 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 | Kings XI Punjab |
| 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 | Suryakumar Yadav | Mumbai Indians |
| 2026 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | Rajasthan Royals |
Sunil Narine has won it three times, in 2012, 2018 and 2024, all with Kolkata Knight Riders. Shane Watson and Andre Russell have each won it twice.
The most recent winner is Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who took the 2026 award for Rajasthan Royals in a season where he also won the Orange Cap and hit a world-record 72 sixes. For the champions of each season, see our IPL winners list.
IPL Player of the Season: Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who has won the IPL Most Valuable Player award the most times?
Sunil Narine, three times — in 2012, 2018 and 2024, all with Kolkata Knight Riders. Shane Watson and Andre Russell have each won it twice.
2. Who won the IPL player of the season award in 2026?
Vaibhav Suryavanshi of Rajasthan Royals. He also finished the season with the Orange Cap and set a world record with 72 sixes in the tournament.
3. Is the IPL player of the series the same as the Most Valuable Player?
Yes. The award has been referred to as player of the series, player of the season and Most Valuable Player at different times, but it recognises the same thing: the tournament’s outstanding individual performer.
4. Who won the first IPL player of the season award?
Shane Watson of Rajasthan Royals, in the inaugural 2008 season, which Rajasthan also won.
5. Has a player from the winning team always taken the award?
No. It often goes to a player whose team did not win the title — Jos Buttler took it in 2022 when Rajasthan Royals lost the final, and Shubman Gill won it in 2023 when Gujarat Titans were beaten in the final.
