3 teams that lost their first 5 IPL games in a season
The Delhi Capitals, led by the experienced David Warner, have had a horrendous start to the 16th edition of the IPL as they have lost each of their first five games. Their campaign started with a huge loss against the Lucknow Supergiants following which they went down against the Gujarat Titans, Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Considering that the IPL is now contested amongst 10 teams, the Capitals already find themselves in a must-win situation. They need to get their act together immediately to get their campaign back on track.
However, a team losing their first five games on the trot is not something new as far as the IPL is concerned. In fact, it has happened quite a few times in the past.
Here's a look at three other occasions in which a team has lost their first five IPL games of the season:
#1 Mumbai Indians, 2022
The Mumbai Indians have been perennial slow starters in the IPL. But in 2022, they went a step further. The Rohit Sharma-led franchise lost their first eight games of the tournament, which is a record. They finally broke their streak when they defeated the Rajasthan Royals in their ninth game. They won three more games but ended up with the wooden spoon.
#2 Delhi Daredevils, 2013
Delhi Daredevils, led by Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene, didn't enjoy a great start to the IPL back in 2013 as they succumbed to six successive losses. It was a disappointing effort from the side, especially considering that expectations were high following their good run in the previous edition in 2012.
Delhi could only manage three wins out of their 14 games in what was a terrible season for the franchise. They understandably finished last in the points table.
#3 Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2019
RCB, led by Virat Kohli and coached by Gary Kirsten, endured a tough run in IPL 2019 as they lost their first six games. They only managed to win five out of their 14 games that year, which meant that they finished as the holders of the wooden spoon. 2019 marked the third consecutive year in which RCB failed to qualify for the playoffs. Since that season, however, the Bangalore-based side have qualified three years in a row and will be looking to do so this year as well.