5 best IPL jerseys of all time
The 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) is slated to begin from September 19 in UAE after battling the hurdle of the Coronavirus pandemic. The stars of the cricketing world will be back in action wearing the jerseys of their respective IPL franchises.
When it comes to cricket kits, the IPL has dished out quite a few gems over the years. Some teams have kept it simple while others have gone all out with the flash and the trimmings.
From the black-golden Kolkata Knight Riders outfit to the newly released neon pink outfit of the Rajasthan Royals, the IPL has always upped the style-quotient.
Here, we take a trip down memory lane and unearth some of the old and the new IPL team jerseys that have become synonymous with the teams:
#5 Chennai Super Kings
One of the most consistent teams in the IPL, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are the undisputed merchandising kings when it comes creating brand-value. The iconic canary-yellow jersey might be strong and bright for certain cricket enthusiasts but it certainly has allowed CSK to stand out from the crowd. The three-time IPL champions are instantly recognizable by their bright jerseys.
While the other teams have opted for more quiet base colors, the CSK jersey glows in the Chennai sun with its confident hues.
CSK is also one of the few teams whose jersey has remained unaltered throughout the past 12 editions of IPL. Barring a few tweaks, the jersey has maintained its history and authenticity.
The likes of MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Matthew Hayden and Ravindra Jadeja have flaunted the jersey and its probably the reason why the CSK jersey sells like hot-cake in the market. Combine yellow and love and you have the wildly popular social media hashtag of CSK #Yellove.
#4 Royal Challengers Bangalore
The color red and Royal Challengers Bangalore are truly synonymous with each other. The kit unveiled in the inaugural IPL season had crimson red and a dash of yellow all around the shoulders and it stood out from the rest of the competition.
The likes of Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Mark Boucher and Kevin Pietersen have donned RCB's old jersey. Although it didn't bring them much luck in the first season as RCB finished at the bottom of points table, the team had a quick turnaround in the 2009 season when the IPL juggernaut moved to the rainbow nation- South Africa. The team emerged as the runner-up wearing the red-golden jersey.
The red color is not often used by the teams but RCB over the years have been known for their flamboyant style of cricket. Their current skipper Virat Kohli and his fiery passion is equally represented by the jersey.
$3 $3 $3$3 $3$3 $3 View this post on Instagram$3 $3$3 $3 $3 $3$3 $3 $3$3 $3 $3 $3The reaction when you meet your RCB fam after more than a year! 😝 Absolute. Joy. 🤩 #PlayBold #IPL2020 #WeAreChallengers
A post shared by Royal Challengers Bangalore (@royalchallengersbangalore) on Aug 13, 2020 at 7:31am PDT
#3 Mumbai Indians
Blue is the color of champions and the Mumbai Indians (MI) have truly epitomized it. The men in blue have won the IPL trophy a record four times after turning to blue and gold. In the first two editions, Mumbai opted for a jersey with both dark and light shades of blue with white lettering and orange stripes.
Following the disastrous campaigns in the first two IPL seasons, where they finished fifth and seventh respectively, the MI think tank not only changed the colours but also changed the pattern of the jersey.
The current jersey barring a few tweaks every year has become one of the fan-favourites. The golden stripes give the jersey a regal look and also gives out the message that the team are the undisputed champions of the tournament.
#2 Rajasthan Royals
It's rare to see a men's sports team don pink but the Rajasthan Royals (RR) broke the glass-ceiling last year when they had a change in jersey color. The otherwise mundane blue outfit of the Rajasthan Royals was suddenly invigorated with life when a dash of 'Jaipur aka Pink' was added just before the start of IPL 2019.
And the reason for changing the color would have warmed the hearts of the locals even more. In a statement released, the franchise had explained the reason behind the move and said:
“Jaipur is known as the pink city, Jodhpur is famous for pink sandstone and Udaipur produces pink marble. Pink, therefore, is best suited as the official colour of Rajasthan Royals, which will also help the fans identify and celebrate their team.”
$3 $3 $3$3 $3$3 $3 View this post on Instagram$3 $3$3 $3 $3 $3$3 $3 $3$3 $3 $3 $3Just two 🐐🐐 in a frame. Caption this... #HallaBol | #RCBvRR
A post shared by Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) on Apr 18, 2020 at 7:30am PDT
The Rajasthan Royals couldn't go much further in the tournament but they certainly garnered all the points for their style-quotient. The new RR jersey emanates youth and exuberance all-around.
$3 $3 $3$3 $3$3 $3 View this post on Instagram$3 $3$3 $3 $3 $3$3 $3 $3$3 $3 $3 $3Which batsman's stance is your all-time favourite? 😄 #HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | @steve_smith49
A post shared by Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) on Jun 17, 2020 at 10:46pm PDT
#1 Kolkata Knight Riders
If there was one team that had swooped in all the advertisers to its side in the inaugural edition of the IPL, it was none other than Shah Rukh Khan co-owned Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The first KKR jersey started the theme of battle symbols as the driving force of their style.
The black colour was associated with ‘Maa Kali' as the destroyer of demons and the gold was associated with the ‘spirit of life’. The Gladiator-esque golden flaming helmet and pads really went well with the ensemble and it truly stood out in the first season of the IPL.
$3 $3 $3$3 $3$3 $3 View this post on Instagram$3 $3$3 $3 $3 $3$3 $3 $3$3 $3 $3 $3#GuessTheMatch: When the #RawalpindiExpress 🚄 steamrolled everything in its path 😉 #KKR #KolkataKnightRiders #Cricket #IPL2020 #guess
A post shared by Kolkata Knight Riders (@kkriders) on Jul 19, 2020 at 3:06am PDT
Although the jersey was a bad omen for KKR, it is still remembered cricket enthusiasts fondly. After all, the iconic image of Brendon McCullum blasting 144 runs in the first match of the IPL wearing this jersey is still etched in our memories.
There have been fashionable team jerseys over the years but nothing tops KKR's first IPL jersey and its uber-cool style quotient. This jersey sits pretty at the top of our list.