5 players who made it to IPL playoffs in every season they have played ft. Yash Dayal
The first goal of every team in the Indian Premier League is to qualify for the IPL playoffs. Only the top four teams from the league stage compete in the playoffs, and one of them takes the trophy home.
Qualifying for IPL playoffs is quite tough. In 2023, Gujarat Titans (GT), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Mumbai Indians (MI), and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were the top four teams. This year, none of the teams could finish in the top four, which shows how challenging it is to make it to the IPL playoffs every season.
While no team has a 100% record of qualifying for the playoffs in every season, here's a list of three players, who have been a part of at least three IPL seasons, and their team has made it to the playoffs every time.
#1 Yash Dayal - 3 IPL playoffs in 3 seasons
Left-arm fast bowler Yash Dayal made his IPL debut for Gujarat Titans in 2022. He was a part of GT in 2023 as well, and in both seasons, the Ahmedabad-based franchise played the final.
GT released him ahead of the 2024 IPL Auction. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) signed him next, and his last-over heroics against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday helped RCB qualify for the playoffs this time.
#2 Dushmantha Chameera - 4 IPL playoffs in 4 seasons
Sri Lankan fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera has played only 13 IPL matches in his career, but his team has made it to the playoffs four times. His debut season was in 2018 with the Rajasthan Royals, where they finished fourth.
He was away from the league in 2019 and 2020 before returning as a replacement for RCB in 2021, where they lost in the Eliminator. In 2022, Chameera played for LSG, who lost in the Eliminator as well, and now in 2024, he is with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who have topped the table.
#3 Rajat Patidar - 3 IPL playoffs in 3 seasons
Rajat Patidar earned his maiden IPL deal in 2021 from the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The right-handed batter was unsold in 2022, but came back as a replacement and helped RCB defeat LSG in the Eliminator with a stunning ton.
In 2023, Patidar was ruled out of the entire IPL due to injury. He returned to RCB this year, and the team has once again qualified for the playoffs.
#4 Alzarri Joseph - 4 IPL playoffs in 4 seasons
Caribbean pacer Alzarri Joseph made his debut for Mumbai Indians in 2019, where he stunned Sunrisers Hyderabad with a six-wicket haul. MI won the championship that season.
Three years later, he turned up for Gujarat Titans and won the title with them. In 2023, he finished runners-up with GT, and this year, he is in the playoffs with RCB.
#5 S Badrinath - 7 IPL playoffs in 7 seasons
S Badrinath had an incredible record of seven playoff appearances in seven seasons he has played. He was with Chennai Super Kings from 2008 to 2013, and CSK qualified in every season.
In 2014, Badrinath remained unsold. Next year, RCB signed him, and they finished in the top 4. Badrinath currently works as a Tamil commentator in the IPL.