IPL 2012 Winner: Kolkata Knight Riders

Chennai Super Kings’ juggernaut and push for a hat-trick of IPL title came to a screeching halt at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders who defeated CSK in the final in a tense contest. Under a new and dynamic leader in Gautam Gambhir, KKR’s fortunes were in for a complete turnaround. That year, the number of teams came down from 10 to 9 with the termination of Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Chris Gayle became the first and only batter to win the Orange Cap consecutive years with the Universe Boss breaching the 700-run mark with seven fifties and one century and smoking Rahul Sharma for five sixes in an over. Morne Morkel, with 25, wickets won the Purple Cap. It was also the year when Ajinkya Rahane became the first player to hit six boundaries in an over, a feat which has been replicated only once ever since. The season also featured Brett Lee knocking off Unmukt Chand’s off-stump and sending it flying off the first ball of the tournament.