Watch: The theme songs from all 14 editions of the IPL, starting with the inaugural version, by Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman in 2008.
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While the biggest draw of the Indian Premier League remains its high-quality cricket, the tournament has also provided fans with other forms of entertainment over the years. Analysis, interviews, contests, ads and songs have played their part in adding to the brand’s charm.
The songs, in particular, are played throughout the tournament on and off the field and end up staying with the fans.
Over the years, the franchises also got into the mix, creating their individual theme songs to connect with the supporters. CSK’s “Whistle Podu“, KKR’s “Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo” and RR’s “Halla Bol” are among the most popular of the lot.
In this piece, we take a look at the tournament’s generic theme songs from every edition.
Watch: IPL theme songs from 2008 to 2021
IPL 2008
The first theme song of the tournament, composed by AR Rahman. It was called ‘Cricket Ka Dharmayudh’ or the ‘Great Cricket War’
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IPL 2009
The second edition of the tournament, held in South Africa, did not have a theme song. However, it had a very popular advertisement, titled “Divided by Nations, United by IPL”
IPL 2010
The next song, “Laut Aaya” celebrated IPL’s return to India.
IPL 2011
The song which brought in the unique IPL tune, “Dam Laga Ke Mara Ray” was a huge success in 2011.
IPL 2012
One of the most popular IPL theme songs, the 2012 version saw various cricket personalities like Ajay Jadeja, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Harsha Bhogle in the video.
IPL 2013
The intro of “jumping japang” from 2013 saw fans dance to the choreographed routines in stadiums as well as at live screenings of the games.
IPL 2014
The 2014 version focused on IPL fans, celebrating their passion for the tournament.
IPL 2015
“India ka tyohar” – the 2015 theme – rightly labelled IPL as the carnival of India.
IPL 2016
An edition in which neither Chennai nor Kochi were a part of, the makers tried to keep the audience from Tamil Nadu and Kerala hooked to the IPL, through a Tamil-Malayalam anthem called “Pistah”
IPL 2017
The tenth theme song for the IPL, “Wah re Wah”, was a salute to people who made the tournament happen, including fans, managers, owners, the auctioneer and everyone in between.
IPL 2018
Repurposing a classic Hindi song, this anthem was made by overlaying incredible moments from the field with heartfelt lyrics.
IPL 2019
A juxtaposition of player and fans was seen for the first time in the 2019 anthem, “Game Banayega Game”.
The latest edition of the IPL anthem is busy, quick and quite quirky.
