Most Man of the Series in IPL History: Top Players and Records
Khelosports Platform cricket experts were on a quest to find out the player who won the most Man of the Series awards, and Sunil Narine holds the record. He is the top cricketer to have achieved the record of Most Man of the Series in IPL history with three awards, picked up in 2012, 2018 and 2024 for Kolkata Knight Riders. Shane Watson and Andre Russell are right behind him with two each. The latest name on the list is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who grabbed the 2026 award for Rajasthan Royals at the age of 15. Yes, 15.
This award isn’t about one big night. A player has to keep turning up for two months, with the bat, with the ball, even in the field. Below, you’ll find every name since 2008, a few records worth knowing, and how this award differs from Player of the Match.
What Is the Man of the Series Award in IPL
The IPL calls it the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award these days. Different name, same idea. Points come in for fours, sixes, wickets, dot balls, catches and stumpings. Whoever has the biggest pile at the end of the season takes it home.
All-rounders do well here, and the reason is simple. Score runs and take wickets, and the points come from both ends. So you’ll see Narine, Russell and Watson more than once on the list. Most debates about the Most Man of the Series in IPL end up back at this points system anyway.
IPL Man of the Series List (2008 to 2026): All IPL Most Valuable Player Winners
Watson started it all in 2008, the same year Rajasthan Royals lifted the first title. Gilchrist, Tendulkar and Gayle followed in the next three seasons. Kohli’s turn came in 2016, the year he scored runs almost every time he walked out. Stokes, Archer and Buttler joined much later. Below are all the IPL Most Valuable Player winners, season by season.
The Early Years (2008 to 2013)
2008: Shane Watson, Rajasthan Royals
2009: Adam Gilchrist, Deccan Chargers
2010: Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai Indians
2011: Chris Gayle, Royal Challengers Bangalore
2012: Sunil Narine, Kolkata Knight Riders
2013: Shane Watson, Rajasthan Royals
The Middle Stretch (2014 to 2019)
2014: Glenn Maxwell, Kings XI Punjab
2015: Andre Russell, KKR
2016: Virat Kohli, RCB
2017: Ben Stokes, Rising Pune Supergiant
2018: Sunil Narine, KKR
2019: Andre Russell, KKR
The Recent Seasons (2020 to 2026)
2020: Jofra Archer, Rajasthan Royals
2021: Harshal Patel, RCB
2022: Jos Buttler, Rajasthan Royals
2023: Shubman Gill, Gujarat Titans
2024: Sunil Narine, KKR (his third)
2025: Suryakumar Yadav, Mumbai Indians
2026: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Rajasthan Royals
Most Man of the Series in IPL: Key Records and Milestones
Narine is the only player with three. All of them came for KKR, across a gap of 12 years, which says a lot about how long he’s stayed useful.
Watson and Russell sit on two. Watson’s came five years apart. Russell won his in 2015 and 2019. However, Narine’s 2018 award landed in between, so KKR secured three of the five awards from the timeline between 2015 to 2019.
Franchise-wise, KKR and Rajasthan Royals are level on five. RCB has three, which surprises a few people given the stars they’ve had.
Sooryavanshi changed the age record completely in 2026. He was 15. He also took the Emerging Player award in the same season, something nobody had done before.
One more thing. Overseas players have 13 of the 19 awards. The six domestic names are Tendulkar, Kohli, Harshal Patel, Gill, Suryakumar and Sooryavanshi.
Standout Seasons Behind the Award
Kohli’s 2016 still stands out. 973 runs in one season, and ten years later nobody has gone past it. Gill got closest in 2023 with 890 for Gujarat Titans. Buttler had 863 the year before, and Rajasthan reached the final mostly on his runs.
Bowlers have taken the award too, though less often. Harshal Patel finished 2021 with 32 wickets for RCB. Archer had 20 in 2020, and batters struggled to get him away all season.
Russell’s 2019 deserves its own mention. Over 500 runs, a strike rate above 200, and some useful overs on top. Suryakumar scored 717 for Mumbai Indians in 2025. Then Sooryavanshi came along in 2026 with 776 runs and 72 sixes. The sixes number is a new single-season record.
Man of the Series vs Man of the Match: Where AB de Villiers Stands
The difference is easy to explain. Man of the Series covers a whole season. Man of the Match, also called Player of the Match, covers one match. It’s worth knowing because some of the league’s best match-winners never show up on the Most Man of the Series in IPL list.
AB de Villiers is one of them. He never won the season award. Odd, considering he has more single-match awards than anyone in IPL history, 25 in total, with Delhi Daredevils and RCB. Gayle and Kohli have 22 each, and Rohit Sharma has 21, as of the end of IPL 2026.
AB de Villiers’ case shows the two awards reward different things. He won matches on his own more often than anyone. The season points system leans toward players who add something with both bat and ball over 14 or more matches.
Quick Recap
Sunil Narine leads the Most Man of the Series in IPL list with three awards. Watson and Russell have two each, and KKR and Rajasthan Royals share the franchise lead with five. Sooryavanshi, at 15, is now the youngest to win it. For match insights, season stats and cricket news in plain words, stick around with Khelosports.
