Cricket, the game we all know and love, has a history that goes way back and has brought together people from all walks of life. With so many national and international cricket tournaments popping up everywhere, this adoration just keeps on growing. And speaking of exciting cricket mash-ups, it would be quite unfair if we forgot the Celebrity Cricket League! This thrilling combo of glitz, glamor, and cricket action started in 2011 and has become a fantastic platform where movie stars and sports enthusiasts go head-to-head on the cricket field. Fans from all over the world can’t get enough of the Celebrity Cricket League, as it’s the perfect mix of cricket and cinema. And today we are about to dive into the fascinating history of the Celebrity Cricket League, exploring its amazing winners and unforgettable moments that have made this event one-of-a-kind. So let’s get down to reviewing and reliving the timeline of CCL from its inception all the way up to till date.

CCL Winners of All Season Till Date

1. Chennai Rhinos: Celebrity Cricket League 2011 Winner

Back in 2011, the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) burst onto the scene, featuring eight teams of film actors from various Indian film industries. The legendary Salman Khan has been the league’s Brand Ambassador since day one, and man, the media couldn’t get enough of it! With four teams in the first season (Telugu Warriors, Mumbai Heroes, Chennai Rhinos, and Karnataka Bulldozers), the games aimed to raise awareness about anti-piracy issues. In the end, the Chennai Rhinos took the trophy, beating the Karnataka Bulldozers in a nail-biting final. The inaugural season was a massive hit on TV, making celebrities playing cricket a thing!

2. Chennai Rhinos: Celebrity Cricket League 2012 Winner

Season 2 of the CCL kicked off on January 13, 2012, and ran until February 13, 2012. With the addition of Kerala Strikers and Bengal Tigers, and Mumbai Heroes choosing Sharjah as their home ground, the competition heated up. The reigning champs, Chennai Rhinos, were unstoppable and secured the title again by defeating the Karnataka Bulldozers for the second time in a row. Yep, you guessed it, Chennai Rhinos were crowned the 2012 Celebrity Cricket League champs!

3. Karnataka Bulldozers: Celebrity Cricket League 2013 Winner

The third season of the Celebrity Cricket League in 2013 saw eight teams in the mix, including newbies Veer Marathi and Bhojpuri Dabbangs. The star-studded curtain raiser event took place in Mumbai on January 19, 2013, and the opening ceremony went down in Kochi on February 9, 2013. With Bipasha Basu as a brand ambassador, the season was even more popular than the previous two. But it was the Karnataka Bulldozers who stole the show, defeating the Telugu Warriors to claim the Celebrity Cricket League Season 3 championship.

4. Karnataka Bulldozers: Celebrity Cricket League 2014 Winner

2014 saw the Karnataka Bulldozers team rule the roost in the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL), showcasing the best of Indian film industries’ cricket talent. The fourth season was a game-changer, with Colors TV broadcasting Mumbai Heroes games and Rishtey TV covering all games, reaching a larger audience than ever before. The Karnataka Bulldozers were on fire, making it to the finals for the fourth time in a row. Talk about consistency and dominance! In the Celebrity Cricket League Season 4 final, they faced off against the Kerala Strikers and triumphed by a cool 36 runs, grabbing the championship title in style.

5. Telugu Warriors: Celebrity Cricket League 2015 Winner

Back in 2015, the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) had its most successful season ever, raking in the dough and drawing in a crazy number of real-time TV viewers. The CCL became the second most viewed sports league in India, with Colors broadcasting it in Hindi-speaking markets and Sun Network Channels covering the south. That year, eight teams from various regional film industries battled it out, and the Telugu Warriors came out on top. They beat the two-time champs, Chennai Rhinos, in the final on February 1, 2015, and took the trophy home with a smashing 7-wicket win.

6. Telugu Warriors: Celebrity Cricket League 2016 Winner

The Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) 2016 season 6 was a blast, with new teams and players joining the fray. One newbie team was Punjab De Sher, representing the Punjab film industry. They had a fresh roster and big-time support from celebs like Daler Mehndi, the team’s brand ambassador. Sonu Sood captained the ship, with Mr. Puneet and Navraj Hans as the owners. Starting on January 23, 2016, and wrapping up on February 14, 2016, Telugu Warriors claimed the championship title for the second time. But hey, let’s give a shoutout to Punjab De Sher for their killer debut and for making the tournament even more exciting!

7. Telugu Warriors: Celebrity Cricket League 2017 Winner

You won’t believe it, but the Telugu Warriors won the Celebrity Cricket League in 2017 too! This non-pro men’s cricket league, featuring film actors from eight major regional film industries in India, was a total blast once again. The 7th edition took place from December 24 to December 25, 2017, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium Uppal in Hyderabad. This time, the league had a T10 format with six teams competing in a round-robin style. The final showdown was between Telugu Warriors and Kerala Strikers, and the Warriors crushed it, winning by a jaw-dropping 8 wickets.

8. Mumbai Heroes: Celebrity Cricket League 2019 Winner

Fast forward to 2019, and the Celebrity Cricket League was played as a T10 tournament with Mumbai Heroes clinching the championship title. Unfortunately, the semi-finals and finals got rained out, so the winner and runner-up were picked based on their group stage performance. Mumbai Heroes and Karnataka Bulldozers snagged the top two spots, with the Heroes winning all three of their matches and the Bulldozers winning two out of three. It’s not fair to say that the victory of Mumbai Heroes in this season of Celebrity Cricket League was a hundred percent fair, but hey, they certainly deserved the title based on their performance in the other matches of the tournament. And because of this, Mumbai Heroes won their first-ever CCL title in 2019. In our opinion, if it wasn’t for the rain, Mumbai Heroes would have won the tournament anyway because their performance throughout the league was phenomenal.

9. Telugu Warriors: Celebrity Cricket League 2023 Winner

The Celebrity Cricket League 2023 was held this year from 18 Feb to 25 March, and boy it was a good one. Among all the other seasons, the CCL 2023 edition was one of the most popular ones because the fans were eagerly waiting for this tournament to happen this year since the last edition was in 2019. Another reason for the hype of this season was that in the 2019’s edition, there were no thrilling semi-final and final matches due to heavy rain. But in 2023, that wasn’t the case at all. In CCL 2023, fans saw the debut of another new team named “Bhojpuri Dabbangs” which surprisingly made it to the finals of this tournament. And on the other side, it was the team of none other than Telugu Warriors. The Bhojpuri Dabbangs had an exciting match with Mumbai Heroes in the semi-finals which was an edge-of-the-seat experience for the fans. But in the end, Bhojpuri Dabbangs made it to the finals defeating Mumbai Heros. That’s why the fans were full of excitement for the final match, but much to their surprise, Telugu Warriors won the match quite easily, leaving Bhojpuri Dabbangs in the dust with a massive margin of 9 wickets.

Conclusion

All in all, the Celebrity Cricket League has definitely left its mark on the world of cricket, showing us that love for the game knows no boundaries. Looking back at the past winners and their epic achievements, we can’t help but feel the spirit of sportsmanship, resilience, and unity that has become the heart and soul of this extraordinary tournament. Each year, the CCL keeps us on the edge of our seats, as celebrities and cricket lovers alike battle it out to leave their mark on Celebrity Cricket League history. As the legend of the Celebrity Cricket League lives on, we can’t wait to see what jaw-dropping moments and awesome performances are waiting for us in the future.

Rocky

Passionate sports content writer, Rocky delves into the world of athletics with a keen eye for detail. With a background in journalism, he transforms moments on the field into compelling narratives that resonate with readers.