By Saurav Mehra Celebrity Cricket League, commonly known as CCL, is a popular Indian cricket tournament that brings together film actors from different regional movie industries. The league combines cricket and entertainment, with teams representing industries such as Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, Bhojpuri and Punjabi cinema.
The Celebrity Cricket League started in 2011 with four teams and gradually expanded over the years. Unlike professional cricket leagues, CCL primarily features actors and other personalities from the film industry. The tournament has seen several dominant teams, particularly Telugu Warriors, Karnataka Bulldozers and Chennai Rhinos. As of 2026, 12 editions of CCL have been completed, with Karnataka Bulldozers winning the latest championship.
CCL Winners List of All Seasons
| Season | Year | Winner | Runner-Up |
| Season 1 | 2011 | Chennai Rhinos | Karnataka Bulldozers |
| Season 2 | 2012 | Chennai Rhinos | Karnataka Bulldozers |
| Season 3 | 2013 | Karnataka Bulldozers | Telugu Warriors |
| Season 4 | 2014 | Karnataka Bulldozers | Kerala Strikers |
| Season 5 | 2015 | Telugu Warriors | Chennai Rhinos |
| Season 6 | 2016 | Telugu Warriors | Karnataka Bulldozers |
| Season 7 | 2017 | Telugu Warriors | Kerala Strikers |
| Season 8 | 2019 | Mumbai Heroes | Karnataka Bulldozers |
| Season 9 | 2023 | Telugu Warriors | Bhojpuri Dabanggs |
| Season 10 | 2024 | Bengal Tigers | Karnataka Bulldozers |
| Season 11 | 2025 | Punjab De Sher | Chennai Rhinos |
| Season 12 | 2026 | Karnataka Bulldozers | Bengal Tigers |
Celebrity Cricket League Season 1 Winner – Chennai Rhinos
The inaugural Celebrity Cricket League season was held in 2011. The first edition had only four participating teams – Chennai Rhinos, Karnataka Bulldozers, Mumbai Heroes and Telugu Warriors.
Chennai Rhinos became the first-ever CCL champions. They defeated Karnataka Bulldozers in the final to lift the inaugural trophy.
The first season helped establish the idea of bringing actors from different Indian film industries together on a cricket field. Its success encouraged the organisers to expand the competition in subsequent years.
Celebrity Cricket League Season 2 Winner – Chennai Rhinos
The second season was held in 2012, with the league expanding following the success of its inaugural edition.
Two additional teams, Kerala Strikers and Bengal Tigers, joined the tournament, increasing the number of participating film industries.
Chennai Rhinos continued their dominance and once again reached the final against Karnataka Bulldozers.
The Rhinos defeated Karnataka by a narrow margin to retain their championship and become the first CCL team to win consecutive titles.
It was Chennai Rhinos’ second CCL championship.
Celebrity Cricket League Season 3 Winner – Karnataka Bulldozers
Celebrity Cricket League Season 3 was played in 2013 and saw the tournament expand further. Bhojpuri Dabanggs and Veer Marathi joined the competition, taking the number of teams to eight.
After finishing as runners-up in each of the first two editions, Karnataka Bulldozers finally won their first CCL title.
They defeated Telugu Warriors in the final to become champions.
The victory was particularly significant for Karnataka Bulldozers because they had come very close to winning the title in both 2011 and 2012 before finally succeeding in their third attempt.
Celebrity Cricket League Season 4 Winner – Karnataka Bulldozers
Karnataka Bulldozers continued their strong run during the 2014 CCL season.
They reached the championship match again, this time facing Kerala Strikers in the final.
Karnataka Bulldozers defeated Kerala Strikers and successfully defended their title. It was their second consecutive CCL championship, making them the second team after Chennai Rhinos to win back-to-back titles.
By this stage, Karnataka Bulldozers had established themselves as one of the strongest teams in Celebrity Cricket League history.
Celebrity Cricket League Season 5 Winner – Telugu Warriors
CCL Season 5 was held in 2015 and marked the beginning of a dominant period for Telugu Warriors.
The Telugu team reached the final against two-time champions Chennai Rhinos.
Telugu Warriors defeated Chennai Rhinos to win their first Celebrity Cricket League title.
The victory began an exceptional championship run for Telugu Warriors that would eventually make them the most successful team in CCL history.
Celebrity Cricket League Season 6 Winner – Telugu Warriors
The sixth season of Celebrity Cricket League was held in 2016.
The tournament also saw Punjab De Sher join the competition, representing the Punjabi film industry.
Defending champions Telugu Warriors continued their winning form and reached another final. Their opponents were Karnataka Bulldozers, who were already two-time champions.
Telugu Warriors defeated Karnataka Bulldozers to retain the trophy and claim their second consecutive CCL title.
Celebrity Cricket League Season 7 Winner – Telugu Warriors
Celebrity Cricket League Season 7 took place in 2017, and Telugu Warriors entered the competition as the two-time defending champions.
The team again performed strongly enough to reach the championship match, where it faced Kerala Strikers.
Telugu Warriors defeated Kerala Strikers in the final and lifted the trophy for the third consecutive season.
Their victories in 2015, 2016 and 2017 created one of the most impressive periods of dominance in Celebrity Cricket League history.
Celebrity Cricket League Season 8 Winner – Mumbai Heroes
Celebrity Cricket League returned in 2019 after the planned 2018 competition was cancelled.
The 2019 edition had an unusual conclusion because rain affected the knockout stage. The semifinals and final could not be completed as originally planned.
Based on performance during the group stage, Mumbai Heroes were declared the champions after winning all three of their group matches.
Karnataka Bulldozers, who had won two of their three group games, were declared runners-up.
It was the first CCL championship for Mumbai Heroes.
Celebrity Cricket League Season 9 Winner – Telugu Warriors
After a long break, Celebrity Cricket League returned in 2023.
There had been no completed CCL tournaments in 2020, 2021 or 2022, with the COVID-19 period contributing to the extended interruption.
The return of the competition proved successful for Telugu Warriors, who once again reached the final.
They defeated Bhojpuri Dabanggs to claim the Season 9 championship.
The victory was Telugu Warriors’ fourth CCL title, following their earlier championships in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
With four trophies, Telugu Warriors became the most successful team in Celebrity Cricket League history.
Celebrity Cricket League Season 10 Winner – Bengal Tigers
Celebrity Cricket League Season 10 was played in 2024.
Several teams remained closely matched during the league stage, with Karnataka Bulldozers, Mumbai Heroes, Bengal Tigers and Chennai Rhinos eventually progressing to the semifinals.
Bengal Tigers and Karnataka Bulldozers reached the final.
Bengal Tigers defeated Karnataka Bulldozers to lift their first Celebrity Cricket League trophy.
The victory added another team to the list of CCL champions after years in which teams such as Telugu Warriors, Karnataka Bulldozers and Chennai Rhinos had dominated the competition.
Celebrity Cricket League Season 11 Winner – Punjab De Sher
Season 11 of Celebrity Cricket League was held in 2025.
Seven teams participated in the tournament, with Kerala Strikers not taking part in the edition.
Defending champions Bengal Tigers performed strongly during the league stage, while Punjab De Sher reached the knockout stage after a competitive campaign.
Punjab De Sher eventually reached the final against Chennai Rhinos.
Punjab De Sher defeated Chennai to become the CCL 2025 champions and win the first Celebrity Cricket League title in the team’s history.
Celebrity Cricket League Season 12 Winner – Karnataka Bulldozers
Celebrity Cricket League Season 12 was held in 2026, with eight teams participating in the competition.
The season began in January, with matches played at different venues including Madurai, Coimbatore and Hyderabad.
Karnataka Bulldozers produced a strong campaign and qualified for the playoffs. They defeated Chennai Kings in the semifinal to secure a place in the championship match.
Bengal Tigers reached the final after defeating Kerala Strikers in the other semifinal.
The grand finale was played in Hyderabad on 1 February 2026.
Karnataka Bulldozers defeated Bengal Tigers by six wickets to become the CCL 2026 champions.
The victory gave Karnataka Bulldozers their third CCL title, adding to their earlier championships in 2013 and 2014. It also ended a 12-year wait for another Celebrity Cricket League trophy.
Years When Celebrity Cricket League Was Not Completed
Celebrity Cricket League has not been held continuously every year since its launch.
The 2018 edition was cancelled, so there was no winner that year.
After the 2019 competition, CCL also went through an extended break. There were no completed seasons in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
The tournament eventually returned in 2023, when Telugu Warriors won their fourth championship.
These cancelled or non-played years are not counted as completed CCL seasons, which is why the 2026 competition is Season 12 despite the league having started in 2011.
Celebrity Cricket League Teams
Celebrity Cricket League has featured teams representing several major Indian film industries.
The teams that have participated across different editions include:
- Karnataka Bulldozers – Kannada film industry
- Telugu Warriors – Telugu film industry
- Mumbai Heroes – Hindi film industry
- Bengal Tigers – Bengali film industry
- Kerala Strikers – Malayalam film industry
- Bhojpuri Dabanggs – Bhojpuri film industry
- Punjab De Sher – Punjabi film industry
- Chennai Rhinos/Chennai Kings – Tamil film industry
Veer Marathi, representing the Marathi film industry, also participated in earlier editions but is no longer an active CCL team.
The exact team lineup has changed during different seasons because some teams have entered, withdrawn or undergone changes over the history of the competition.
Celebrity Cricket League Format
Celebrity Cricket League is an exhibition cricket competition involving film actors rather than professional cricket franchises.
The tournament generally begins with a league or group stage. Teams earn points based on their results, with the strongest performers progressing to the knockout rounds.
The leading teams then compete in semifinals before the remaining two sides meet in the final to decide the champion.
CCL has experimented with different playing formats over the years. While the competition has used shortened cricket formats, recent editions have featured a distinctive format in which teams play two innings in a match.
The league combines competitive cricket with entertainment and attracts viewers from different parts of India because each team represents a major regional film industry.
Final Words
Celebrity Cricket League has developed into a unique combination of Indian cinema and cricket since its first tournament in 2011. Chennai Rhinos dominated the opening two editions before Karnataka Bulldozers claimed consecutive championships in 2013 and 2014.
Telugu Warriors later became the dominant team, winning three consecutive titles from 2015 to 2017 and adding another championship in 2023. Mumbai Heroes, Bengal Tigers and Punjab De Sher have also won the competition.
The latest champions are Karnataka Bulldozers, who defeated Bengal Tigers in the 2026 final to claim their third CCL trophy.
As of 2026, Telugu Warriors remain the most successful Celebrity Cricket League team with four championships, followed by Karnataka Bulldozers with three and Chennai Rhinos with two.