Eight franchises took part in the inaugural 2008 IPL.
The first tournament was deliberately built around eight city-based teams: Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers. Each franchise represented a different Indian market and assembled squads through auctions and player allocations.
The eight-team structure produced a compact but substantial competition. The sides played a league phase before the knockout matches, creating the tournament format that later evolved as more teams entered. Kolkata Knight Riders opened the competition against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Bengaluru, while Rajasthan Royals eventually won the title.
A common mix-up is to count later expansion teams when recalling the first IPL. Pune Warriors India and Kochi Tuskers Kerala, for example, joined in later seasons, and the league has subsequently operated with different numbers of teams. They were not part of the inaugural field. The original eight therefore refers specifically to the 2008 season, not the IPL’s current or later team count.