Sundowns, Pirates or Chiefs? Who has the most wins in the PSL era?

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) is celebrating THIRTY years of existence having been established in 1996.

The league started with 18 clubs but it was trimmed down to 16 teams for the 2002-03 because of fixture congestion.

Ria Stars and Qwaqwa Stars were the two teams bought out by the PSL to bring the number of teams in the top flight to 16.

It is worth mentioning that ‘The Big Three’ – Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs – have never been relegated.

Of course, the three have, at some stage, missed out on finishing in the Top 8, but the competition remained competitive even without them making the cut.

Now, which team, amongst the three PSL giants of Sundowns, Pirates and Chiefs, has the most league wins to date?

SUNDOWNS AHEAD OF BOTH PIRATES AND CHIEFS

Sundowns recently visited Pirates in what was the two teams’ 60th league meeting in the PSL era.

The encounter also marked the two teams’ 909th league match in the last three decades of PSL’s existence.

Now, according to OptaJabu, Sundowns, Pirates and Chiefs had played 908 matches prior to Wednesday’s clash at FNB Stadium.

In those 908 matches, Sundowns had racked up 500 wins, drawn 235 and lost 173. They are now sitting on 501 wins from 909 matches.

Pirates are second on that table with 429 wins, 289 draws and 191 defeats after losing to Sundowns in midweek.

Chiefs are third with 420 wins, 288 draws and 200 losses from the 908 matches they have so far played in the PSL era.

Also read | Sundowns’ dominance over Orlando Pirates well-documented!

Also read | Improvement or not? How Orlando Pirates compare to last season

WILL ANYONE CATCH THE BRAZILIANS?

As things stand, it doesn’t look like any of the two teams – Pirates and Chiefs – will catch Sundowns.

And that’s because the Brazilians continue winning their matches, and their dominance is just overwhelming.

It will take a few more seasons for either Pirates or Chiefs to get to 500 league wins in the PSL.