IPL: 5 incredibly thrilling Mumbai Indians encounters

The Mumbai Indians have procured three IPL trophies, making them the most successful team in the history of the tournament. In this run, they have been a part of some humdinger matches, which went all the way down to the wire. Players of high caliber such as Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu and Dwayne Smith to name a few have taken the Mumbai Indians to victory from highly improbable situations. The Wankhede being the flat batting pitch that it is, has witnessed some delicious run chases. Without much further ado, let's take a look at five of their most thrilling encounters:

---

#5 Mumbai Indians vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore (2012)

Rayudu and Pollard have put together some fantastic partnerships over the years

The partnership of Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu has taken the Mumbai Indians over the line on many occasions. One of their best shows together was against the Royal Challengers Bangalore back in 2012.

Bangalore batted first and got off to a really slow start. Dilshan hit a slow 50-ball 47 and the Royal Challengers were inching towards a underwhelming total. However, a Mayank Agarwal show at the death saw Bangalore put up a strong score of 171.

In the chase, the Mumbai Indians looked down and out at 51 for 5 in 8.5 overs. They needed to score at 11 runs an over for eleven overs, with no specialist batsman left to play. The pair batted spectacularly but the game was still Bangalore's to lose. Mumbai needed 41 runs of the last 18 balls to win the game. An 18-run Vinay Kumar over gave the Mumbai Indians a glimmer of hope. With 14 runs to defend of the last over, Chris Gayle was entrusted with the ball. Pollard smashed his countryman for a six and two boundaries to win an improbable game for the Mumbai Indians. The pair of Rayudu and Pollard put together a brilliant match-winning partnership of 122 runs.

Result: Mumbai Indians won by 5 wickets.

#4 Mumbai Indians vs. Gujarat Lions (2017)

Jasprit Bumrah has taken over the baton from Lasith Malinga as Mumbai's death over bowler

The 35th match of IPL 2017 saw the Gujarat Lions take on the Mumbai Indians at Rajkot. Thanks to Ishan Kishan's 48 at the top of the order along with valuable knocks by Jadeja, Faulkner and Tye, Lions posted a below-par total of 154 for the Mumbai Indians to chase.

Parthiv Patel was at his best in his innings of 70 in just 44 balls. The game was in Mumbai's hands throughout the innings, despite the middle order crumbling towards the end. Mumbai needed 15 runs of 12 balls with 5 wickets in hand and that's when the game turned upside down. The penultimate over bowled by Basil Thampi went for only 4 runs along with the loss of 3 wickets. Mumbai needed 11 off the final over and the game could have gone either way. The first ball of the final over saw Irfan Pathan's length ball coolly dispatched for a six by Krunal Pandya. The game was in Mumbai's hands again, needing just 5 of 5.

Enter "Sir" Ravindra Jadeja. His spectacular direct throw caught Jasprit Bumrah short of the crease and left Mumbai with just one wicket. Mumbai needed one run of the final delivery, and it was Jadeja again who fired in a brilliant direct hit to catch Krunal Pandya short of the crease and take the game to a super over.

Faulkner was the chosen one to bowl the super over for the Lions. He conceded 1,4 and 6 of his first three balls but came back strongly with two back-to-back wickets. The Lions needed 12 runs in the super over to get a much needed two points. Jasprit Bumrah shockingly started proceedings with a no ball. The free hit delivery was a good one and all Finch could do was sneak in a leg bye. Bumrah followed up with a wide and had audaciously given away 3 runs in effectively one delivery. Bumrah then managed to keep his cool and bowl beautifully to give away just 3 more runs in the next 5 balls to give the Mumbai Indians the victory.

Result: Match tied (Mumbai Indians won the one-over eliminator)

#3 Mumbai Indians vs. Chennai Super Kings (2012)

Dwayne Smith, who played for both franchisees, pulled off a memorable victory for the Mumbai Indians

The 49th match of IPL 2012 saw the Chennai Super Kings clash with the Mumbai Indians in what was potentially an important game for both sides in their quest to make it to the playoffs. The yellow jerseys batted first and knocks from their reliable players in Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo and MS Dhoni saw them reach a strong total of 173.

Despite losing Franklin early, the Mumbai Indians were cruising to a victory thanks to a 126 run stand between Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. However, the Mumbai Indians completely imploded and were down to needing 16 runs of the final over. In the first three balls, all Mumbai could do was add 2 runs to the scoreboard and lose a wicket. Mumbai needed 14 runs of 3 balls, with Dwayne Smith on strike and Hilfenhaus with the ball.

What followed was something special. Smith smoked a six and two fours of the last three balls to win an improbable game for his team. It was a hair-raising finish indeed and one that most Mumbai Indians fans fondly remember.

Result: Mumbai Indians won by 2 wickets.

#2 Mumbai Indians vs. Rising Pune Supergiants (2017)

The Mumbai Indians won a one-run thriller to lift their third IPL trophy in 2017

The 2017 IPL final was a derby of sorts, with the two teams from Maharashtra squaring off against one another. The team from Pune had gotten the better of the two time champions, Mumbai, having beaten them three times already that season.

In the finals, the Mumbai Indians batted first. The Mumbai Indians imploded as they lost wicket at regular intervals. Reeling at 79 for 7 in the 15th over, the Mumbai Indians were struggling. A smart knock by Krunal Pandya saw Mumbai reach a respectable total of 129. However, it was still Pune's game to lose and they just need a bit more than a run a ball to lift the trophy.

An IPL final cranks up the pressure on the chasing team. After a fine start where they were in complete control of the game, Pune succumbed to the pressure. Experienced speedster Mitchell Johnson bowled the final over, in which Pune needed 11 runs for victory. Smith and Tiwary both lost their wickets, and it was down to the last ball. Pune needed 4 off the last ball for a win and Dan Christian was on strike. Jagadeesha Suchith fumbled the ball in the last ball, which gave Pune a whiff at converting a two to a three and taking the game to a super over. However a good recovery and a better throw saw Washington Sundar fall short of the crease as the Mumbai Indians pulled off a one-run victory to lift their third IPL title.

Result: Mumbai Indians won by 1 run.

#1 Mumbai Indians vs. Rajasthan Royals (2014)

Mumbai Indians pulled off nothing short of a miracle to make it to the 2014 IPL playoffs

This match would feature at the number one spot in most thrilling encounter compilations in the history of IPL. This game had attracted ample attention prior to the game itself owing to the circumstances. The Mumbai Indians would need to win by a gigantic margin in order to edge the Royals out of the playoff owing to a superior run rate. It was the last league game of the season and tensions were high.

A Karun Nair and Sanju Samson special saw the Royals set a massive total of 190. The Mumbai Indians had to chase this total in 14.3 overs to make it to the playoffs, and their hopes were all but over. The target seemed too unrealistic to achieve and the tips were scaled massively in the Royals' favor.

A Corey Anderon blitzkrieg aided by a Rayudu boost saw the Mumbai Indians astonishingly tie the score in 14.3 overs. The convoluted drama that followed made the match impossible to forget. When the scores were tied, Ambati Rayudu's display of agony made it look like the Rajasthan Royals had survived a mighty scare. However, after a lot of confusion and discussion, it was understood that the Mumbai Indians could still go through if they could hit a boundary off the next ball. Aditya Tare deposited a generous full toss by Faulkner out of the park to miraculously take the Mumbai Indians through to the semi final.

Result: Mumbai Indians won by 5 wickets.