Last-ball finishes in the IPL: Memories that don't fade away

Over the history of the IPL, there have been plenty of last ball finishes that have enthralled and entertained those watching. More importantly, however, last-ball finishes remain etched in the memory for years to come.

The IPL is all about entertainment, but some of the high-octane battles leave behind such a lasting impression that it’s hard not to feel there’s something larger-than-life about the tournament as a whole.

This is entertainment that lingers; these are memories that don’t fade away.

Blast from the past – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals

Gautam Gambhir, captain of the KKR side

Perhaps no match, or rather, no catch, is as memorable as the one that we saw in the encounter between RCB and KKR at Sharjah last year.

Jacques Kallis and Chris Lynn steadied the ship for KKR after a rocky start, hitting attractive 40s to take the team past the 100-run mark. And although Lynn got out at a crucial juncture, Robin Uthappa and Suryakumar Yadav slammed some quick runs to take Kolkata to a decent score of 150.

On paper, RCB’s batting firepower seemed too strong for that kind of target. But Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh got out on identical scores of 31, which meant it was De Villiers’ job to see the side safely home. The South African seemed set to do that with ease too, and with 9 runs required off the last over, few would have bet against the Royal Challengers.

That’s when Chris Lynn stamped his mark on the match for a second time, in a way that would be remembered for decades to come. RCB needed 6 off 3, and De Villiers whacked the ball to deep midwicket, not far from where Lynn was standing.

The Australian, however, suffered an almighty slip at the very last minute. Now for most people, that would have been an opportunity lost. But not for Lynn; not on this day. He repositioned himself, stretched out his hand and plucked the ball out of thin air, to complete the most memorable of memorable catches.

With De Villiers gone the task was always going to be a little too tough. RCB needed 4 off the last ball but could only manage 2, giving KKR the most unlikely of victories. But that day belonged to one man more than any other – to this day, the heroics of Chris Lynn haven’t faded from our memories.

The 2015 edition – Delhi Daredevils vs Rajasthan Royals

We are not even two weeks into this year’s tournament, and there have already been a number of close matches that can lay claim to being amongst the best that the lucrative T20 league has ever seen.

DD are far from being the most consistent teams in this IPL and can be quite shoddy at times, but no we can’t deny they are giving us some of the best matches this season. Just a couple of days after their brilliant opening match against CSK, they were involved in yet another classic – this time against the Rajasthan Royals.

Delhi set the Royals a target of 185 after being inserted in to bat. In reply, Ajinkya Rahane and Deepak Hooda led the chase and were looking likely to lead Rajasthan to the target without much hassle. However, a couple of late wickets and some immaturity by the lower order left the Royals with 12 to get off the final over.

Steven Smith’s men would have been kicking themselves if they had fluffed the chase after being in an advantageous position almost right through, but they eventually got there with the help of Tim Southee. Needing 3 off the last delivery, Southee crunched the ball through the cover region for four and took the Royals home.

But what if the ball had gone a couple of feet to the right, and landed straight in the hands of the fielder positioned there? Delhi will probably be asking themselves that question for a while to come.

But what is beyond question is that DD vs RR from 2015 will remain etched in our memories for a long time. Such matches are not meant to fade away, and it’s likely that the IPL will keep producing such unforgettable classics in the days to follow.