The Indian Premier league, or any T20 tournament for that matter, is lit up with nail-biting humdinger finishes. The nature of the competition does not allow any team to be ruled out of the game until the last ball is bowled. Last ball finishes are one of the most exciting aspects of the IPL as well, especially after a tied game which leads to a Super Over.
With the historic tenth edition of the cash-rich league around the corner, let’s take a look at the most thrilling moments from the previous editions. Although the tournament has witnessed too many down-to-the-wire games to pick the few best, here are the top 5 last ball finish games which will be etched in the chronicles of IPL.
#5 Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders – 2009
The Kolkata Knight Riders were always at the receiving end in the initial few years of the IPL. But in this memorable match that was played in Centurion in 2009, the SRK-owned franchise reversed the tide. Assisted by catchy half centuries from Brad Hodge and Brendon McCullum, KKR pulled off one of the most exciting chases in the competition.
The thrill began when chasing 189, the Knights required 25 runs from 12 balls. In the penultimate over, when most considered KKR a weak side for CSK, the Kolkata batsmen clobbered Laxmipathy Balaji for 19 runs.
Hodge hit him for two sixes and in the last ball; the now team India wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha dispatched the Chennai quick over the mid-wicket boundary.
Now came the last over, from which KKR needed only six runs. Captain Dhoni gave the ball to Suresh Raina, who leaked two runs from his first three balls. The fourth ball created a scare, in which Hodge narrowly survived a run-out. Saha took two runs on the fifth ball and with one needed from the last ball, the Bengal-wicketkeeper hit a boundary to record a memorable win for KKR.
#4 Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knight Riders – 2009
IPL 2 took place in South Africa and it was capital Johannesburg that witnessed a thriller. KKR posted 160 on the board, with Brad Hodge top scoring with 48. Adam Gilchrist, skipper of Deccan Chargers led from the front and scored a quick 43 but it was hitman Rohit Sharma’s cameo that was most helpful for the Chargers.
The equation was – 28 needing off 12. KKR captain Brendon McCullum trusted Ajit Agarkar with the ball. The veteran Indian responded well, leaking only 7. With 21 required in the last over, Bangladesh’s Mashrafe Mortaza was expected to defend it.
But Rohit Sharma had other plans. The now Mumbai Indians batsman hit a four on the first ball of the over, and a couple of deliveries later, he smashed a 115m six over mid-wicket. On the 5th ball, he hit a four and the last ball was a huge six. Sharma hit an unbeaten 13-ball 26.
#3 Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians – 2008
The Rajasthan Royals locked horns with Mumbai Indians in a cliffhanger contest at Jaipur in 2008. Decent scores of 30s skipper Sachin Tendulkar, in tandem with Sanath Jayasuriya, saw Mumbai Indians put 145/7 on the board.
The hosts, who would have expected to easily run through what looked an easy target, didn’t have a very smooth chase and ended up needing 15 off the last over. Ravindra Jadeja and Niraj Patel were at the crease and the bowler was Dilhara Fernando.
The first two deliveries saw four runs coming from them and then the third was hit for a maximum by Patel. The situation went down to 3 runs from the last ball. Fernando bowled a wide, followed by misfielding on the re-bowl to help the Royals win by 5 wickets.
#2 Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore – 2012
CSK needed 43 runs from last two overs to win the game, and almost everyone ruled them out of the match. CSK were chasing a mammoth 206 to win. They had a good start with Faf du Plessis scoring 71 off 46.
When they needed 43 off 12, Virat was entrusted with the ball but he was smashed by Albie Morkel for 28 runs! With 15 needed off the last over, the 3rd delivery saw Morkel’s dismissal by Vinay Kumar. However, Dwayne Bravo brought it down to 2 off one ball with Ravindra Jadeja on strike. The last ball edged one and went past the keeper for a four.
#1 Rising Pune Supergiant v Kings XI Punjab – 2016
The Rising Pune Supergiant were wooden spooners of IPL 2016, and by the time this game was played, they were down and out of the tournament. But just like their then-skipper MS Dhoni, the outfit wanted to finish off their 2016 campaign in style.
Chasing 173 for the win, the RPS were struggling as they lost wickets in quick succession. MS Dhoni found himself battling alone, with 23 needed from the last over. The ball was given to Axar Patel, and Dhoni refused a single on the first ball and the next ball was a wide.
The equation then looked daunting - 22 off 5, but then began the vintage finisher Dhoni’s sixes. Dhoni hit a maximum over long on in the 3rd ball. In the next, he flat-batted one over covers but Hashim Amla stopped the ball on the boundary to give no runs to Dhoni.
16 was needed in 3 balls and Dhoni hit a four and two sixes to seal the deal. The captain finished with 64 off just 32 balls. which is one of the best finishes in cricket history.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
