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In the epoch of professional T20 cricket leagues, the Indian Premier League has widely been accepted as the number one, in the midst of other leagues. It has been 11 years since its advent, and the cricket enthusiasts have seen some remarkable matches over the years. The franchises have played their level best on the field to rise victorious.
Many match results have been decided on the final ball, and a few games have further gone into super-over.
In this section, let us take a look at the best match of each IPL season from the inaugural season to 2011. The matches have been picked based on the excitement that the game produced, the importance of the game and fortuitous results.
Also read: 10 best ODI matches of the century
Season 1: Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings (Final)
The most anticipated match of the first season was played between the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals at the prestigious Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The two sides had met twice in the tournament before the final, and the side from Rajasthan remained triumphant in both of them. CSK, after being put into bat by Shane Warne, scored 163/5 in 20 overs, on the back of Suresh Raina's 43 and Parthiv Patel's 38.
The franchise from Rajasthan lost their in-form opener Swapnil Asnodkar early. The Royals lost three in quick succession in the chase and were reeling at 42/3. But Shane Watson and Yusuf Pathan got together to put up an excellent 65-run partnership. T20 veteran Pathan scored 56 to bring Rajasthan close to the target.
The equation was minimized to 8 needed off 6 balls. CSK skipper MS Dhoni trusted Laxmipathy Balaji with the ball. The first three balls saw three runs coming from Rajasthan. The situation went down to one run from the last ball. Sohail Tanvir hit Balaji to wide mid-on and gave Rajasthan a historic win.
#Season 2: Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders (23 April 2009)
The 10th match of the 2009 edition between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders was held at the panoramic Capetown stadium. This was the first match in the IPL to be decided by a super over.
In the match, KKR won the toss and elected to field first. They had a great start as they reduced the Royals to 14/2, with big names like Graeme Smith and Paul Valthaty sent back to the pavilion. However, Yusuf Pathan's 42 and Abhishek Raut's cameo at the end helped Rajasthan get to a decent total of 150.
It seemed like a fair target on a pitch were 180 was achievable. Kolkata were cruising to victory when Chris Gayle was at the crease. However, some quick wickets put the Knight Riders in a tricky position. However, Sourav Ganguly's 46 run staging ensured Kolkata needed 7 from the last over. However, an incredible final over from Kamran Khan helped Rajasthan to end the match in a tie.
However, Rajasthan got their win in the super-over, successfully chasing 16 runs.
#Season 3: Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab (April 18, 2010)
Chennai Super Kings locked horns with Kings XI Punjab in a do or die contest at Dharamsala in 2010. For Chennai, it was a must-win match, and a defeat would knock them out of the tournament.
Batting first, Punjab scored 192/3 at the back of Shaun Marsh's individual performance at the top. Opener Marsh and Mahela Jayawardene scored 88(57) and 21(8) respectively, providing them with the great start. But it was Irfan Pathan's runs which helped Punjab to reach the 190 mark.
Chasing 193 for the win, CSK was seen struggling as they lost their openers in quick succession. However, Suresh Raina and Subramaniam Badrinath joined hands for the third wicket and raised a much-needed partnership. Still, it was finisher MS Dhoni's cameo that was most helpful for the Super Kings. With 16 required in the final over, Irfan Pathan was expected to defend it. But Dhoni had other ideas.
The Chennai skipper hit a four on the first ball of the over, and a couple off the next delivery. On the 3rd ball, Dhoni once again struck a four and the fourth ball was sent over the boundary line to end the chase. Dhoni's unbeaten 29-ball 54 staging helped Chennai to win the match with 6 wickets and 2 balls in hand.
#Season 4: Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (May 24, 2011)
This match was the first qualifier of IPL 2011, and the teams playing were Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore at Mumbai. Battings first, Bangalore posted a target of 175 for Chennai to chase. Chasing the total seemed to be a tricky task.
And it became adverse for CSK when they lost openers Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay with just 3 runs on the board. However, Suresh Raina once again rose as the savior for Chennai.
His partnership with Subramaniam Badrinath, MS Dhoni, and Albie Morkel took Chennai closer to the total.
With 33 runs required off 12 balls, Raina and Morkel smashed 21 runs off the penultimate over. The final over was given to Daniel Vettori, and Raina took a single off the first ball. The equation was 11 runs needed off 5 balls with Morkel on strike. He smashed two fours and a six to finish the deal and seal an exhilarating victory for CSK.
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