IPL: Top 4 instances when a fielder won a match for his team

#2 George Bailey

George Bailey is a dynamic and athletic fielder

In 2014, the Qualifier 2 was played between the Kings XI Punjab and the Chennai Super Kings. The Kings XI Punjab had dominated the league stage and were looking to book a berth in the final and lift their maiden trophy. Chennai Super Kings were looking to extend their impressive legacy by featuring in yet another IPL final.

Kings XI Punjab batted first and it was a Virender Sehwag special. Viru smashed 122 runs in just 58 balls to power the Kings XI to an impressive total of 226. Chasing a 200+ score is always a herculean task. The fact that this was a knockout game magnified the pressure on the Chennai Super Kings batsmen.

Chennai lost their first wicket in just the second ball of the match. Their reliable number 3, Suresh Raina, came on to the crease. What followed was magical. Suresh Raina batted as if he were in a trance, defying the laws of physics. He notched up 87 runs in a mere 25 balls. That's nearly 3.5 runs per ball! The Super Kings were at 100/1 in 6 overs and the gigantic total didn't seem as gigantic anymore.

The Kings XI would have to come up with something special to end Raina's masterclass. It came not from a bowler, but from a fielder. Raina and McCullum set off for a quick single in the first ball of the seventh over. Unfortunately, they took on the wrong fielder - George Bailey. With a pinpoint throw from cover, Bailey caught Raina short to end one of the greatest innings in IPL history. This run-out turned out to be the match-winner as the Chennai Super Kings couldn't continue from where Raina left off.

You can view the run-out that took KXIP to their first ever IPL final here.

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