Every season of the IPL throws up some thrilling and memorable contests that stay on in the minds of the players and the fans alike long after the edition has ended. The intensity and the quality of the competition ensures that we witness a number of exhilarating games every season, just like the one we witnessed in the finals of the edition last year when Mumbai Indians trumped Chennai Super Kings by just a run.
However, while that game has been often spoken about, there have been a number of other thrilling matches that have been thrown up over the last 12 seasons. We look at the three most exciting encounters from the IPL history that proved to be nerve-whacking.
Dhoni’s last over feats helps his team over the line: Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab, Dharamsala, 2010
The 2010 edition of the IPL was a roller-coaster ride for CSK. They had won six of their 13 games in the league stages and needed to win their last game against Kings XI Punjab if they harboured any hopes of progressing to the semis.
After winning the toss, the MS Dhoni-led CSK franchise asked Punjab to bat first. It turned out to be a huge mistake as the Kings XI side amassed a strong 192 for 3 in their 20 overs. In reply, CSK had a scratchy start but got back on track courtesy the efforts of Suresh Raina and Subramaniam Badrinath, who scored 46 and 53 respectively. However, with CSK needing another 44 in 18 deliveries, their efforts seemed in vain.
This is where Dhoni rose to the occasion and proved why he was regarded as one of the best finishers back in the day. Scoring 54 in just 29 deliveries, the Ranchi cricketer struck some lusty blows in the last two overs. He ripped apart Irfan Pathan for two successive sixes in the 20th over to give his team a memorable win. With it, CSK entered the play-offs in fine fashion and even went on to win the trophy.
Mumbai manage a miraculous win in 14.3 overs: Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai, 2014
Still regarded as one of the most surreal games in the history of the IPL, Mumbai Indians pulled off a stunning run-chase that will be remembered for a long time. In a must-win game against the Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai needed to chase down 190 runs in 14.3 overs to get ahead of the Royals on Net Run Rate and make it to the top-four.
The task was a stiff one, but Corey Anderson, who was unbeaten on 95 in just 44 deliveries, took Mumbai close. It all boiled down to the 14th over, when the home team needed nine in three deliveries to make semis. Anderson managed just a single off the first ball, giving Ambati Rayudu the strike. The atmosphere was tense all around, but Rayudu kept his calm as he smacked a six over the long-leg boundary to bring things back. Two needed to qualify for the semis in one ball.
The third ball of the 14th over was gently pushed by Rayudu for a single, and he was unfortunately run out while going for the second run. The scores were now tied and confusion prevailed, but the scorers announced that if Mumbai hit a boundary off the next ball, they would be the side that qualifies.
James Faulkner, the Royals bowler, proceeded to bowl a terrible full toss that was smashed over deep square leg for a six by Aditya Tare. As Mumbai Indians celebrated a miraculous win, the image of an infuriated Rahul Dravid, the Royals skipper, throwing his cap in frustration, made news.
When Kohli the bowler lost RCB the game: Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai, 2012
The Chennai and the RCB sides have a lot of rivalry and history going on, which almost always translates to iconic matches on the field. One such game was the league game between the two franchises at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai in 2012 that proved to be a real thriller. The RCB team, while batting first, had set up a mammoth 205 on the board, with the home team needing 2016 to get the two crucial points. At 163 for 4 in the 18th over, it looked like a lost deal for Chennai, and with Dhoni back in the pavilion as well, RCB were well on course for a win.
CSK needed 43 in the last 12 balls, which is when the Bangalore skipper Daniel Vettori, handed the ball to youngster Virat Kohli. The batter on strike, Albie Morkel, loved the medium-pace bowling of Kohli and sent him all over the park. The South African all-rounder carted him for 4, 6, 4, 6, 2 and 6 in the over, taking 28 runs from six balls and getting CSK back into the game.
Though Morkel was dismissed in the last over, some sensational hitting from all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja in the 20th over meant that CSK were able to get over the line in the last ball.