The Indian Premier League, the world’s most prestigious T20 tournament, has provided so much entertainment in recent years that cricket fans could never get enough of it.
This league’s ability to maintain decorum and class over the years is admirable. There may have been similar leagues in other countries, but none came close to the IPL’s monstrosity.
IPL has seen some incredible moments in its 15-year history. Today, we’ll go over the top ten IPL moments that had us screaming at the top of our lungs!
Here are our top ten favourite IPL matches of all time:
10. RCB vs MI, 10th match, 2020
RCB – 201/3
MI – 201/5
Result – Tied (RCB won the one-over eliminator)
Bangalore got off to a flying start thanks to Devdutt Paddikal and Aaron Finch’s fifties.
AB De Villiers’ brilliant 55 runs off 24 balls, which included four fours and four sixes, lifted the middle order.
Shivam Dube’s brisk knock at the end propelled RCB past 200 runs.
Mumbai was rattled by RCB bowlers, who claimed three wickets in seven overs. But Ishan Kishan came through with a 99-pitch outing.
In the end, Kieron Pollard’s fifty ensured Bangalore’s tie-up.
Navdeep Saini bowled a brilliant super over, conceding only 7 runs, which Kohli and company chased down with a last-ball boundary from the captain.
9. DC vs PBKS, 2nd match, 2020
DC – 157/8
PBKS – 157/8
Result – Tied (DC won the one-over eliminator)
The brilliant bowling of Mohammed Shami and Sheldon Cotrell at the start shook the Delhi Capitals.
DC was 96/6 in 16 overs until Marcus Stoinis rescued Delhi from a nightmare with a 53-ball knock that helped them reach 157.
Punjab Kings got off to a shaky start, being reduced to 55 runs with 5 wickets down. Mayank Agarwal, on the other hand, was steadfast in his actions, holding one end and taking Punjab’s score equal to DC’s.
Rabada’s brilliant Super-over performance limited Punjab to only two runs. DC chased it inside three balls and won in a nail-biter.
8. CSK vs KXIP, Qualifier 2, 2014
CSK – 226/6
KXIP – 202/7
Result – KXIP won by 24 runs
The losing team would be eliminated from the tournament following an intense qualifier.
Virender Sehwag batted first for Punjab, smashing 122 runs in 58 balls, including eight sixes and twelve fours.
Punjab finished on 226 thanks to a quickfire from David Miller at the end.
CSK got off to a shaky start, losing their first wicket on the second ball of the first over. But then Suresh Raina arrived, and he went like no other.
Raina struck out on 87 runs in 25 balls. He hit 12 fours and six sixes, scaring Punjab, but they were unable to complete the chase, as Punjab won by 24 runs and advanced to the final.
7. CSK vs RR, Final, 2008
CSK – 163/5
RR – 164/7
Result – RR won by 3 wickets
The inaugural IPL final was an intriguing one. CSK’s batting was carried by some useful knocks from Raina, Parthiv, and Dhoni, who helped them reach 163.
Rajasthan’s Yusuf Pathan took three wickets.
RR was bowled out for 42 runs in 6.4 overs after losing three early wickets. Shane Watson and Yusuf Pathan came to the rescue, each scoring 65 runs. Pathan scored 59 runs, including four sixes.
It came down to the final ball, and Sohail Tanvir hit the winning run, giving RR their first IPL season trophy.
Yusuf Pathan was named Man of the Match for his all-around performance under duress.
6. KXIP vs KKR, Final, 2014
KXIP – 199/4
KKR – 200/7
Result – KKR won by 3 wickets
KXIP lost two wickets in the powerplay with only 30 runs scored. Manan Vohra batted for an hour and hit a fifty, while Wriddhiman Saha attacked the KKR bowling.
He scored 199 runs for Punjab by hitting 115 runs in 55 balls, including eight sixes.
KKR began similarly, but Manish Pandey had a different plan.
Under pressure, he hit 95 runs in 50 balls, including six brilliant sixes and seven classic fours. Yusuf Pathan made an appearance and hit four sixes.
Finally, Piyush Chawla crossed the finish line with a boundary, and KKR won their second and final IPL title under Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy.
5. MI vs CSK, 1st match, 2018
MI – 165/4
CSK – 169/9
Result – CSK won by 1 wicket
This was CSK’s comeback season after missing the previous two due to a suspension.
Mumbai lost early wickets, but short handy knocks from the middle and lower order helped MI reach a respectable total of 165 runs.
CSK were out of the game after batting and losing 8 wickets for 118 runs in 16.3 overs.
But then Dwayne Bravo played one of the best IPL knocks, scoring 68 runs in 30 balls and hitting seven sixes to help CSK win by a wicket and a ball.
4. RCB vs GL, Qualifier 1, 2016
RCB – 158
GL – 159/6
Result – RCB won by 4 wickets
Gujarat Lions overcame early batting difficulties thanks to Dwayne Smith’s classic knock of 73 runs in 41 balls, which included six sixes and four fours.
He proved to be a lone fighter in GL’s batting armour, contributing to a respectable total of 158 runs.
The RCB’s nightmare began when they were reduced to 68 runs and six wickets down.
AB de Villiers was the only man who could have saved them from this situation, and he arrived on the field.
He single-handedly won the knockout game for RCB with 79 runs not out off 47 deliveries that included five sixes and four fours.
The match was won by RCB by four wickets.
3. MI vs RPS, Final, 2017
MI – 129/8
RPS – 128/6
Result – MI won by 1 run
Under the immense pressure of the final, it was a classic low scoring T20 game.
MI batted first and scored 129 runs thanks to Krunal Pandya’s 47-run knock.
The Rising Pune Supergiants batted poorly, but they were able to stick to the pitch, losing only one wicket in the powerplay.
Steve Smith hit a fifty, but Mitchel Johnson was able to defend 12 runs in the final over to help Mumbai win their third IPL title by a single run.
2. MI vs CSK, Final, 2019
MI – 149/8
CSK – 148/7
Result – MI won by 1 run
Quinton De Kock batted well to start MI’s innings, but Chennai’s bowlers were ruthless, taking two wickets in the powerplay.
Kieron Pollard’s 41-run not out off 25 deliveries lifted Mumbai to within one run of 150.
CSK started the chase well but quickly lost focus after the powerplay.
They were 4 wickets down in 13 overs at the time.
Shane Watson, on the other hand, was firmly batting at one end.
His fighting spirit was evident as he continued to play despite a serious knee injury that was visible on camera.
He scored 80 runs off 59 balls, but CSK fell one run short of MI’s total.
Although it was heartbreaking for the yellow army, MI won their fourth IPL title.
1. MI vs RR, 56th match, 2014
MI – 189/4
RR – 195/5
Result – MI won by 5 wickets
This was one of the best T20 matches, with Mumbai Indians needing to chase any target under 14.3 overs in order to advance to the qualifiers.
Rajasthan set a target of 190 runs thanks to the fifties of Sanju Samson and Karun Nair.
MI batters wasted no time and began whacking every bowler from the first ball.
While every other batsman was simply throwing the bat under the ball, Corey Anderson provided the needed anchor role.
He scored 95 points on 44 balls. It went to 14.3 overs, but MI couldn’t beat the score.
They needed a six on the next ball to advance to the qualifiers.
Aditya Tare faced his first ball, but guess what? He hit Faulkner for a much-needed six off the very next ball, and MI entered the qualifiers with a bang.
Not to mention that MI had lost their first six matches of the season and was on the back foot, but the comeback in the final match was incredible.
