20-20 is in the town. It is the season of raining sixes and flying wickets. That time of the year – IPL is here. 2016 will see the ninth edition of the Indian premier league being played across the country. 8 teams fight for the finish. If previous seasons are to go by, this edition of IPL also promises to be high on entertainment and full of excitement. Nail Biting and nerve wrecking matches are the true advertisement of the league. The amount of last over finishes we see in the IPL, one thing is for sure; it is not for the fainthearted.
Let`s check out the 5 most exciting matches played in IPL across all seasons:
1 – Chennai SuperKings vs Kings XI Punjab (2010)
Captain cool was again at it, doing what he does best – Finishing matches. Chasing a mammoth 192 to win the match and a spot in the semi finals, Chennai Superkings hopes were kept alive initially by a quick 50 from Raina, but a big push was required in the final overs. Who better than the man himself, MS Dhoni was at the crease with 40 required off 3 overs and finally 16 required of the last over. Dhoni got stuck into Irfan pathan for a boundary and 2 towering sixes to take his side home with two balls to spare.
2 – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Daredevils (2013)
It doesn’t get closer than this.Both teams finished at a tied score of 152 at the end of their 20 overs. And as the rules say, it was time for the decider, the Super Over. RCB scored 15 while the daredevils could only muster 11 runs to take home another defeat.
3 – Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Superkings (2013)
When two batting super powers clash, it goes right there to the last ball. RCB batting first made a fighting 165 for 4. In reply CSK batted decently and needed 16 off the last over. The cool and calm MS Dhoni was at the crease with Ravindra Jadeja by his side. 2 runs required off the last ball, Jadeja on strike and he uppercuts the ball straight into the hands of thirdman. But when Sir Jadeja is out there, strange things happen. The umpire signaled a no ball and CSK won with one ball to spare.
4 – Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab (2008)
The inaugural season of IPL was not far behind in giving us some of the closest matches played ever in the tournament. Chasing 190, Mumbai Indians required 19 off the last over they managed to take it to 2 needed off the last ball but a diving Yuvraj Singh cut short Mumbai`s chase through a run out by a heart stopping 1 run. Absolute classic of a match but got over shadowed by the slapgate incident between Harbhajan singh and S Sreesanth.
5 – Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knightriders (2009)
This match gave IPL a new hero – the extremely talented Rohit Sharma. Needing 21 off the last over bowled by seasoned campaigner Mashrafe Mortaza, KKR had all but won the match but Rohit had other plans. He launched a barrage of sixes to win the match for his team off the last ball.
Looking forward to more such fun at IPL 9.