Since the inception of Twenty20, the game is not over till its actually over. This is why the shortest format of the game has offered. It eventually grabbed eyeballs following the thrilling finishes owing to nerve-racking moments. However, Indian Premier League (IPL) is no different.
Over the years we have seen some incredible comeback victories from situations where teams had almost lost the match.
A combination of pressure-induced mistakes and individual brilliance wrote these scripts.
Let us relive five such instances when the teams achieved what looked impossible in IPL:
Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (Chennai, 2012):
Batting first, Royal Challengers posted a massive target of 205 runs with half-centuries from Chris Gayle (68) and Virat Kohli (57).
However, in reply, Chennai got off to a good start with Faf du Plessis scoring 71 runs. Suresh Raina (23) and MS Dhoni (41) also made aggressive, but inadequate contributions around him.
Muttiah Muralitharan (3/21) ensured that CSK could never cease the advantage in the middle overs, and when Zaheer Khan dismissed Dhoni off the last ball of the 18th over, 43 were still needed to win with Dwayne Bravo unbeaten on a 10-ball 13 and Albie Morkel yet to face a ball.
RCB skipper Daniel Vettori handed the ball to Virat Kohli in the 19th over due to lack of better option.
Morkel hammered 28 runs off the over, including three huge sixes and two boundaries as CSK stormed their way back into the match, leaving 15 to win from six balls.
A combined effort from Ravindra Jadeja and Bravo sealed the game for CSK, what even the most enthusiastic CSK supporters were probably doubted.
Chennai took the game out of nowhere mostly dominated by RCB.
Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders (Ahmedabad, 2014):
Put to bat first, Rajasthan Royals posted 170 runs on the board with contributions from Sanju Samson (37), Karun Nair (44).
Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders got off to a flier as they scored 121 runs in 14 overs without losing any wicket.
It looked like a cakewalk for KKR with 5o needed from six overs and power-hitters to follow. However, RR skipper Shane Watson had some other plans.
He handed the ball to the 42-year-old Pravin Tambe, who turnaround the game for his team.
He had Manish Pandey stumped down the leg side, Yusuf Pathan caught and bowled the first ball through a brilliant catch diving in his follow-through, and Ryan ten Doeschate lbw first ball to complete a spectacular hat-trick and script a dramatic twist in the match as the Knight Riders slumped from 121 for no loss to 123 for six in two overs.
The setback proved too tough for KKR to revive as they managed to score only 160 runs.
Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings at (Abu Dhabi, 2014):
Batting first, Chennai posted a towering total of 205 on the board while banking on Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum.
Many of the fans thought the game was over, Glenn Maxwell-David Miller partnership had other things in store.
They were reduced to 52 for three after a brilliant bowling effort from the Chennai bowlers.
But it was Maxwell’s day as luck favoured him the most. He played a gem of a knock of 95 runs off just 43 deliveries but left it unfinished.
Then it was the Miller show which turned upside down and left CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni stunned.
KXIP chased down the staggering target with seven balls to spare.
Kings XI Punjab vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (Mohali, 2013):
Royal Challengers Bangalore scored 190 for three in the first innings, led by Chris Gayle (61) and Cheteshwar Pujara (51), and boosted by a quickfire 38 from AB de Villiers.
However, Punjab struggled at halfway mark losing four wickets at the score of 68.
The equation steepened by the end of the 13th over- reading 96 off 42 balls- but David Miller, accompanied by Rajagopal Sathish, now had his eye in and a license to break free.
The southpaw unleashed some brutal hitting as the bowlers went in search of leathers.
The next four overs went for 77 runs as Miller moved from 27 off 17 to 95 off 37 balls. With Punjab needing 19 off 18, Kohli ran out of ideas and handed the ball to Gayle.
This prompted Sathish to join the party as he struck two fours and a six before giving Miller the strike with three to win.
KXIP won the game with two over to spare, however, at one stage they looked totally out of the equation.
Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians ( Wankhede, 2018):
Batting first Mumbai posted a moderate total of 165 runs after a late cameo from Krunal Pandya. Surya Kumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan also chipped in with crucial contributions.
However, it was a sad story for Dhoni-led revamped Chennai side. CSK lost wickets at regular intervals as debutant Mayank Markande and Hardik Pandya returned with three wickets.
Struggling 118 for 8 in 16.3 overs, Bravo had something different in mind.
After a slow and steady start, he absolutely hammered the bowlers to all-round the park. He struck seven sixes and three fours on his way to scoring 68 runs off 30 balls.
With 27 runs required from 12 balls, Rohit Sharma handed the ball to his best troops.
However, Jasprit Bumrah failed to find his line and length as Bravo took him for 20 runs before getting out in the last ball.
However, Kedhar Jadhav finished the job with a four and six in the last over as they scripted a historic comeback.
Further, here is the newsfeed:
Hyderabad, Rajasthan aim to overcome loss of captains
Rain threat emerges as Kings XI Punjab gears up to play their first tie
