There is something uniquely cruel—and beautiful—about T20 cricket. For 39 overs, a match can follow a script. And then, in the final over, everything unravels. Plans collapse, heroes emerge, and the difference between victory and defeat shrinks to a single delivery.
The Indian Premier League has built its legacy on these moments. Not just big sixes or star performances, but games where the margin is so fine that it almost feels unfair. Matches where players don’t just compete—they endure.
This is a look at some of the best closest encounters in IPL history, where pressure peaked, time slowed down, and cricket delivered pure theatre.
Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2014
The MI team had a terrible start to the campaign of IPL 2014. They had almost lost their way up to the qualifiers when they pulled off the impossible.
MI had to chase whatever was set by Rajasthan Royals in just 14.3 overs to up their net run rate. RR set a target of 190 with the help of some mighty blows from Sanju Samson and Karun Nair and it was a tough ask for the Mumbai batsmen. Not only did they need to win the match, but also had to maintain the net run rate so as to qualify in the next round of matches.
Corey Anderson, though, took matters into his own hands and started a full powered assault on the opposition. Helped by Michael Hussey and Ambati Rayudu, they reached a stage when they needed 9 off 3 deliveries. However, after three deliveries, the scores were only tied.
Everyone thought MI had come agonizingly close to achieving the impossible. However, the drama was not finished. MI still had a chance – they needed a boundary off the next delivery! That’s when Aditya Tare hit a huge six off James Faulkner to take his side into the playoffs. The scenes at the Wankhede Stadium at the end of this match were an absolute delight.
Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2009
The initial few years of KKR was really disappointing for the fans. The Kolkata Knight Riders were always at the receiving end. But in this memorable match, KKR pulled off one of the most exciting chases in the competition. This match was played in Centurion in 2009.
Assisted by catchy half-centuries from Brad Hodge and Brendon McCullum, KKR found the pace and rhythm to the victory. The thrill began when chasing 189, the Knights required 25 runs from 12 balls. In the last but one over, when most of the viewers considered KKR a weak side for CSK, the Kolkata batsmen clobbered Laxmipathy Balaji for 19 runs.
Hodge hit him for two sixes and in the last ball; the team India wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha dispatched the Chennai quick over the mid-wicket boundary.
Now came the last over, from which KKR needed only six runs. Captain Dhoni gave the ball to Suresh Raina, who leaked two runs from his first three balls. The fourth ball created a scare, in which Hodge narrowly survived a run-out. Saha took two runs on the fifth ball and with one needed from the last ball, the Bengal-wicketkeeper hit a boundary to record a memorable win for KKR.
Also Read | Lowest totals defended in IPL history
Rising Pune Supergiant v Kings XI Punjab , IPL 2016
The Rising Pune Supergiant were wooden spooners of IPL 2016, and by the time this game was played, they were down and out of the tournament. But just like their then-skipper MS Dhoni, the outfit wanted to finish off their 2016 campaign in style.
Chasing 173 for the win, the RPS was struggling as they lost wickets in quick succession. MS Dhoni found himself battling alone, with 23 needed from the last over. The ball was given to Axar Patel, and Dhoni refused a single on the first ball and the next ball was a wide.
The equation then looked daunting - 22 of 5, but then began the vintage finisher Dhoni’s sixes. Dhoni hit a maximum over long-on in the 3rd ball. In the next over, he flat-batted one over covers but Hashim Amla stopped the ball on the boundary to give no runs to Dhoni.
16 was needed in 3 balls and Dhoni hit four and two sixes to seal the deal. The captain finished with 64 off just 32 balls. which is one of the best finishes in cricket history.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2009
In the very first super over of the IPL, Rajasthan Royals triumphed over Kolkata Knight Riders in an intense fixture in Cape Town. RR chose to bat first and lost two quick wickets. However, Pathan came to the crease and scored a quick-fire 21-ball 42 to help his side post a respectable score of 150 on the board. Abhishek Raut acted as a catalyst, helped as well.
For KKR, Chris Gayle produced the initial onslaught but four quick dismissals halted their chase. Sourav Ganguly then played a captain’s knock and almost singlehandedly won it for KKR. However, in the penultimate ball, with two needed off two, he edged one to ‘keeper Kamran Akmal.
Ishant Sharma could manage only one run off the last delivery to take the match into the super over. As Gayle hit three boundaries, it once again seemed like KKR were on the cusp of victory, however, Pathan clearly had other ideas. Yusuf Pathan broke the tied match with two sixes and a boundary in the super over to chase down 16 runs in just four deliveries.
Also Read | Highest Successful Run chases in IPL history
Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings - 2019 IPL final
If there’s one franchise that has mastered the art of surviving chaos, it’s Mumbai Indians.
In the 2019 final, defending 149 against Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai found themselves staring at defeat. Shane Watson had taken the game deep, and CSK needed just 2 runs off the final ball. Lasith Malinga, after an expensive over, produced a moment of genius—a dipping slower yorker that sealed a one-run win.
Two years earlier, in the 2017 final, Mumbai defended an even smaller total (129) against Rising Pune Supergiant. Pune were in control for most of the chase, but pressure has a way of distorting even the simplest equations. They fell short by one run.
Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings - 2023 IPL Final
Finals are meant to crown the best team. Sometimes, they create folklore.
The 2023 IPL final between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans had everything - rain interruptions, revised targets, and unbearable tension. With 10 needed off the last 2 balls, the game seemed out of reach.
Ravindra Jadeja had other ideas.
A six. Then a four. And just like that, CSK sealed the title on the final ball.
Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings, IPL 2020
Some matches refuse to end.
In IPL 2020, Mumbai Indians and the Punjab Kings played out a game that felt endless. Both teams scored 176, resulting in a tie. The match went into a Super Over which was tied again. And then, incredibly, into a second Super Over, where Punjab Kings finally edged ahead.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals, IPL 2019
If momentum guaranteed victory, Andre Russell would have won this game single-handedly.
In 2019, Russell launched a brutal assault that seemed certain to carry Kolkata Knight Riders home against Delhi Capitals. But T20 cricket has a cruel twist—momentum can vanish as quickly as it arrives.
Delhi dragged the match into a Super Over and then relied on Kagiso Rabada’s calm execution to seal the win.
Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Supergiant - 2017 IPL final
In the IPL 2017 Final, Mumbai Indians edged out Rising Pune Supergiant in one of the tightest finishes the tournament has ever seen, defending a modest 129/8 against Pune’s 128/6 to win by just 1 run. Krunal Pandya’s crucial 47 anchored a shaky MI innings, but it was the bowlers, especially Mitchell Johnson and Jasprit Bumrah, who turned the game into a nerve-wracking finale. Pune, led by Steve Smith’s 51 and Ajinkya Rahane’s 44, seemed in control for most of the chase, but pressure mounted in the closing overs, culminating in a dramatic last-ball finish where Mumbai held their nerve to clinch their third IPL title.
