Indian Premier League (IPL) is ready to deliver another action-packed season to cricket fans with its 16th season. The cash-rich league has given several moments of joy to its supporters in its fifteen years of journey. Last year, the two most successful franchises of the tournament Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) failed to turn up against their rivals and ended at the bottom of the points table.
Looking back at the past, it could be witnessed that both these franchises played aggressive cricket since the inception of the tournament and made it to the finals majority of times. Both these teams have given some incredible summit clashes in their last 15 years of journey. In the upcoming competition, both teams will look to be at their best and play another decider to lift the prestigious trophy. Talking about other teams, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have also played some quality cricket in the past to mark their presence in a couple of finals in the T20 extravaganza.
Here are the 10 best IPL finals of all time
10. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Mumbai Indians (MI), 2010
In the third edition of the IPL, MI played some quality cricket and qualified for the final for the first time under their captain Sachin Tendulkar. On the other hand, MS-Dhoni-led CSK also performed exceptionally well throughout the tournament and reserved their spot to play the decider at DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai.
Winning the toss in the marquee game, CSK skipper MS Dhoni elected to bat first. Coming out to open the innings for CSK, Matthew Hayden and Murali Vijay struggled to pile up runs in the initial overs of the game and fell to MI bowlers under 10 overs. However, with the rapid knocks of Suresh Raina (57 runs off 35 deliveries) and MS Dhoni (22 runs off balls), CSK put up a decent total of 168/5 on the board.
Defending the target, CSK got their first breakthrough in the second over, with Doug Bollinger dismissing Shikhar Dhawan on 0. The left-handed opener’s wicket impacted MI negatively as they got defensive in front of fierce CSK bowlers. Their top performers Tendulkar, JP Duminy, Ambati Rayudu, and Kieron Pollard failed to hold their nerves. In the end, CSK got dominant and pocketed the match by 22 runs to lift their maiden trophy.
9. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), 2018
Completing their two-year ban in 2018, CSK returned to the IPL in the 12th IPL edition. Dhoni & his men performed exceptionally in the league round and ended up in the second position on the points table with nine wins and five losses in 14 matches. In the massive Qualifier match, Super Kings claimed a thrilling two-wicket victory over SRH and reserved their berth for the final at Wankhede Stadium.
After facing a defeat at the hands of CSK, Sunrisers made a comeback in the tournament, getting the better of KKR in the second qualifier. With SRH’s qualification, CSK found themselves in an advantageous position as they were going to face the side that got beaten thrice in the competition. On the big day in Mumbai, CSK won the toss and invited Williamson and his boys to bat first. Riding on fine batting displays from Kane Williamson, Yusuf Pathan, and other batters, SRH posted 178/6 on the board.
Following the swashbuckling performance from batters, Sandeep Sharma exuded confidence with the ball, removing Faf du Plessis on 10 (11) in his second over. However, flamboyant Shane Watson showed his class and handled the situation perfectly scoring a century to take his team home. In the huge match, the former Aussie player notched up unbeaten 117 runs off just 57 deliveries to help Super Kings lift the trophy for the third time.
8. Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK), 2013
MI have always been known for their aggressive brand of cricket. From 2010 to 2012, they qualified for playoffs consistently, along with their arch-rivals CSK. In 2013, the same happened as MI reached the playoffs again to play the first Qualifier match against Dhoni and his men.
Under their young skipper Rohit Sharma, Mumbai faltered in the high-voltage game, losing to the opponents by 48 runs. The comprehensive defeat gave MI critics a chance to call Sharma and his boys chokers due to their back-to-back failures in the Playoff round. However, the team hit back at their critics, winning the second Qualifier match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) by four wickets.
Against CSK in the final, Mumbai won the toss and elected to bat first. On the grassy Kolkata pitch, CSK pacers demolished MI’s top order, but Ambati Rayudu’s steady 37 runs (36 deliveries) and Kieron Pollard’s 60 runs (32 balls) helped Mumbai to rack up 148/9. Defending the low total, MI bowlers’ came hard on the CSK batting unit. The match saw incredible coordination of MI bowlers to vanquish the rivals by 23 runs in the contest and clinch their maiden title.
7. Deccan Chargers vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), 2009
After ending up the inaugural IPL season as the worst team, Deccan Chargers (DC) put up a phenomenal show in 2009. Under the former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, the team qualified for the knockouts. Leading the team from the front, Gilchrist played a fearless knock of 85 runs (35 balls) in the semi-final against Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) and won the game for his side by six wickets.
With this win, they qualified for the final against Anil Kumble-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Johannesburg. Batting first after winning the toss, DC lost their last match’s hero Gilchrist and Tirumalasetti Suman early. Taking control over the matter, veterans Herschelle Gibbs and Andrew Symonds produced quality knocks from their bats to help their team accumulate 143/6 at the end of their innings.
Following the target, RCB got a shaky start as their openers Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey fell cheaply. Roelof van der Merwe, who looked amazing scoring 32, got trapped by Pragyan Ojha. After the Protea’s wicket, Challengers’ batters looked timid while facing the emboldened DC bowlers. In a reply to DC’s 143/6, RCB looked helpless and ended up their innings on 137/9.
6. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK), 2012
After failing to be impactful in the league from 2008-11, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) finally pulled off the title in 2012, under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir. The Kolkata-based franchise played with an aggressive approach in the league round and ended up in the second position (league stage points table) with 10 triumphs and five defeats in 16 matches.
KKR continued their form in the Playoffs stage as well. Against Virender Sehwag-led Delhi Capitals (DC), Gambhir and his boys defended an average total of 162/4 and broke into the final with their 18-run win. However, their biggest challenge was CSK, who got the spot in the final after winning their two knockout games in the Playoffs.
In CSK’s den Chepauk, Gautam Gambhir lost the toss and put to bowl first. Taking advantage of batting first, CSK batters plundered runs comfortably and gave a colossal target of 191 to KKR. Coming out to chase the total, Kolkata lost their captain in their first over but Manvinder Bisla and Jacques Kallis played courageous innings to take the team close. In the last overs of the game, Shakib Al Hasan and Manoj Tiwary showed nerves of steel and helped their team to achieve the total with five wickets left in hand.
5. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Punjab Kings (PBKS), IPL 2014
Under Gautam Gambhir, KKR clinched their first IPL trophy in 2012 and brought cheers to their supporters. Next year, they failed to defend the title but again in 2014, they showed their best side and won their second title, beating George Bailey-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) by three wickets at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The toss fell in KKR’s favour and Gautam Gambhir opted to bowl first. In the first six overs of the match, Knight Riders dominated PBKS but an incredible 129-run stand between Manan Vohra and Wriddhiman Saha gave chills to Kolkata supporters. Riding on Saha’s unbeaten 115-run innings off just 55 deliveries, PBKS accumulated 199/4 in 20 overs.
Pursuing the target, opener Robin Utthappa went back to the pavilion early scoring five while Gambhir chipped in with only 23 runs. However, Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan stood and delivered to the team on D-Day with their marvellous knock of 94 and 36. Till the 17th over, the game was under KKR’s control but things moved towards Punjab with Pandey’s wicket. However, Piyush Chawla, who looked horrendous with the ball in the game, won the hearts of Kolkata’s supporters with his match-finishing 13 off just 5.
4. Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK), 2008
Every IPL season, Rajasthan Royals (RR) fans expect their team to be stunning in the competition as it was under the late Shane Warne in 2008. In the inaugural season, RR looked fantastic under the leadership of the former Aussie spin wizard and lifted the prestigious trophy. Claiming 11 wins in 14 matches, they ruled the points chart. Thrashing Capitals (then Daredevils) by an enormous margin of 105 runs, they became the first IPL finalist, along with CSK.
Playing the mega final at DY Patil Stadium, RR were required to showcase their best and they did the same in the contest. Before the start of the match, luck favoured RR as the toss went into Warne’s favour and he decided to bowl first. Since the start of the game, the Royals’ bowlers didn’t allow CSK batters to dominate them.
With their tight bowling, RR stopped the Yellow Army on an average total of 163/5. Yusuf Pathan, who delivered a magnificent spell for his team, exploded with the bat as well to help his team cross the line. The talented right-handed batter smashed 56 off 39 in his team’s last-ball win in the final. Earlier, RR found themselves in trouble as their first three batters got back to the dugout while the team was stuck at 42.
3. Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS), 2017
In 2017, MI became the first team to win the third title in the tournament, beating Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in the final by just 1 run. At the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, MI captain Rohit Sharma elected to bat first after bagging the coin toss. In the high-voltage contest, openers Lendl Simmons (three runs) and Parthiv Patel (four runs) couldn’t deliver a fierce start to the team.
Things got worse for Mumbai when Ambati Rayudu also departed after getting run out on 12. Throughout the MI innings, wickets kept on falling but Krunal Pandya held the strike at one end to help his team reach a respectable total of 129/8. The left-handed batter hit 47 runs with his bat in just 38 balls.
Despite giving a below-par target to Pune, MI didn’t lose faith. Their bowler always kept them in the game with their solid bowling. With 11 required in the last over for Pune, captain Rohit Sharma handed the ball to Mitchell Johnson, who got the scalps of Manoj Tiwary and Steve Smith to bag the game in Mumbai’s favour. On the last delivery, the former Aussie speedster had to defend four runs and he did it very well.
2. Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK), 2019
MI and CSK have delivered various treats to the fans of the league in the last 15 years. Their rivalry has got intense year by year as both are the most successful teams in the T20 tournament. In 2019, they both played excellently in the competition and locked horns with each other for another time.
Like the 2017 IPL final, Rohit Sharma won the toss this contest too, and elected to bat first. The rapid innings of Quinton de Kock (29 off 17) and Kieron Pollard (41 off 25) helped MI to amass 149.8 in 20 overs. With 149 on the board, MI had to be aggressive with the ball against dangerous Super Kings’ batters.
In the first 10 overs, Super Kings hit 70 runs with the loss of only two wickets but things got complicated for CSK after the wickets of veterans Ambati Rayudu and MS Dhoni. However, Shane Watson played some good strokes with his bat and took the game close. In the last over of the match, CSK required nine runs and Malinga bowled an extraordinary spell that helped his team to claim the match by just one run.
1. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), 2016
For Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) supporters, the 2016 IPL season will be unforgettable as their teams performed brilliantly throughout the tournament. Their captains Virat Kohli and David Warner led from the front and took their respective teams to the final. However, RCB fans will look back at the tournament and regret their team’s performance in the decider game of the season.
Playing in front of their home crowd at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, RCB bowled after losing the crucial toss. Kicking off SRH’s innings in style, openers Warner and Shikhar Dhawan stitched a solid 63-run stand in just 6.4 overs. On a humongous day, the SRH captain played fiery 69-run innings off just 38 balls and proved why he is considered a man of big matches.
Reaping the benefits of Warner’s exceptional work, Ben Cutting also gave a finishing touch to SRH innings with his stunning 39-run knock off 15 deliveries. The Aussie player’s swift innings helped SRH to add 208 runs to the board. With a mammoth total in front of eyes, Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle came out to open the innings and scored 113 runs in just 10.0 overs.
However, the scenario completely changed after Gayle and Kohli’s dismissals as no other RCB batter looked confident to stand on the crease and snatch the match away from the Sunrisers. In the end, Bangalore went back home without success while Warner-led SRH lifted the trophy for the first time in the history of the league.
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