When dugouts were left with no nails to bite
Last-ball finishes have always been commonplace in the IPL, and one man seems to have made a habit out of shepherding his sides to stunning wins in such scenarios
ESPNcricinfo staff
29-Mar-2017
MS Dhoni's last-over miracle was among Supergiants' few shining lights in a forgettable debut season • BCCI
23 runs needed off the final over
As the league phase wound down to a close, Supergiants were all but out of the tournament. This was a steep equation by all means, except they had MS Dhoni at the crease. Axar Patel's first ball was dispatched to deep midwicket, and as Dhoni is wont to do, the single was refused. In the next five balls, all of the following happened, in true thrill-a-minute T20 style - a wide, a six, a refused couple of runs, a dog on the field that refused to leave, followed by two more special Dhoni maximums. For his side, though, it was way too late in the competition, and among their few bright sparks in an otherwise middling debut season.
Nine runs needed from the final over
It was the final league game for Super Kings, and one they had to win to stay alive. They had two experienced hands in Dwayne Bravo and Dhoni to guide them home. Knight Riders, though, had a specialist of their own in Rajat Bhatia, who quickly sent Dhoni back with a trademark legcutter. Dhoni's attempted heave to midwicket left his stumps clattered. Three more balls and just three runs later, he had the Eden Gardens crowd baying, with five needed off the final ball. Thankfully for Super Kings, Bravo was back on strike, and Bhatia was the first to snap off the final ball - a low full toss was sent walloping over the long-on boundary.
21 runs needed off the final over
It was a game Knight Riders had to win to get two shots at qualifying for the final. Mumbai had a harder equation, with dependencies on other sides to push them up the league table. L Balaji was handed the ball, having dismissed Kieron Pollard in his previous over. James Franklin did a smaller version of what is now known in the Eden Gardens as a Brathwaite of sorts, creaming four fours off the first four balls to bring down the equation to a more gettable five off two. A single later, it was down to Ambati Rayudu to hit the last-ball boundary. Rayudu duly swung over deep square leg, a feat that drew comparisons with one Javed Miandad.
18 runs needed off the final over
Rohit Sharma, who had made a name pulling Deccan Chargers from the dead in chases, had switched over to his home franchise and was facing Dan Christian in the final over. James Franklin's hitting and smart running left Mumbai with 11 to get off three balls. Rohit then edged one off the toe-end of his bat for six, before putting the game to bed with a club over long-on. Christian erred with his length and paid the ultimate price for it in the end.
12 runs needed off the final over
This was an odd end to an odd chase. Royals had 153 to overcome, had lost only two wickets until the 20th over and still had to get 12 off the last six balls. Morne Morkel was the man in charge off completing a stunning victory for Daredevils, conceding only three runs in the penultimate over. Ajinkya Rahane was on 75 off 58 balls, with Owais Shah for company. He smacked a six, scampered a couple, and left himself with two to get off the final ball. A Super Over was the least they should have managed, but a failed bye and a run-out ensured Daredevils pulled off one of the IPL's most bizarre victories.
Five runs needed off the final over
Despite only 119 to get, Mumbai were in all sorts of trouble despite having wickets in hand. By the time Murali Kartik walked in to bowl the final over, they had Rohit and Andrew Symonds at the crease with just five to get. Kartik's tight bowling and some exceptional fielding from the likes of Jesse Ryder and Robin Uthappa left them with one to get off the final ball. A length ball outside off was carted over the extra-cover fence in true Rohit Sharma style, and a collective sigh of relief could be heard around the Wankhede. What should have been a stroll, turned into a laboured walk, with a few catnaps in between.
17 runs needed off the final over
Royal Challengers had been in this position many times before, and often came a cropper in tense last-over finishes, especially while bowling. They lost against the same opponent four seasons earlier when a tornado of an innings from David Miller had shattered their hopes. This time, in 2016, it was Marcus Stoinis who took Chris Jordan for 11 runs off the first three balls of the final over, leaving the door ajar. Jordan, however, recovered, sending down slower balls and wide full tosses to seal the game for his side. Eventually, despite Stoinis' heroics, Kings XI fell short by a run.
21 runs needed off the final over
It is astonishing, the sheer number of times Rohit has featured in last-ball finishes in the IPL, and almost always, come out on the winning side. This was a few years before his exploits for Mumbai and among his most adventurous. Mashrafe Mortaza gave it all away, as he went from bad to worse, with no-balls and wides without which the game could well have turned the other way. Rohit duly made the most of it all, smashing 26 off an eight ball over.
21 runs needed off the final over
Ashoke Dinda had done his job, restricting AB de Villiers and Saurabh Tiwary to just seven runs in the 19th over. Ashish Nehra was then entrusted with the task of seeing things out. Instead, it was de Villiers who did the magic, welcoming misdirected yorkers with improbable scoops behind the pitch. In the end, though, it was Tiwary who needed to close it out, with three needed off the final ball. Another yorker gone wrong, another last-ball six added to IPL records.
Chennai Super Kings v Delhi Daredevils, IPL 2015
19 runs needed off the final over
Former Super Kings man Albie Morkel was at the other end when Dwayne Bravo - in some ways the man who cost him a regular starting spot in the side - came on to bowl. Daredevils had just two wickets in hand, and Imran Tahir was at the non-striker's end. In other words, Super Kings just needed to get Morkel off strike to get the game. Oddly, though, Tahir's wicket off the third ball nearly cost Super Kings dear, as Morkel came back on strike and smashed eight of the 14 runs needed in the next two balls. Bravo kept bowling length, Morkel kept smashing them, including the last ball, which went for four. It was one of those times when the bowling side had enough cushion to survive, eventually getting home by only one run.