Top 10 IPL Finals of All Time
Looking back, it can be seen that these two franchises have played aggressive cricket since the beginning of the tournament and have reached the finals most of the time. In the last 18 years, these two teams have given us some incredible top-notch matches. In the upcoming competition, both the teams will be looking to play another decisive match to win the prestigious trophy at their best. Talking about the other teams, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have also played some quality cricket in the past and have made their presence felt in a few finals in this T20 festival.
10. MI vs CSK, 2019
MI and CSK have given fans of the league a variety of exciting matches over the past 15 years. Being the most successful teams in the T20 tournament, their rivalry has only intensified over the years. In 2019, both of them played brilliantly in the competition and faced each other once again.
Like in the 2017 IPL final, Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first. Quinton de Kock (29 off 17 balls) and Kieron Pollard (41 off 25 balls) helped MI post 149.8 runs in 20 overs. With 149 runs on the board, MI had to be aggressive with the ball against the dangerous batsmen of the Super Kings.
Super Kings scored 70 runs for the loss of just two wickets in the first 10 overs, but the situation became complicated for CSK after the fall of the wickets of veteran Ambati Rayudu and MS Dhoni. However, Shane Watson played some good shots with the bat and brought the match closer to the contest. CSK needed nine runs in the last over of the match and Malinga played a magnificent spell that helped his team win the match by just one run.
9. CSK vs SRH, 2018
CSK returned to the 12th edition of the IPL in 2018 after serving a two-year ban. Dhoni and his team performed brilliantly in the league stage and finished the season second in the points table with nine wins and five losses from 14 matches. In the crucial qualifier, Super Kings picked up a thrilling two-wicket win over SRH and booked their place in the final at the Wankhede Stadium.
After losing to CSK, Sunrisers returned to the tournament by defeating KKR in the second qualifier. SRH's qualification put CSK in a good position as they were facing a team that had lost to them thrice in the competition. On that special day in Mumbai, CSK won the toss and invited Williamson and his team to bat first. Riding on a brilliant batting display from Kane Williamson, Yusuf Pathan and other batsmen, SRH posted 178/6 on the board.
After a brilliant performance from the batsmen, Sandeep Sharma confidently dismissed Faf du Plessis for 10 off 11 balls in his second over. However, the brilliant Shane Watson, knowing his type, handled the situation perfectly and scored a century to bring the team victory. In this crucial match, the former Australian player helped the Super Kings win the title for the third time by scoring an unbeaten 117 runs off just 57 balls.
8. MI vs RPS, 2017
In 2017, MI created history by becoming the first team to win its third title of the tournament by defeating Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) by just 1 run in the final. At the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, MI captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first. In this exciting match, openers Lendl Simmons (three runs) and Parthiv Patel (four runs) failed to give the team a great start.
Mumbai's situation worsened when Ambati Rayudu was also run out for 12 runs. Despite MI's wickets falling one after another throughout the innings, Krunal Pandya kept up the strike at one end and helped the team reach a respectable score of 129/8. The left-handed batsman scored 47 runs off just 38 balls.
Despite giving Pune a modest target, MI did not lose heart. Their bowlers kept the team in the game with solid bowling. With Pune needing 11 runs in the last over, captain Rohit Sharma handed the ball to Mitchell Johnson, who took the wickets of Manoj Tiwary and Steve Smith to put Mumbai in the game. The former Australian pacer had to defend four runs off the last ball and he did it very well.
7. SRH vs RCB, 2016
The 2016 IPL season will be a memorable one for fans of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), as their teams played brilliantly throughout the tournament. Their captains Virat Kohli and David Warner led their respective teams from the front to take them to the final. However, RCB fans will look back on the tournament and regret their team's performance in the season-deciding match.
Playing in front of their home crowd at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, RCB elected to bowl first after losing the crucial toss. SRH got off to a flying start with openers Warner and Shikhar Dhawan putting on a solid 63-run stand in just 6.4 overs. On such a crucial day, the SRH skipper proved why he is considered the hero of the big match by scoring a blistering 69 off just 38 balls.
Ben Cutting, who also scored a brilliant 39 off 15 balls, also added the finishing touch to SRH's innings, benefiting from Warner's excellent work. The Australian's quickfire knock helped SRH add 208 runs to the board. With a huge target in sight, Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle started the innings by scoring 113 runs in just 10.0 overs.
However, the scenario changed completely after Gayle and Kohli were dismissed, as no other RCB batsman looked confident enough to stand at the crease and snatch the match from Sunrisers. In the end, Bangalore went home winless, and Warner-led SRH won the title for the first time in the history of the league.
6. KKR vs PBKS, IPL 2014
Led by Gautam Gambhir, KKR delighted their fans by winning their first IPL title in 2012. Although they failed to retain the title the following year, they showed their best form again in 2014, defeating the George Bailey-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) by three wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to win their second title.
Gautam Gambhir elected to bowl first as the toss fell in favour of KKR. Although the Knight Riders dominated PBKS in the first six overs of the match, an incredible 129-run stand between Manan Vohra and Wriddhiman Saha thrilled the Kolkata fans. Riding on Saha's unbeaten 115 off just 55 balls, PBKS posted 199 for 4 in 20 overs.
Chasing the target, opener Robin Uthappa quickly returned to the pavilion after scoring five runs and Gambhir added just 23 runs. However, Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan emerged as the saviors of the team on a crucial day with brilliant innings of 94 and 36 runs respectively. KKR controlled the game till the 17th over, but the situation turned in Punjab's favour after Pandey's wicket fell. However, Piyush Chawla, who had been atrocious with the ball in this match, won the hearts of the Kolkata fans with a match-ending innings of 13 runs off just 5 balls.
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5. MI vs CSK, 2013
MI has always been known for their attacking cricket. From 2010 to 2012, they consistently qualified for the playoffs alongside their arch-rivals CSK. The same thing happened in 2013, when MI reached the playoffs again and played the first qualifier against Dhoni and his team.
Led by young captain Rohit Sharma, Mumbai stumbled in this high-voltage match and lost to their opponents by 48 runs. This miserable defeat gave MI's critics an opportunity to call Sharma and his team 'chokers' due to their consecutive failures in the play-offs. However, the team answered the critics by winning the second qualifier against Rajasthan Royals (RR) by four wickets.
Against CSK in the final, Mumbai won the toss and elected to bat first. On a grassy pitch in Kolkata, CSK's pacers crushed MI's top order, but Ambati Rayudu's unbeaten 37 (36 balls) and Kieron Pollard's 60 (32 balls) helped Mumbai post a mammoth total of 148/9. In defending this low total, MI's bowlers put up a fierce fight against CSK's batting unit. MI bowlers put up an incredible display in the match, defeating their opponents by 23 runs and winning their first title.
4. KKR vs CSK, 2012
After failing to make much of an impact in the league from 2008 to 2011, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) finally won the title in 2012 under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir. The Kolkata-based franchise played with an aggressive attitude in the league stage and finished second in the league stage points table with 10 wins and five losses in 16 matches.
KKR continued their form in the playoffs as well. Gambhir and his team managed a modest total of 162/4 against Virender Sehwag-led Delhi Capitals (DC) and secured a place in the final with an 18-run win. However, their biggest challenge was CSK, who had won both knockout matches in the playoffs to reach the final.
CSK's Akhada Chipke, Gautam Gambhir, lost the toss and elected to bowl first. Taking the advantage of batting first, CSK's batsmen scored runs effortlessly, setting KKR a huge target of 191 runs. Chasing that run, Kolkata lost their captain in the first over, but Manvinder Bisla and Jacques Kallis played a brave innings to take the team closer to victory. In the last overs of the game, Shakib Al Hasan and Manoj Tiwary showed steel-hard morale and took the team to the target with five wickets in hand.
3. CSK vs MI, 2010
In the third edition of the IPL, MI played quality cricket and qualified for the final for the first time under the leadership of their captain Sachin Tendulkar. On the other hand, CSK, led by MS Dhoni, also played exceptionally well throughout the tournament and secured their place in the final at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.
In this crucial match, CSK captain MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first. Opening the innings for CSK, Matthew Hayden and Murali Vijay struggled to score runs in the early overs of the game and were dismissed by MI bowlers within 10 overs. However, thanks to the rapid innings of Suresh Raina (57 runs off 35 balls) and MS Dhoni (22 runs off 22 balls), CSK posted a respectable score of 168/5 on the board.
Chasing the target, CSK got their first breakthrough in the second over when Doug Bollinger dismissed Shikhar Dhawan for 0. The wicket of the left-handed opener had a negative impact on Mumbai Indians as they became defensive in the face of CSK's devastating bowlers. Their top performers Tendulkar, JP Duminy, Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard failed to hold their nerve. In the end, CSK dominated and won the match by 22 runs to lift their maiden title.
2. Deccan Chargers vs RCB, 2009
After finishing as the worst team in the inaugural IPL season, Deccan Chargers (DC) put in a remarkable performance in 2009. The team qualified for the knockout stage under the leadership of former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. Leading the team from the front, Gilchrist played a fearless innings of 85 runs (35 balls) in the semi-final against Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) and led his team to a six-wicket win.
The win qualified them for the final against Anil Kumble-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Johannesburg. Electing to bat first after winning the toss, DC quickly lost their heroes of the previous match Gilchrist and Tirumalasetty Suman. Then, taking control of the match, veterans Herschelle Gibbs and Andrew Symonds played quality innings with their bats to help the team post 143/6 at the end of their innings.
Chasing the target, RCB got off to a shaky start as their openers Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey were dismissed for short runs. Roelof van der Marwee, who had played a brilliant innings of 32, was dismissed by Pragyan Ojha. After the Proteas batsman fell, the Challengers batsmen were left feeling a little nervous as they faced the lively DC bowlers. RCB looked helpless in reply to DC's 143/6 and ended their innings at 137/9.
1. RR vs CSK, 2008
Every IPL season, Rajasthan Royals (RR) fans hope that their team will perform well in the competition, just like they did in 2008 under the late Shane Warne. In the inaugural season, RR, led by the former Australian spin wizard, performed brilliantly and won the prestigious trophy. They topped the points table by winning 11 out of 14 matches. They became the first IPL finalists along with CSK, defeating the Capitals (then Daredevils) by a huge margin of 105 runs.
RR needed to be at their best as they entered the mega final at the DY Patil Stadium and that's what they did in that match. Luck was on RR's side before the match started as the toss went in Warne's favour and he decided to bowl first. Right from the start of the match, the Royals' bowlers did not let the CSK batsmen show their dominance.
Their controlled bowling saw RR restrict the 'Yellow Army' to 163/5. Yusuf Pathan, who had a brilliant spell for his team, also shone with the bat to lead the team to victory. The talented right-hander played a devastating innings of 56 runs off 39 balls in his team's last-ball victory in the final. Earlier, Rajasthan Royals were in trouble as their top three batsmen were stranded for 42 runs and returned to the pavilion.
FAQs
Why are MI and CSK the most successful teams in IPL?
Because they have played in the most finals and won the title multiple times.
Who won the 2010 final?
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated Mumbai Indians to win.
Which team won the title in the 2016 final?
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) defeated RCB to win the title.
How many runs will decide the 2019 final?
The match was decided by a margin of just 1 run, with Mumbai Indians winning.
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