Top 5 greatest moments in the history of the tournament

Throughout the 15 years of the Indian Premier League, we have seen so many records made or broken. There are so many moments in the IPL history which remain in the hearts of fans for years to come and which made the tournament more iconic.

In this article, we will have a look at the top five moments in the history of IPL:

5. Rinku Singh’s five sixes against Gujarat Titans, 2023

Rinku Singh (Source - Twitter)

Kolkata Knight Riders took on defending champions Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi stadium in match number 13 of the ongoing season of IPL. Batting first, GT posted a big total of 204 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. In reply, KKR got close to the target, thanks to Venkatesh Iyer, who scored 83 runs off 40 balls. But after his wicket, they lost momentum, and Rashid Khan’s hat trick took the game away from KKR.

KKR needed 29 runs off the last over which seemed to be an impossible task with just three wickets in hand but young batter Rinku Singh had other plans that night. On the very first ball of the 20th over by Yash Dayal, Umesh Yadav took a single to bring Rinku on strike.

After that, Rinku took the bowler on remand as he went on to hit five consecutive sixes due to which KKR won the game by 3 wickets, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. The 25-year-old batter pulled off one of the greatest chases in IPL history as he remained unbeaten on 48 runs off just 21 balls.

4. MI vs PBKS double Super Over, 2020

2020 Double Super over (Source - Twitter)

We have witnessed so many thrilling finishes in IPL history, and sometimes the match also went on to the Super Over to decide the winner. Mostly, we get the winner after one Super Over, but during the match between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings in IPL 2020, the winner was decided after the second Super Over.

In match number 36 of the season at the Dubai International Stadium, MI posted a total of 176 runs for the loss of 6 wickets while batting first. Quinton de Kock scored a fine half-century of 53 runs from 43 balls.

Chasing the winning total, PBKS skipper KL Rahul took the innings further with wickets falling regularly from the other end. He got out after scoring 77 runs off 51 balls, After Rahul’s dismissal, PBKS lost momentum but managed to level the scores in the end.

The match went down to the Super Over, with MI star pacer Jasprit Bumrah taking charge in the bowling. He bowled brilliantly as MI restricted PBKS to just 5 runs. In reply, Mohammed Shami took charge for PBKS and bowled tightly due to which MI could also score only 5 runs.

Super Over also got tied and we witnessed the second Super Over for the first time in cricket history. This time, MI batted first and set a target of 12 runs in six balls for PBKS. In reply, Chris Gayle and Mayank chased the target in just four deliveries to end one of the most thrilling match in IPL history.

3. MI vs CSK Final, 2019

IPL 2019 final (Source - Twitter)

Mumbai Indians have defeated Chennai Super Kings three times in the final out of their five IPL trophies. However, the most thrilling final between these two teams took place in IPL 2019. Both teams were playing their fourth final together.

Batting first at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad, MI posted a total of 149 runs for the loss of 8 wickets, powered by Kieron Pollard’s unbeaten 41 off 25 balls. In reply, Shane Watson took charge for CSK with wickets falling regularly from the other end. The match went down to the last over with CSK needing 9 runs with Watson still at the crease.

Lasith Malinga bowled the last over for MI. It looked like that Watson could win the game for CSK but he, unfortunately, got run out on the fourth ball of the over. CSK needed 2 runs off the last ball with Shardul Thakur at the crease. Malinga bowled a Yorker, which resulted in Thakur getting leg-before out and MI won their fourth title by just 1 run.

2. Chris Gayle’s 175 runs vs PWI, 2013

Chris Gayle 175 (Source - Twitter)

The ‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle showed absolute rage with the bat for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2013. In match number 31 of the season against Pune Warriors at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium, Gayle registered the highest-ever individual score in T20s as he smashed an unbeaten 175 runs off just 66 balls. During his innings, Gayle smacked 13 fours and 17 raining sixes.

Courtesy of his knock, RCB registered the highest-ever team total in IPL as they finished on 263 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. In reply, RCB bowlers also did their job well as they restricted Pune Warriors to 133 runs for 9 wickets and won the game by a huge margin of 130 runs.

1. Virat Kohli’s Century with stitches in hand, 2016

Virat Kohli 113 runs (Source - Twitter)

The 2016 IPL season was a dream run for Virat Kohli. Leading the team, he amassed 973 runs including four hundreds. Out of these four centuries, the one against Punjab Kings was a special one as he played his best IPL innings with the stitches in hand, that too in a 15-over match.

Batting first in a rain-affected match number 50 of the season at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, RCB posted a total of 211 runs at the loss of 3 wickets in just 15 overs. Kohli got out after smashing 113 runs off just 50 balls, hitting 12 fours and eight sixes. After completing his hundred, Kohli celebrated in style by indicating his injured hand. In reply, PBKS were bowled out for 120 runs as RCB won the game by 82 runs.