Top 5 IPL Finals That Ended in Last-Ball Drama and Shocked Fans

The IPL final is a stage where every ball carries the full weight of the entire season. The IPL final has seen the most shocking last-ball drama in the history of T20 cricket.

The last-ball drama in an IPL final doesn’t just decide the match. The last-ball drama in an IPL final changes cricket history in a single ball. These are the five IPL finals that have ended in the most shocking last-ball drama ever.

Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings (2008)

Rajasthan Royals faced CSK in the final of the first season of the IPL in 2008 at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. Yusuf Pathan took 3 for 22 in four overs as the Royals restricted CSK to 163 for 5. Pathan was then run out after scoring 56 off 39 balls.

With one run needed off the last ball, Sohail Tanvir maintained his calm demeanour and guided the ball to wide mid-on to seal the victory for Rajasthan Royals and the trophy with three wickets to spare.

Shane Warne later admitted that he was nervous and hoped Tanvir would be on strike for the final ball. The player who won the Purple Cap with 22 wickets that season scored the winning run off the last ball of the first IPL final.

Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2014)

The 2014 IPL Final was played on 1 June 2014 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Kolkata Knight Riders won by three wickets. Kings XI Punjab scored 199 runs with the help of a brilliant century from Wriddhiman Saha and a valuable half-century from Manan Vohra.

The match went very far in the final over, when KKR needed five runs to win. Piyush Chawla scored the winning runs with the help of a brilliant 94 runs off 50 balls from Manish Pandey.

That same evening, he became the highest individual score in an IPL final for the losing team and one of the highest chasers in IPL final history.

Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Supergiant (2017)

The 2017 IPL final was played between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant. RPS restricted Mumbai to just 129 runs. Krunal Pandya’s crucial 47 off 38 balls helped Mumbai post a competitive score. Rising Pune Supergiant chased down the target easily, which was the most expected result.

Only Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith made significant contributions for RPS as Mumbai’s bowlers fought back. The match went on till the final moments and Mumbai won the match in a dramatic manner by one run. Mumbai defended 129 runs and after forty overs, both the teams were separated by one run.

Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings (2019)

Mumbai Indians scored 149 for 8 and restricted Chennai Super Kings to 148 for 7. Lasith Malinga had two runs to defend off the final ball and after a difficult day on the field, used a perfectly hidden slow ball to dismiss Shardul Thakur LBW.

Shane Watson’s 59-ball 80 started the chase for CSK, but then they were run out at the end of the chase. CSK needed two runs off the final ball to win the championship. Malinga’s slow ball secured the victory by one run and Mumbai Indians won their fourth IPL title. This is one of the most dramatic endings in the history of IPL finals.

Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings (2023)

While most of Ahmedabad was asleep and confused about what day the calendar was, Chennai Super Kings took the final turn in a night that refused to end, winning their fifth IPL title and drawing level with Mumbai Indians.

Rain prevented the biggest night of the season from happening as scheduled, pushing the final into uncertain territory and giving CSK a revised target of 171 runs in 15 overs under the DLS method.

What seemed impossible one minute became inevitable the next. Thirteen runs were scored in two balls in an over, and CSK had not found a boundary in the last 13 balls.

Then Ravindra Jadeja turned two cricket balls into pure theatre, hitting a six and a four to produce one of the best finishes in IPL ever.

Jadeja remained unbeaten on 15 off six balls, while Devon Conway scored 47 off 25 balls and Shivam Dube scored an unbeaten 32 off 21 balls. When the final ball disappeared into the night, the clocks were ticking on a different day and the IPL presented another ending that seemed too dramatic to be realistic.

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