The entire T20 format is the most unpredictable format in cricket. We often see more last ball finishes than any other format in T20s. Moreover, the introduction of T20 leagues all around the world has interested the fans more than before. Fans these days prefer the T20 format more since it is short and is more exciting because of the thrilling finishes we see these days.
At times we see these close finishes often end up in a tie. Earlier when a match used to get tied in T20s, we used to have a ‘Bowl Out’. Incidentally, India and Pakistan had in the 2007 World T20. Later in 2009, the bowl out was scrapped and ‘Super Over’ was introduced in T20 cricket. Wherein, when a match ends in a tie, both teams bat one over each. In the end, the higher scorer of the two wins the match.
When we look at the Indian Premier League, in the past 12 years, we have had plenty of super over finishes. From Yusuf Pathan to Shaun Marsh to Steve Smith, all have been successful in pulling off victories in super overs.
Let’s take a look at the top Super Over finishes in IPL history:
1. IPL 2019: Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders At Delhi
Let’s start off with the latest Super Over that took place in IPL history. In 2019, Shreyas Iyer’s Delhi Capitals were facing Dinesh Karthik’s Kolkata Knight Riders at Feroz Shah Kotla. KKR, batting first, posted a healthy target of 185 all thanks to Andre Russell’s quickfire 28 balls 62.
Delhi started off the chase really well. Prithvi Shaw played a vital knock of 99 but afer Shaw’s departure, Delhi’s lineup collapsed in last two overs which resulted in the match getting tied.
The Super Over began with Delhi batting first. KKR’s Prasidh Krishna bowled the super over and conceded just 10 runs as Rishabh Pant and Iyer could not get going to his deliveries.
Andre Russell and Captain Kartik opened the batting for KKR as Russel got away with a boundary first ball. The next 5 deliveries by Rabada were unplayable gems as he dismissed Russell clean bowled. Uthappa the new man in could not do much as Delhi won the super over by 3 runs.
2. IPL 2017: Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Lions At Rajkot
Mumbai Indians were facing Gujarat Lions in their 2nd leg at Rajkot. The Suresh Raina side batted first and put up a target of 158 all thanks to Ishan Kishan’s 48-run knock. In the process, Krunal Pandya picked up three wickets restricting Gujarat to a mediocre total.
Mumbai Indians opener Parthiv Patel batted well to chase the target, his 44 balls 74 took Mumbai closer to the target. But as Mumbai close in on the target, they lost wickets and end up getting all out on the last ball of the match when the scores were level.
Mumbai, batting first in the super over, scored just 12 as they lost both their wickets. Bumrah had the task of defending 12 runs in 6 balls. He did quite successfully as the duo of Finch and Mccallum were unable to score the target of 13 runs. Mumbai ended up sealing the win in the super over by 7 runs.
3. IPL 2015: Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI Punjab at Jaipur
Rajasthan were up against Punjab at Jaipur where Rahane’s knock of 72 helped them post a mammoth target of 191 runs. In return, Shaun Marsh and Axar Patel of Punjab helped them get near the target and ended up getting the match tied. All thanks to a fielding error by Steve Smith and Sanju Samson.
In the Super over Punjab batted first. The opener David Miller got out on the very first ball, which was followed by some quick-fire boundary hitting by Marsh. He helped them get to 16 runs in the super over.
Now the Royals needed 17 to win as Shane Watson and Steve Smith walked out to bat. Watson was cleaned up in the first ball by Mitchell Johnson with a yorker. Faulker too lost his wicket on the next ball as he was run out. This ended the match resulting in Punjab winning the match in the super over.
4. IPL 2014: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals at Abu Dhabi
This was the second time KKR and RR match ended in a tie. The first one came way back in 2009. In this match at Abu Dhabi, KKR were chasing a target of 152 runs but in the process, they lost too many wickets early on. Shakib Al Hasan played a key part as his cameo of 29 helped KKR end the match in a tie.
In the super over, KKR scored 12 runs after Manish Pandey smashed the last ball for a 6. Rajasthan required to score 13 to win the match. Rajasthan needed 3 off the last ball to seal the match.
That’s when Steve Smith and Shane Watson spoke to the umpires about the boundary count rule. Both batsmen went for the double on the last ball as they won the match based on boundary count. All thanks to Steve Smith’s presence of mind to go for a double instead of a big hit.
5. IPL 2013: Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers Bangalore At Bangalore
RCB were involved in two tied games in the same season. In this game, RCB were chasing a target of 150 after some late firing from Kedar Jadhav and Irfan Pathan. RCB looked comfortable in the lead up to the chase with the help of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. But as both batsmen got out, RCB batsmen couldn’t hold up and ended up scoring 150.
RCB batted first in the Super Over and scored 15 runs, thanks to two sixes on the last two balls that were bowled by Umesh Yadav. Delhi Daredevils (now known as Delhi Capitals) lost David Warner on the very first delivery off Ravi Rampaul and though Irfan Pathan hit a four and a six, Delhi fell short by four runs as they lost both wickets for 11 runs.
RCB scored 15 in the super over, all thanks to de Villiers striking two sixes off Umesh Yadav. In pursuit, Delhi lost Warner on the first ball as he was caught by Chris Gayle at the point. Pathan took the charge as he hit 2 boundaries to Rampaul.
The equation changed to needing six off the last ball. Ben Rohrer was on strike but was unable to seal through as he got cleaned bowled by Rampaul.
6. IPL 2013: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bangalore at Hyderabad
The first match of the two tied games for RCB in 2013 was against Sunrisers Hyderabad. With the help of Virat Kohli and Moises Henriques, RCB posted a target of mere 130. SRH batsmen Hanuma Vihari in response scored an unbeaten 46-ball 44 but was unable to seal through as the match ended in a tie on the last ball.
SRH batted first in the super over where they posted a mammoth target of 21 runs. Dale Steyn’s unplayable yorkers kept Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli numb in the chase, as Hyderabad won the super over quite comfortably.
7. IPL 2010: Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab
The second Super Over in the history of IPL happened between Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab. CSK stalwart MS Dhoni was rested for the game as Suresh Raina took over the duties. Yuvraj Singh’s knock of 43 took Punjab to 136/8.
The Super Kings looked to chase this total down quite easily but fell short in the chase all thanks to Rusty Theron’s sharp yorkers in the death overs.
Chennai managed to score just 9 runs batting first, that too because of Raina’s last-ball six. Mahela Jayawardene smashed Muralitharan for a six on the first ball but soon fell victim to him the next ball.
Punjab needed fours off the same number of balls to win when Yuvraj attempted a reverse sweep successfully to seal the win. This win against CSK was the first win for KXIP against CSK in IPL.
8. IPL 2009: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals At Cape Town
The very first super over in the history of the IPL happened at Cape Town in 2009 when Kolkata Knight Riders locked horns with Rajasthan Royals. The Royals batting first, scored 150 for six with some late firing from Yusuf Pathan.
In return, the Knight Riders also finished at 150 runs at the end of 20 overs all thanks to Sourav Ganguly 46-run innings. Gayle opened the batting for the Knights in the Super Over and smashed a hat-trick of fours to Kamran Khan.
The big man’s innings helped KKR post a target of 16 runs. Yusuf Pathan was in his absolute prime, as he thrashed Ajantha Mendis for two sixes off the first 2 balls. Easing out the equation, the Royals won the Super over quite comfortably.
9. IPL 2020: Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Capitals At Dubai
The second game of IPL 2020 saw the tie go down to the wire before Super Over. Mayank Agarwal played an excellent knock of 89 runs to take the game deep two wickets in the last two deliveries ensured that the game ends in a draw.
Previously, Marcus Stoinis late cameo had helped Delhi Capitals put up 158 runs on the board. Delhi smacked 57 runs in the last three overs to post a challenging total on the board which helped Delhi salvage a draw.
Going into the first Super Over of IPL 2020, Delhi handed the ball to their best – Kagiso Rabada. And oh boy! he delivered exactly what was expected out of him. He removed KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran from the second and third ball to set up a target of three runs.
Rishabh Pant and skipper Shreyas Iyer, who came out to bat for Delhi didn’t spend much to cross the line and secure crucial two points.
10. IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore At Dubai
The Royal Challengers Bangalore took on the Mumbai Indians at Dubai where Rohit Sharma after winning the toss asked RCB to bat first. The team in red had a dream start as both their openers scored the fifties as at the end of the 20 overs they scored 201 runs at the loss of 4 wickets.
Mumbai Indians in reply had a poor start as both their openers were dismissed very cheaply. It was all down to Ishan Kishan and Kieron Pollard as they batted till the final over in a 119 run partnership. Later, Kishan lost his wicket on 99 when 5 runs were required off the final 2 deliveries. It was all down to the big man Kieron Pollard as he smashed the final ball for a four to tie the game.
In the Super over, Mumbai batting first managed to score just 7 runs all thanks to Navdeep Saini’s phenomenal over. In reply, RCB batsmen Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers chased down the target of 8 runs comprehensively on the last ball. This is one of the exciting Super Over finish in the history of IPL.
10. IPL 2020: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
The Kolkata Knight Riders took on the Sunrisers Hyderabad side at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi where Sunrisers Hyderabad after winning the toss elected to bowl first. Kolkata Knight Riders batting first put up a score 163/5 at the end of 20 overs. Followed by which Sunrisers Hyderabad side came to bat with a few changes in their batting order, it was Jonny Bairstow and Kane Williamson who opened the innings as David Warner decided to bat down the order.
Sunrisers in the chase lost too many early wickets as it was down to David Warner and Abdul Samad to finish the match off. In the last over Sunrisers Hyderabad required 17 to win with a half-fit Andre Russell bowling the over. Russell started off with a no-ball to Rashid Khan which was followed by three boundaries by David Warner. It came down to the last ball where Sunrisers Hyderabad required 2 to win off the final delivery where Warner should manage just one run taking the match down to the super over.
In the Super over, Sunrisers Hyderabad batting first in the powerplay was the victim of a sublime bowling effort by Lockie Ferguson as he cleaned up both David Warner and Abdul Samad in the first three deliveries. With Rashid Khan to bowl, the super over Kolkata Knight Riders only had to chase down three in 6 deliveries which they did quite convincingly as Karthik and Morgan took their side to victory in under 4 balls.
10. IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab at Dubai
The double super over match happened between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Where Mumbai Indians won the toss and batted first putting up a score of 176 at the end of 20 overs. On the other hand, Kings XI Punjab had a brisk start to the chase but collapsed in the end overs.
Down came a situation when Kings XI Punjab required 2 off the last ball where Chris Jordan’s long route running between the wickets made sure the match goes down to a super over as Quinton De Kock inflicted the run out.
In the first super over, Kings XI Punjab batting first put up just 5/2 in 6 deliveries which meant Mumbai Indians had to chase down a target of merely 6 runs. But again the match went down to a situation where they needed 2 off the final delivery. When again for the second time in the same match the match was tied as KL Rahul inflicted the crucial run out as he collected the ball far away from the stumps but still managed to slap the ball down on the wickets.
The match went into another Super over which was the second super over of the match and third super of the day, as Mumbai Indians batsman Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav notched up 11 runs off the 6 deliveries but what could’ve been 15 as Mayank Agarwal’s fielding effort saved the ball from sailing over the fence which restricted them to just a double off the final ball.
Now it was down to the universe boss Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal to finish things off. The duo didn’t take much time with Trent Boult bowling the super over, as Chris Gayle launched the first ball over Boult’s head for a six putting the equation down to 6 off 5 balls as Mayank launched two fours into the stands to help Kings XI Punjab win their only third match of the season.