The ideal situation for any cricket lover is to see a T20 match in the IPL come down to the last over. Here we consider the sides that have scored the most runs off that final over in an IPL match.
It’s also perhaps not surprising that the list of teams that have scored the most runs to win off the last over of an IPL match has a lot of cross over with our previous article on batsmen that have hit a six to win off the final ball of a game in the IPL so I’d highly recommend you checking out that resource too.
31 runs, KKR vs Gujarat Titans, 2023
Rinku Singh and KKR didn’t just smash the record for most runs scored from the last over on a IPL match they absolutely obliterated it. In a performance reminiscent of Carlos Brathwaite’s efforts in the 2016 World Cup final, Rinku Singh hit the final 5 balls of the innings for 6 to take his team to an unlikely victory against reigning champs Gujarat Titans.
It’s also worth noting that Rinku had hit the last 2 balls of the previous over for a 6 and a 4 meaning that he hit 40 from his final 7 deliveries with Umesh Yadav doing all that was required of him by nabbing a single off the first ball of the last over and then sitting back and watching Rinku go to work.
The hapless bowler was Yash Dayal who served up 3 full tosses for Rinku’s first 3 maximums before then going into the pitch but finding no more success.
It took 14 years for the record of most runs from the last over in the IPL to be broken and it will take an absolutely incredible effort to level or beat it again…
26 runs, Deccan Chargers v KKR, 2009
Bowling an 8 ball over at the death against one of the most lethal finishers the IPL has ever seen didn’t help Mashrafe Mortaza or KKR in what remains the most runs scored off the final over of an IPL match. It was in fact Mortaza’s first and last appearance in the IPL as he finished with match figures of 0-58.
However, Mortaza wasn’t helped by some slack play from his captain and teammates with the first ball of the over called a no-ball because KKR had only 3 men in the circle! That delivery was put away for 4 by Rohit and the Indian batting legend helped himself to another boundary plus 2 maximums to take his side to an unlikely last over victory.
25 runs, Gujarat Titans v SRH, 2022
A great game of cricket between 2 sides aiming to go top of the table came to a thrilling last over climax with GT needing 22 to win off the final over.
The Gujarat middle order had already pulled off a couple of remarkable last over victories earlier in the season and Marco Jansen was powerless to stop them again in this match as his final over went for 25 runs.
Expert finisher Rahul Tewatia got things going with a six off the first ball before handing the strike over to Rashid Khan. He then hit a maximum but Jansen managed a crucial dot ball that left the equation of 9 runs from the final 2 deliveries. Rashid though had the last laugh against his former franchise by slicing a six over the cover boundary then getting inside a short ball and heaving over the fine leg fielders head to queue wild celebrations.
Watch highlight of this 25 run last over here
24 runs, RCB v Pune Warriors, 2012
Two legends of the IPL went up against each other in this match with AB de Villiers and RCB ultimately coming out on top against Ashish Nehra and Pune Warriors in an final over that saw a boundary and 3 sixes.
Needing 20 off the last 5 balls, AB went 4, 6, 6 and then stole a single to hand the reins over Saurabh Tiwary who despite only needing 3 off the final ball hammered it over long on for another six in one of the greatest finishes that there has ever been in T20 cricket.
23 runs, Mumbai Indians v KKR, 2011
KKR’s 2nd appearance on the wrong end of the most runs scored in the last over of a match in the IPL saw them get hammered for 23runs by a combination of James Franklin and Ambati Rayudu.
Franklin started the fun with 4 back to back fours before handing over to Rayudu who smacked the last ball of the over and the game for six! As well as being 3rd on this list, the final over also holds the record for most boundaries (4s & 6s) struck in the last over of a match in the IPL with a total of 5.
23 runs, Rising Pune v KXIP, 2016
Bowling a spinner last over of the match is always going to be a risk but KXIP captain Murali Vijay backed his man Axar Patel to get the job done in this game with his side just needing to defend 23 off the final 6 deliveries.
To be fair to Axar, he is the only bowler on this list who managed to bowl 2 dot balls in his last over but that is probably scant consolation when considering what happened to the remaining deliveries. Indeed, it was the great finisher himself MS Dhoni who you’d very much expect to find on a list of most runs to win from the final over that put Axar’s slow left-armers to the sword hitting 3 sixes and a 4.
22 runs, Delhi Capitals v CSK, 2020
A dramatic last over in the 2020 IPL saw Axar Patel get his revenge from 4 years prior as he turned from bowling villain to batting hero. In fact, the script was remarkably similar with Ravi Jadeja, another left-arm spinner, the man asked to bowl the final over on this occassion. Why MS Dhoni would turn to a left arm bowler against 2 left-handed batsmen is very good question?
Shikhar Dhawan who had just reached his maiden T20 century gave the strike over to Axar Patel who had only faced one ball up until that point but who then went about destroying the bowler who had kept him out of the national set-up for most of his career by hitting him for 6, 6, 2 and 6, finishing the game with a ball still to spare!
21 runs, Mumbai Indians v Deccan Chargers, 2012
I guess that the Deccan Chargers really should have known what was coming in this match as Rohit Sharma, the man who helped them to a record 26 runs of the last over of an IPL match to win, now secured victory for his new side Mumbai Indians in this thrilling finish.
James Franklin also makes his second apperance on this list of most runs scored in the last over an IPL match as Rohit’s willing accomplice. It was Franklin who got things going by hitting fellow antipodean Dan Christian for a boundary off the first ball. Having taken the requirement down to 12 off the final 3 balls of the last over it was then over to Rohit again who smashed a 6, stole a cheeky 2 that nearly resulted in a run out and then finished things offs with another mighty blow over long-on.
21 runs, CSK v Rajasthan Royals, 2019
There is no doubting that Ben Stokes is a wholehearted cricketer but I think even he must have had enough of bowling the last over in a T20 game of cricket ever again. Not that long after being whacked about by Carlos Braithwaite in the last over of the T20 World Cup Final, Stokes was on the end of another big score in the final over of this IPL match.
This time it was the understated and less muscular Mitch Santner that delivered a big finish off Stokes’ bowling. MS Dhoni had taken 10 from 2 legal deliveries before Stokes knocked over the master finisher leaving new batsman Santner with the stiff task of hitting 8 from the remaining 3 balls. However, the bespectacled Kiwi was more than up to the job hitting the last ball of the over for 6 runs to win the match.
19 runs, Rajasthan Royals v Deccan Chargers, 2008
Going way back to the inugural season of the IPL for what at the time was the most runs scored off the last over of a match. A classic game saw 2 Aussies go head to head in the form of Andrew Symonds and Shane Warne. Symonds had earlier put his national teammate and the rest of the Rajasthan Royals to the sword with a thrilling 117 off 53 balls.
However, Warne ever the competitor would have the last laugh as Symonds came onto bowl the final over the match with Rajasthan still needing 17 runs to win. Things started fairly sedately as the target was reduced to 14 from 4 balls before Warne got on strike and hit Symonds for 4, 6 and 6 to burst Symonds’ balloon and win the game with a ball to spare.
19 runs, CSK v KKR, 2018
A 2nd appearance on the list of most runs off the final over in an IPL match for CSK and the third time that KKR appear on it for the wrong reason! Are KKR just unlucky or are they the ultimate chokers in later stages of IPL games?
This example really didn’t start well for KKR as Vinay Kumar whose first over of the match had gone for 16 was called upon to bowl the final over in a bid to defend 17 runs. His first ball was a waist high full toss that was not only called a no-ball but was dispatched for 6 by DJ Bravo. Bravo and Jadeja then exchanged singles before the later decided enough was enough, launching Vinay back over his head for an almighty six to win the game with a ball to spare.
19 runs, KXIP v Deccan Chargers, 2012
And another team who have been on the receiving end of the most runs from the last over of an IPL match 3 times, it’s Deccan Chargers. During the 2012 season the Chargers certainly did develop a habit of making other teams look good and this game was no exception as they conceded 82 off the final 6 overs and 17 off the final 6 deliveries to hand the win to KXIP.
David Hussey had done the earlier damage but it was Gurkeerat Singh who finished things off striking 16 runs off the last 4 balls to see his side home in this thriller.
19 runs, GT v PBKS, 2022
Rahul Tewatia has a reputation for finishing off IPL matches in style and he helped his Gujarat Titans side score 19 runs off the final over of this game to seal their 3 straight win from their opening 3 games in the IPL.
Things started quite well for Odean Smith and PBKS when they conceded just 2 runs from the first 2 legal deliveries and enacted the run out of Gujarat captain Hardik Pandya who was desperate to get back on strike.
David Miller then hit a 4 to reduce the requirement to 13 from the last 3 balls. Going for a big heave next ball, Miller only succeeded in scuffing it back to Smith who rather accept the dot ball, turned and attempted to hit the stumps at the non-strikers end. Tewatia who was backing up a long way would have been run out had Smith hit but he missed, the batsmen crossed and Tewatia hit the 2 final balls for six to win the game!
Watch match highlights of 19 runs off the last over here