The Chennai Super Kings are one of the most popular teams playing in the Indian Premier League. They have played eleven seasons so far and qualified for the playoffs in ten of them. Unfortunately, CSK could not make it to the Top 4 in IPL 2020, but their performances in the last few matches have been up to the mark.
Captain MS Dhoni has been the face of this franchise since 2008. Under his captaincy, the team has won three IPL titles and two Champions League T20 trophies. CSK have been involved in many close encounters as well, but their ability to stay calm and finish off the match has helped them emerge victorious in a majority of the matches.
The last-ball finishes can go either way in the IPL. Here’s a look at those six instances where the Super Kings won a match on the last ball in the IPL.
Vs. Delhi Daredevils, IPL 2008
The Chennai Super Kings battled the Delhi Daredevils in the 28th match of IPL 2008. Both teams had some big names of Indian cricket like MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, and others.
Delhi batted first in their home match and posted a score of 187/5 on the board. Gautam Gambhir scored a fifty, while Shikhar Dhawan supported him to perfection. Chasing a tricky target of 188, CSK were 166/6 at 18.2 overs.
Manpreet Gony surprised the fans with a 5-ball 13* as he, along with Subramaniam Badrinath, took CSK over the line against DD.
Vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2012
The famous match between CSK and RCB, where Albie Morkel scored 28 runs off Virat Kohli’s over was another game in which CSK prevailed on the last ball. Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli batted well in the first innings to take RCB to a score of 205/8 in 20 overs.
Faf du Plessis provided CSK a solid start with a 46-ball 71, but it was his compatriot Morkel who delivered the knockout punch to RCB. With two runs needed off the last ball, Ravindra Jadeja hit a four to ensure that Morkel’s inning did not go in vain.
Vs. Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2012
The Chennai Super Kings were the two-time defending champions heading into IPL 2012. Thus, every team had prepared to take them down that season. In the match between CSK and RR, the inaugural champions scored 146/4 in the first innings.
While 147 does not seem a grand total, some tight bowling from the Rajasthan bowlers took the match to the last ball. MS Dhoni was on strike when CSK needed 2 from 1, and he took a couple off Stuart Binny’s delivery to guide CSK home.
Vs. Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2012
As mentioned ahead, 2012 was a very tough season for the Chennai Super Kings as three teams took them to the last ball of a run chase. In the 63rd match of the season, KKR scored 158/6, riding on Gautam Gambhir’s half-century at the Eden Gardens.
Michael Hussey’s 39-ball 56 helped CSK reach close to the target. Eventually, the visitors needed four runs off the last ball, and DJ Bravo hit a maximum off Rajat Bhatia’s last ball.
Vs. Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2019
A controversial match from IPL 2019 where MS Dhoni questioned the on-field umpire’s behavior, CSK defeated RR to win the match on the last ball. Mitchell Santner was the hero for the visitors in Jaipur.
RR managed 151/7 even though none of their batsmen could score even 30 runs. Ambati Rayudu and MS Dhoni hit fifties for CSK, and Santner finished things off in style.
Vs. Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2020
The most recent entry on this list is from the IPL 2020 match between CSK and KKR. Nitish Rana’s 87 runs took the Knight Riders to a score of 172/5 in the first innings. Ruturaj Gaikwad hit a fine half-ton for the 3-time winners.
Eventually, it was Ravindra Jadeja’s 31 runs off 11 deliveries that proved to be the difference between the two teams. He hit two sixes off the last two balls to give CSK a memorable win.
