It has been ten years since the inaugural edition of the IPL kicked off at the Chinnaswamy stadium back in 2008. Royal Challengers Bangalore hosted the Knights form Kolkata, as the world witnessed the birth of a seismic event in cricket history.
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People are eagerly waiting for the IPL auction set to take place later this month, as everyone is getting excited for the new season.
As we continue our build up to the IPL season, we look back at the five best matches in the last decade.
Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings
The Chennai Super Kings had made a terrible start to their campaign by only winning 2 out of their initial 7 games. But Doug Bollinger’s arrival was the impetus that they needed as they then went on an impressive winning streak.
But now they faced Punjab in a do or die encounter in which they had to record a victory to qualify for the semi finals.
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But the match looked to be firmly in Punjab’s grasp with Chennai needing around 50 runs required from the last three overs and then 16 from the final over.
In one of the most iconic MS Dhoni moments, the Chennai captain smashed Irfan Pathan for two sixes and a four to drag Chennai into the semi finals.
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians
In the last league match of the season, the KKR were coasting to victory over the Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens.
The match seemed to be in their hands when Laxshmipathy Balaji ran in to bowl the final over with 22 runs still required for victory.
But James Franklin had other ideas as he smashed Balaji for 4, 4, 4 and 4 in the first four deliveries of the over. He took a single of the next ball and put Ambati Rayudu on strike.
With still a boundary required off the last bowl, Rayudu hit Balaji for a six and stunned the Eden Gardens in to silence. (Five of the best matches in the history of the IPL)
Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Super Giants
The final of the 2017 IPL season was a thrilling contest between the two Maharashtrian teams, as they battled it out in front of a jam packed Rajiv Gandhi International stadium in Hyderabad.
Batting first, Krunal Pandya’s gutsy 47 took Mumbai to 129, as the Pune bowlers restricted the much vaunted MI batting line-up to a below par score.
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In their reply, Pune looked well on course to their maiden IPL title, as Rahane and Smith took their side to 71 for the loss of just wicket by the 12th over. With just 59 to win off the remaining eight overs, Pune self destructed as the Rahane, Dhoni and Tiwary got dismissed cheaply.
The match turned in the final over, as Mitchell Johnson dismissed Tiwary and Smith off successive balls to swing the game in Mumbai’s favour.
With three required of the last ball, Dan Christian could only manage a double as Mumbai won by one run!
Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab
The first edition of the IPL was a sensational event as it had absolutely everything in it. The matches were also extremely thrilling with almost every match being filled to capacity.
In one of the best matches that year, Punjab batted first and were led by the very impressive Shaun Marsh as they piled on the runs and set Mumbai a target of 190.
Mumbai started off well but then struggled in the middle overs thanks to some tight bowling from Punjab.
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With 19 runs required from the final over, Mumbai brought it back to 2 runs from the final delivery as their adoring Mumbai fans roared their team on.
But the batsmen could only manage to hit the ball to the hovering Yuvraj Singh as Yuvi completed a Johnty Rhodes style run out to snatch the win for Punjab.
Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals
Mumbai knew that they had to beat the Rajasthan Royals and they had to beat them well to stand a chance of qualifying for the knockout stage while Rajasthan knew that even a close defeat would be enough to send them through.
Batting first, Rajasthan piled on a huge 189 which meant that the Mumbai Indians had to chase this down in 14.3 overs to qualify.
This was the moment for Corey Anderson as he blasted 95 runs to get Mumbai close to the finish line. With two required off the last ball, Mumbai could only sneak in a single and tied the match at the 14.3 overs stage.
While Rajasthan celebrated, the umpires were informed that Mumbai could still qualify if they hit a boundary off the next ball.
In what will always be remembered as one of the greatest IPL moments, Aditya Tare walked in a smashed a James Faulkner for a first ball six to seal a memorable victory and take Mumbai through in to the Playoffs.
