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There have been many times when some big totals have been chased down in the history of the Indian Premier League. Teams go hard in the chase when they are chasing big totals. But then, there have been occasions when low scores became tough to chase. Chennai Super Kings hold the record for the lowest target defended in the IPL.
They defended 116 runs against Punjab Kings in 2019. But what are the lowest scores that have been defended successfully in the IPL final? In this article, we will talk about such occasions. Here we will discuss the top five lowest IPL finals scores that have been defended successfully.
Top Five Lowest Target defended in the IPL Final
5. Chennai Super Kings (168/5) vs Mumbai Indians in 2010
Chennai Super Kings won their maiden IPL title in 2010. They beat Mumbai Indians in the final, which was played at DY Patil. It were CSK that batted first and managed an average score of 168/5. Suresh Raina played well for his unbeaten 57 off 35. It was a good total to chase for the strong batting unit of MI. But they crumbled in the middle and reached 146/9, and CSK won the final by 22 runs to win their maiden title.
4. Mumbai Indians (149/8) vs Chennai Super Kings in 2019
There have been many close wins in the IPL, and some of them came with a margin of just one run. Notably, Mumbai Indians have registered two wins in the IPL final by a margin of one run. One of them came against Chennai Super Kings in 2019 at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. MI didn’t have a great batting display, and they only managed largely because of Kieron Pollard’s 41 off 25. In the chase, CSK started well, and Shane Watson scored 80 off 59 balls. But none of their middle-order batters could score a run. CSK needed two runs off the last ball, and Lasith Malinga dismissed Shardul Thakur to win it for MI.
3. Mumbai Indians (148/9) vs Chennai Super Kings in 2013
The third-lowest IPL total that has been defended in the final is registered under the name of Mumbai Indians. They did it in 2013 against Chennai Super Kings at Eden Gardens. It was a thrilling final, and MI came back strong despite a poor batting display. MI posted a score of 148/9 in the first innings and Kieron Pollard scored 60* off 32. For CSK, MS Dhoni scored 63* off 45, but apart from him, no other batter contributed. CSK finished at 125/9, and MI won their first title with a 23-run win.
2. Deccan Chargers (143/6) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2009
Anil Kumble has the record for the best bowling performance in an IPL final. He took 4/15 against Deccan Chargers in the 2009 final in Johannesburg, but it came in a losing cause. It was the Chargers that batted first and made 143/6, with Herschelle Gibbs scoring 53* off 48. It was a very low target, and RCB had a brilliant chance. But the second inning had an even worse batting display. A batting lineup with Virat Kohli, Jacques Kallis, Rahul Dravid, Ross Taylor, Mark Boucher, and Robin Uthappa made only 137/9. Deccan Chargers defended the title and won the championship.
1. Mumbai Indians (129/8) vs Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017
Can you imagine scoring below 130 runs in a T20 game and still winning the match? Something similar happened in the final of the 2017 edition between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants. Batting first, MI only managed 129/8. Over 200 runs were scored in the finals of the previous three editions before this, and there was no chance for MI to win it. But their bowlers didn’t allow RPS to get away. Jasprit Bumrah (2/26) and Mitchell Johnson (3/26) bowled well, and RPS fell short of the target just by one run to lose the final. They made 128/6, and MI won their third title.
