While the idea of appointing fielding positions like short leg, slips, and silly point in a T20 game might sound bizarre and alien but such have been the instances in the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IPL</a> 2021 especially when the matches are happening in Chennai.

The beauty of the IPL is that not all games are high-scoring events and by playing in places like Chennai and Delhi, sometimes the bowlers do enjoy some extra advantage over batters. While the recent matches might have brought back the glimpses of setting attacking fields, in the IPL’s 14-year history, there have also been some other interesting games where such witty tactics have yielded teams some fabulous wins.

5 attacking field placements set by clever captains in IPL history

1. MI vs KKR (IPL 2021)

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-506343" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/MI-vs-KKR.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-506343" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)</figcaption>

While MI’s recent win against KKR at the Chepauk stadium, surely was a blessing victory for the team, what really fascinating was watching someone like Kieron Pollard stand at a silly point that too against the likes of Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik. The idea of having Krunal Pandya’s two overs in the back end turned out a master strategy for Rohit Sharma, as the KKR team while chasing a below-par score of 152 made a mockery of their run chase.

With a score of 123 for 5, the KKR team only needed 30 runs from their last 5 overs and with Andre Russell joining Dinesh Karthik at the crease, the match was highly expected to be bagged by KKR. However, with the track providing sufficient aid to the bowlers, skipper Rohit Sharma made an impressive move of attacking Andre Russell with a slip and a silly point. A fielder like Kieron Pollard, who mainly guards the long-on and long-off region, was posted at a silly point which clearly indicated that Pollard was meant to hound Russell.

The close-in fielders certainly refrained Andre Russell from changing strike whose instant effects then became visible when he chipped a full delivery bowled Krunal Pandya straight into the bowler’s hands. Although the catch was dropped by Krunal Pandya, the shot, in particular, indicated Russel’s discomfort at the crease. All in all, Rohit’s tactic of keeping an aggressive field during Krunal Pandya’s bowling never allowed the KKR’s batting duo to get settled and in the end, the MI team won the game by a margin of 10 runs.

2. KKR vs RPS (IPL 2016)

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-506347" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KKR-vs-RPS.jpg" alt width="700" height="415" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-506347" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)</figcaption>

While attacking MS Dhoni with some closest aggressive field setting by skipper Gautam Gambhir, was first visible in IPL 2015, this encounter in particular massively helped KKR to fetch a simple win. In a rain-interrupted game, the RPS team was batting first and were poised at 67 for 2 in their first 10 overs. However, a fall of 2 quick wickets brought MS Dhoni into the middle and that’s when skipper Gautam Gambhir instantly placed a silly point, two slips and a short leg to abstain Dhoni from getting easy singles.

The attacking field setting by the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/kkr-kolkata-knight-riders/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KKR</a> skipper was something which the team had already pre-planned against Dhoni, whose acknowledgement was also done by the KKR coach Jacques Kallis in a sideline interview. Initially, the aggressive field setting looked a tad alien, but in the end, it turned out to be doing wonders for KKR.

The outcome resulted in a strenuous struggle for MS Dhoni, as the RPS skipper almost got stranded to keep his batting moving. Although the attacking sight was visible in Piyush Chawla’s over, the positive effects were much lately witnessed when Dhoni registered its slowest IPL knock off scoring mere 8 runs from 22 balls. In the end, KKR fetched an easy victory, as the chase of 66 runs was completed in the 5 overs of play.

3. SRH vs KKR, Qualifier 2 (IPL 2018)

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-506344" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KKR-vs-SRH.jpg" alt width="700" height="324" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-506344" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)</figcaption>

Being the second qualifier of the IPL 2018, yet another time an attacking field placing helped SRH to scalp the biggest fish from the KKR’s sizable batting line-up. By batting first, the SRH side had posted a competitive total of 174 and to give them a chance to qualify for their second IPL final, the team had to defend especially against the in-form likes of Robin Uthappa, DK and Andre Russell.

Both Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn had taken KKR to a flying start and by the end of the first nine overs, KKR’s score was 87 for 2. However, with Rashid Khan then removing the in-form Robin Uthappa, had vigorously brought SRH back in the game and there came his face-off with Andre Russell. While bowling the 15th over to Andre Russell, skipper Kane Williamson had anticipated that Russell would safely play out Rashid Khan’s spin and might look to just rotate strike. A slip and a short leg were placed to discomfort Andre Rusell, as Rashid Khan was seen perplexing the batsman with his set of variations.

It was the fourth ball of the over which propelled Russell to play a fancy cut shot which eventually went on into the hands of the slip fielder. The ball was a flat googly by Rashid Khan and with his pace, the ball fizzed off the edge. <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/unfortunately-good-finishers-like-me-and-dk-we-didnt-get-bat-to-ball-andre-russell-after-kkrs-loss/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andre Russell’s </a>wicket was the game-changing moment which in the end allowed SRH to win the game by 14 runs.

4. MI vs CSK, Final (2010)

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-506345" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/MS-Dhoni-4.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-506345" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)</figcaption>

While the newly recruited Kieron Pollard was going bonkers for MI to fetch them their first IPL title in 2010, it was MS Dhoni’s shrewd wicket-taking field setting which helped CSK to grab their first IPL glory. With MI chasing a target of 168 in the final, the team in the last phase of the game was highly dependent on Kieron Pollard to seal the deal for them, as the West Indian was powering the ball at a strike rate of 270.

With Albie Morkel bowling the penultimate over, MI required 27 from the final seven deliveries and that’s when MS Dhoni with his razor-sharp mind placed a straightish mid-off fielder which was right behind the bowler’s arm. To bowl as per the new field, Albie Morkel then bowled a delivery way outside the off-stump and to whack to it hard, Kieron Pollard played the shot which directly went in the hands of that newly appointed fielder.

The dismissal turned out to be exactly similar to what MS Dhoni had planned and with Pollard’s dismissal, the game was certainly clinched by the yellow army. MI, lost the game by 22 runs but this attacking field setting by MS Dhoni turned out to be the golden point for <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-fantasy-league-2021-match-8-pbks-vs-csk-fantasy-tips/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CSK.</a>

5. KXIP vs KKR (IPL 2013)

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-506346" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KKR-vs-KXIP.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-506346" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)</figcaption>

While the above aggressive field placements had helped different captains to win crucial games, in this case, it was merely the bowler ( KKR’s Sunil Narine) who fetched an<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-schedule/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> IPL</a> hat-trick. By deciding to bowl first, the KKR bowlers had massively downsized KXIP’s batting, as the Punjab team had scored 70 runs for 3 wickets in their first 10 overs.

With Narine extensively controlling the middle passage of the play, the West Indian bowler was brought in for the 15 over and by the end of it, Narine had cleaned up the KXIP’s middle-order batting through his hat-trick. His first wicket of David Hussey came on the third ball of the over, as the Australian batsman had nicked Narine’s off-break to the wicket-keeper Manvinder Bisla. The second wicket of Azhar Mahmood was the biggest scalp as with his variation of the knuckleball, Sunil Narine himself received a simple catch.

Now with Narine’s variations receiving some help from the pitch, the KKR skipper brought in a close field that had two slips and a silly point. However, with the first two dismissals involving some spin, Sunil Narine then bowled a straight ball to Gurkeerat Singh which went on to break the top of the off-stump. Gurkeerat anticipated to be an off-break and played that wrong line. However, the pressure of having a strong off-side field also propelled him to go for a flick. In the end, regardless of Narine’s hat-trick, KXIP won the game by a mere margin of 4 runs.

While the idea of appointing fielding positions like short leg, slips, and silly point in a T20 game might sound bizarre and alien but such have been the instances in the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IPL</a> 2021 especially when the matches are happening in Chennai.
The beauty of the IPL is that not all games are high-scoring events and by playing in places like Chennai and Delhi, sometimes the bowlers do enjoy some extra advantage over batters. While the recent matches might have brought back the glimpses of setting attacking fields, in the IPL’s 14-year history, there have also been some other interesting games where such witty tactics have yielded teams some fabulous wins. 
<h2 class="p1">5 attacking field placements set by clever captains in IPL history</h2>
<h3>1. MI vs KKR (IPL 2021)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_506343" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-506343" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-506343" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/MI-vs-KKR.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-506343" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)</figcaption></figure>
While MI’s recent win against KKR at the Chepauk stadium, surely was a blessing victory for the team, what really fascinating was watching someone like Kieron Pollard stand at a silly point that too against the likes of Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik. The idea of having Krunal Pandya’s two overs in the back end turned out a master strategy for Rohit Sharma, as the KKR team while chasing a below-par score of 152 made a mockery of their run chase.
With a score of 123 for 5, the KKR team only needed 30 runs from their last 5 overs and with Andre Russell joining Dinesh Karthik at the crease, the match was highly expected to be bagged by KKR. However, with the track providing sufficient aid to the bowlers, skipper Rohit Sharma made an impressive move of attacking Andre Russell with a slip and a silly point. A fielder like Kieron Pollard, who mainly guards the long-on and long-off region, was posted at a silly point which clearly indicated that Pollard was meant to hound Russell. 
The close-in fielders certainly refrained Andre Russell from changing strike whose instant effects then became visible when he chipped a full delivery bowled Krunal Pandya straight into the bowler’s hands. Although the catch was dropped by Krunal Pandya, the shot, in particular, indicated Russel’s discomfort at the crease. All in all, Rohit’s tactic of keeping an aggressive field during Krunal Pandya’s bowling never allowed the KKR’s batting duo to get settled and in the end, the MI team won the game by a margin of 10 runs.

<h3 class="p3">2. KKR vs RPS (IPL 2016)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_506347" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-506347" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-506347" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KKR-vs-RPS.jpg" alt width="700" height="415" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-506347" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)</figcaption></figure>
While attacking MS Dhoni with some closest aggressive field setting by skipper Gautam Gambhir, was first visible in IPL 2015, this encounter in particular massively helped KKR to fetch a simple win. In a rain-interrupted game, the RPS team was batting first and were poised at 67 for 2 in their first 10 overs. However, a fall of 2 quick wickets brought MS Dhoni into the middle and that’s when skipper Gautam Gambhir instantly placed a silly point, two slips and a short leg to abstain Dhoni from getting easy singles.
The attacking field setting by the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/kkr-kolkata-knight-riders/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KKR</a> skipper was something which the team had already pre-planned against Dhoni, whose acknowledgement was also done by the KKR coach Jacques Kallis in a sideline interview. Initially, the aggressive field setting looked a tad alien, but in the end, it turned out to be doing wonders for KKR.
The outcome resulted in a strenuous struggle for MS Dhoni, as the RPS skipper almost got stranded to keep his batting moving. Although the attacking sight was visible in Piyush Chawla’s over, the positive effects were much lately witnessed when Dhoni registered its slowest IPL knock off scoring mere 8 runs from 22 balls. In the end, KKR fetched an easy victory, as the chase of 66 runs was completed in the 5 overs of play.

<h3 class="p3">3. SRH vs KKR, Qualifier 2 (IPL 2018)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_506344" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-506344" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-506344" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KKR-vs-SRH.jpg" alt width="700" height="324" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-506344" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)</figcaption></figure>
Being the second qualifier of the IPL 2018, yet another time an attacking field placing helped SRH to scalp the biggest fish from the KKR’s sizable batting line-up. By batting first, the SRH side had posted a competitive total of 174 and to give them a chance to qualify for their second IPL final, the team had to defend especially against the in-form likes of Robin Uthappa, DK and Andre Russell.
Both Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn had taken KKR to a flying start and by the end of the first nine overs, KKR’s score was 87 for 2. However, with Rashid Khan then removing the in-form Robin Uthappa, had vigorously brought SRH back in the game and there came his face-off with Andre Russell. While bowling the 15th over to Andre Russell, skipper Kane Williamson had anticipated that Russell would safely play out Rashid Khan’s spin and might look to just rotate strike. A slip and a short leg were placed to discomfort Andre Rusell, as Rashid Khan was seen perplexing the batsman with his set of variations. 
It was the fourth ball of the over which propelled Russell to play a fancy cut shot which eventually went on into the hands of the slip fielder. The ball was a flat googly by Rashid Khan and with his pace, the ball fizzed off the edge. <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/unfortunately-good-finishers-like-me-and-dk-we-didnt-get-bat-to-ball-andre-russell-after-kkrs-loss/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andre Russell’s </a>wicket was the game-changing moment which in the end allowed SRH to win the game by 14 runs.

<h3 class="p3">4. MI vs CSK, Final (2010)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_506345" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-506345" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-506345" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/MS-Dhoni-4.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-506345" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)</figcaption></figure>
While the newly recruited Kieron Pollard was going bonkers for MI to fetch them their first IPL title in 2010, it was MS Dhoni’s shrewd wicket-taking field setting which helped CSK to grab their first IPL glory. With MI chasing a target of 168 in the final, the team in the last phase of the game was highly dependent on Kieron Pollard to seal the deal for them, as the West Indian was powering the ball at a strike rate of 270.
With Albie Morkel bowling the penultimate over, MI required 27 from the final seven deliveries and that’s when MS Dhoni with his razor-sharp mind placed a straightish mid-off fielder which was right behind the bowler’s arm. To bowl as per the new field, Albie Morkel then bowled a delivery way outside the off-stump and to whack to it hard, Kieron Pollard played the shot which directly went in the hands of that newly appointed fielder.
The dismissal turned out to be exactly similar to what MS Dhoni had planned and with Pollard’s dismissal, the game was certainly clinched by the yellow army. MI, lost the game by 22 runs but this attacking field setting by MS Dhoni turned out to be the golden point for <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-fantasy-league-2021-match-8-pbks-vs-csk-fantasy-tips/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CSK.</a>

<h3 class="p3">5. KXIP vs KKR (IPL 2013)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_506346" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-506346" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-506346" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KKR-vs-KXIP.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-506346" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)</figcaption></figure>
While the above aggressive field placements had helped different captains to win crucial games, in this case, it was merely the bowler ( KKR’s Sunil Narine) who fetched an<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-schedule/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> IPL</a> hat-trick. By deciding to bowl first, the KKR bowlers had massively downsized KXIP’s batting, as the Punjab team had scored 70 runs for 3 wickets in their first 10 overs. 
With Narine extensively controlling the middle passage of the play, the West Indian bowler was brought in for the 15 over and by the end of it, Narine had cleaned up the KXIP’s middle-order batting through his hat-trick. His first wicket of David Hussey came on the third ball of the over, as the Australian batsman had nicked Narine’s off-break to the wicket-keeper Manvinder Bisla. The second wicket of Azhar Mahmood was the biggest scalp as with his variation of the knuckleball, Sunil Narine himself received a simple catch.
Now with Narine’s variations receiving some help from the pitch, the KKR skipper brought in a close field that had two slips and a silly point. However, with the first two dismissals involving some spin, Sunil Narine then bowled a straight ball to Gurkeerat Singh which went on to break the top of the off-stump. Gurkeerat anticipated to be an off-break and played that wrong line. However, the pressure of having a strong off-side field also propelled him to go for a flick. In the end, regardless of Narine’s hat-trick, KXIP won the game by a mere margin of 4 runs.

While the idea of appointing fielding positions like short leg, slips, and silly point in a T20 game might sound bizarre and alien but such have been the instances in the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IPL</a> 2021 especially when the matches are happening in Chennai.
The beauty of the IPL is that not all games are high-scoring events and by playing in places like Chennai and Delhi, sometimes the bowlers do enjoy some extra advantage over batters. While the recent matches might have brought back the glimpses of setting attacking fields, in the IPL’s 14-year history, there have also been some other interesting games where such witty tactics have yielded teams some fabulous wins. 
<h2 class="p1">5 attacking field placements set by clever captains in IPL history</h2>
<h3>1. MI vs KKR (IPL 2021)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_506343" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-506343" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-506343" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/MI-vs-KKR.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-506343" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)</figcaption></figure>
While MI’s recent win against KKR at the Chepauk stadium, surely was a blessing victory for the team, what really fascinating was watching someone like Kieron Pollard stand at a silly point that too against the likes of Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik. The idea of having Krunal Pandya’s two overs in the back end turned out a master strategy for Rohit Sharma, as the KKR team while chasing a below-par score of 152 made a mockery of their run chase.
With a score of 123 for 5, the KKR team only needed 30 runs from their last 5 overs and with Andre Russell joining Dinesh Karthik at the crease, the match was highly expected to be bagged by KKR. However, with the track providing sufficient aid to the bowlers, skipper Rohit Sharma made an impressive move of attacking Andre Russell with a slip and a silly point. A fielder like Kieron Pollard, who mainly guards the long-on and long-off region, was posted at a silly point which clearly indicated that Pollard was meant to hound Russell. 
The close-in fielders certainly refrained Andre Russell from changing strike whose instant effects then became visible when he chipped a full delivery bowled Krunal Pandya straight into the bowler’s hands. Although the catch was dropped by Krunal Pandya, the shot, in particular, indicated Russel’s discomfort at the crease. All in all, Rohit’s tactic of keeping an aggressive field during Krunal Pandya’s bowling never allowed the KKR’s batting duo to get settled and in the end, the MI team won the game by a margin of 10 runs.

<h3 class="p3">2. KKR vs RPS (IPL 2016)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_506347" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-506347" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-506347" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KKR-vs-RPS.jpg" alt width="700" height="415" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-506347" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)</figcaption></figure>
While attacking MS Dhoni with some closest aggressive field setting by skipper Gautam Gambhir, was first visible in IPL 2015, this encounter in particular massively helped KKR to fetch a simple win. In a rain-interrupted game, the RPS team was batting first and were poised at 67 for 2 in their first 10 overs. However, a fall of 2 quick wickets brought MS Dhoni into the middle and that’s when skipper Gautam Gambhir instantly placed a silly point, two slips and a short leg to abstain Dhoni from getting easy singles.
The attacking field setting by the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/kkr-kolkata-knight-riders/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KKR</a> skipper was something which the team had already pre-planned against Dhoni, whose acknowledgement was also done by the KKR coach Jacques Kallis in a sideline interview. Initially, the aggressive field setting looked a tad alien, but in the end, it turned out to be doing wonders for KKR.
The outcome resulted in a strenuous struggle for MS Dhoni, as the RPS skipper almost got stranded to keep his batting moving. Although the attacking sight was visible in Piyush Chawla’s over, the positive effects were much lately witnessed when Dhoni registered its slowest IPL knock off scoring mere 8 runs from 22 balls. In the end, KKR fetched an easy victory, as the chase of 66 runs was completed in the 5 overs of play.

<h3 class="p3">3. SRH vs KKR, Qualifier 2 (IPL 2018)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_506344" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-506344" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-506344" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KKR-vs-SRH.jpg" alt width="700" height="324" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-506344" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)</figcaption></figure>
Being the second qualifier of the IPL 2018, yet another time an attacking field placing helped SRH to scalp the biggest fish from the KKR’s sizable batting line-up. By batting first, the SRH side had posted a competitive total of 174 and to give them a chance to qualify for their second IPL final, the team had to defend especially against the in-form likes of Robin Uthappa, DK and Andre Russell.
Both Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn had taken KKR to a flying start and by the end of the first nine overs, KKR’s score was 87 for 2. However, with Rashid Khan then removing the in-form Robin Uthappa, had vigorously brought SRH back in the game and there came his face-off with Andre Russell. While bowling the 15th over to Andre Russell, skipper Kane Williamson had anticipated that Russell would safely play out Rashid Khan’s spin and might look to just rotate strike. A slip and a short leg were placed to discomfort Andre Rusell, as Rashid Khan was seen perplexing the batsman with his set of variations. 
It was the fourth ball of the over which propelled Russell to play a fancy cut shot which eventually went on into the hands of the slip fielder. The ball was a flat googly by Rashid Khan and with his pace, the ball fizzed off the edge. <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/unfortunately-good-finishers-like-me-and-dk-we-didnt-get-bat-to-ball-andre-russell-after-kkrs-loss/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andre Russell’s </a>wicket was the game-changing moment which in the end allowed SRH to win the game by 14 runs.

<h3 class="p3">4. MI vs CSK, Final (2010)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_506345" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-506345" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-506345" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/MS-Dhoni-4.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-506345" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)</figcaption></figure>
While the newly recruited Kieron Pollard was going bonkers for MI to fetch them their first IPL title in 2010, it was MS Dhoni’s shrewd wicket-taking field setting which helped CSK to grab their first IPL glory. With MI chasing a target of 168 in the final, the team in the last phase of the game was highly dependent on Kieron Pollard to seal the deal for them, as the West Indian was powering the ball at a strike rate of 270.
With Albie Morkel bowling the penultimate over, MI required 27 from the final seven deliveries and that’s when MS Dhoni with his razor-sharp mind placed a straightish mid-off fielder which was right behind the bowler’s arm. To bowl as per the new field, Albie Morkel then bowled a delivery way outside the off-stump and to whack to it hard, Kieron Pollard played the shot which directly went in the hands of that newly appointed fielder.
The dismissal turned out to be exactly similar to what MS Dhoni had planned and with Pollard’s dismissal, the game was certainly clinched by the yellow army. MI, lost the game by 22 runs but this attacking field setting by MS Dhoni turned out to be the golden point for <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-fantasy-league-2021-match-8-pbks-vs-csk-fantasy-tips/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CSK.</a>

<h3 class="p3">5. KXIP vs KKR (IPL 2013)</h3>
<figure id="attachment_506346" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-506346" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-506346" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KKR-vs-KXIP.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-506346" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)</figcaption></figure>
While the above aggressive field placements had helped different captains to win crucial games, in this case, it was merely the bowler ( KKR’s Sunil Narine) who fetched an<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-schedule/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> IPL</a> hat-trick. By deciding to bowl first, the KKR bowlers had massively downsized KXIP’s batting, as the Punjab team had scored 70 runs for 3 wickets in their first 10 overs. 
With Narine extensively controlling the middle passage of the play, the West Indian bowler was brought in for the 15 over and by the end of it, Narine had cleaned up the KXIP’s middle-order batting through his hat-trick. His first wicket of David Hussey came on the third ball of the over, as the Australian batsman had nicked Narine’s off-break to the wicket-keeper Manvinder Bisla. The second wicket of Azhar Mahmood was the biggest scalp as with his variation of the knuckleball, Sunil Narine himself received a simple catch.
Now with Narine’s variations receiving some help from the pitch, the KKR skipper brought in a close field that had two slips and a silly point. However, with the first two dismissals involving some spin, Sunil Narine then bowled a straight ball to Gurkeerat Singh which went on to break the top of the off-stump. Gurkeerat anticipated to be an off-break and played that wrong line. However, the pressure of having a strong off-side field also propelled him to go for a flick. In the end, regardless of Narine’s hat-trick, KXIP won the game by a mere margin of 4 runs.

Incidents where skipper's used their mind too well for field setting.

5 attacking field placements in IPL history

There have been several incidents in IPL history where attacking field placements by skippers have changed the course of the game.