IPL 2021: Top 5 best matches in the history of the tournament

3. Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings, Chennai, 2012 Final

Chennai Super Kings had won the consecutive seasons, in 2010 and 2011, and came into the final as the favourites. The Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, were playing their first final. As the match was being played in Chennai, the home team was at an advantage clearly. Michael Hussey (54 runs off 43 balls) and Murali Vijay (42 runs off 32 balls) gave a brilliant start. 

Suresh Raina smashed 73 runs off 38 balls to take Chennai’s score to 190 for 4. He attacked Kolkata’s biggest strength in that season until then, Sunil Narine. No team had ever chased down a total such as this in an IPL final. And, the expectations of the Kolkata fans reduced as their captain and leading run-getter Gautam Gambhir got out in the first over. 

But, KKR were able to find an unlikely hero in Manvinder Bisla, who counter-attacked the CSK bowlers and made 89 runs off 48 balls. Once he was dismissed, Jacques Kallis took on the onus, scoring 69 runs off 49 balls. But, it all came down to the last over as KKR needed nine runs. Manoj Tiwary hit two fours on the third and fourth deliveries, helping his team get over the line and script history.