4 greatest comebacks by IPL teams in the second half of the tournament
There is no arguing that IPL is an entertainer par excellence. Its history is full of many riveting and nail-biting humdingers, which have provided an edge-of-the-seat thrill to the spectators. On many occasions, teams have found themselves precariously placed after the first half of the group stage but it is the beauty of IPL that allows the sub-par performers to lift their games up and come back roaring into the reckoning again. Some of these comebacks have even resulted in the eventual title glory. Here we take a look at four miraculous turnarounds in teams’ fortunes in the first decade of IPL.
#1 Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2010
Chennai Super Kings (CSK), over the years, have provided some great and riveting contests. Under the captaincy of their iconic talisman, MS Dhoni, they have always been able to make it to the playoff stage. Some of these playoff journeys have been a roll while some others have been scripted after a spirited comeback in the later part of the tournament. The title-win in 2010 for the Yellow Jersey was one such comeback tale.
At the half-way stage, Super Kings were reeling with only two wins from seven games and needed some special effort to turn-around their campaign. The CSK setup named Doug Bollinger as an injury replacement for Jacob Oram. The arrival of Bollinger changed CSK's fortunes as they won their next three matches on the trot. But their charge was again halted by Deccan Chargers as they handed CSK a six-wicket defeat. A win over Knight Riders preceded a loss at the hands of Delhi Daredevils. CSK were now faced with a do-or-die situation in their last match in Dharamshala against Kings XI Punjab.
Dhoni's brilliance with the bat lit up the picturesque Dharamshala as CSK stormed into the semi-finals after chasing the 192-run target set by Kings XI. A four-wicket haul from Bollinger set up the CSK's defense of their 142-run score in the semi-final against Deccan Chargers. Chargers were bowled out for 104 runs, which resulted in CSK going into the final to face a red-hot Mumbai. A Suresh Raina special and some poor decision-making from Mumbai helped Chennai defend its 168-run score as Mumbai fell short by 22 runs, handing the Men in Yellow their first ever title triumph.