IPL: 5 biggest win margins by runs and the momentum they imparted
![Kieron Pollard helping Mumbai soar to another massive total [PC: IPLt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2020/08/ff0b7-15972359712261-800.jpg?w=500)
In 2018, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) trumped Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their last league match (in Hyderabad) to march into the playoffs. A mere 5 days later, SRH comfortably overpowered KKR in the second Qualifier (this time in Kolkata) to seal their place in the finals.
In 2017, Mumbai Indians were outplayed by Rising Pune Supergiants in 3 games before their surreal 1-run victory over the same opponents in the finals.
These instances just go to show how unpredictable a high-octane league like the Indian Premier League (IPL) can be. While players will agree that the result of any game boils down to the performance on the given day, hardly any post-match interview goes by without the captain alluding to how imperative the entity called ‘momentum’ is. Victors aim to maintain it while the losers vow to regain it.
But what exactly is ‘momentum’? Is it just an abstract synonym for confidence, or does it have any visible bearings on the results of an IPL season?
To address this question, we look at the top 5 biggest win margins (by runs) in the IPL and see how it affected the momentum of the winners in their following games.
5. Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Pune Warriors by 130 runs (IPL 2013)
![One-man wrecking crew [PC: timesnownews.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2020/08/581c0-15972365192597-800.jpg)
175 - the score that cemented Chris Gayle’s status as the Universe Boss. Coming out to bat under ominous-looking clouds at the Chinnaswamy, Chris Gayle obliterated the Pune bowling line up to such an extent that Aaron Finch, the specialist opener-cum-captain of PWI, had to turn his arm over.
In addition to Gayle’s unbeaten 175 (66), AB de Villiers’s gem of 31 (8) pushed the RCB total to an unprecedented 263/3. With the asking rate 13.2 from the onset, the PWI chase crumbled without much resistance as they folded for 133/9.
RCB’s best bowling figures that day? 2/5 by the man himself, Christopher Henry Gayle.
Momentum:
Perhaps it is fitting to call Gayle's knock the ‘innings of a lifetime’, as the next few matches didn’t pan out for RCB. The red-and-gold brigade went on to lose to Mumbai Indians by 58 runs and then to Rajasthan Royals by 4 wickets. They won the next match by 17 runs, however, with PWI being the victims once again.
4. Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Kings XI Punjab by 138 Runs (IPL 2015)
![The IPL juggernaut that is Chris Gayle [PC:sports.ndtv.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2020/08/2295f-15972368472315-800.jpg)
Another blitzkrieg from Chris Gayle (117 of 57) helped RCB to another mammoth total of 226/3 towards the business end of the league phase. Kohli (32) and AB de Villiers (47) got together after the loss of the big man to keep the scoring rate from dipping.
In response, KXIP’s innings withered away for a measly 88 with the RCB duo of Mitchell Starc and Sreenath Aravind both picking up 4 wickets apiece. Only Axar Patel, unbeaten on 40 (21), provided a noteworthy performance for KXIP.
Momentum:
RCB seemed to utilize their momentum a notch better this time around, registering only 1 loss (against KXIP) in their next 5 games, which extended into the playoffs. Their 6th match was against rivals Chennai Super Kings in the second Qualifier, which the Men in Yellow won, chasing down 139 with 2 balls to spare to dash RCB’s hopes of another IPL final.