Top 3 most one-sided finals in IPL history ft. 2024
The IPL finals are among the most-watched games in cricket history. The two best teams of the season compete in the final for the championship. Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have won the trophy five times. Notably, MI have also lost one final, while CSK have finished runners-up five times.
MI and CSK have competed against each other in IPL finals on multiple occasions. Whenever these two teams are in action in a high-stakes match, fans enjoy the competition a lot because the games prove to be close ones.
Even in 2014, when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings played the final, the match went down to the last over, while last year, CSK stole a win on the last ball against the Gujarat Titans.
It is rare to see a lopsided IPL final because the two best teams make it to the summit clash, but here's a list of three such games.
#1 IPL 2024 Final - Kolkata Knight Riders crush Sunrisers Hyderabad
Last night, fans witnessed the most lopsided final in the Indian Premier League history. MA Chidambaram Stadium played host to the battle between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The two teams finished in the top 2 of the standings, and they played out a high-scoring thriller in the league stage.
Thus, fans had high hopes from this year's final, but KKR's bowlers destroyed the SRH batting lineup in Chennai. Andre Russell's three-wicket haul and Mitchell Starc's double strike in the powerplay ensured that SRH managed just 113 runs in the first innings.
It was the lowest team total in IPL finals in history. KKR made short work of the chase, reaching 114/2 inside 11 overs, thanks to Venkatesh Iyer's quickfire half-ton. KKR crushed SRH by eight wickets to lift the trophy for the third time.
#2 2022 Final - Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals
Two years ago, Gujarat Titans (GT) won their maiden championship with a fantastic performance in the final against Rajasthan Royals (RR). GT's home venue Narendra Modi Stadium hosted the big game. Notably, the Titans had never played at their home turf before, while RR beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru on the same ground in Qualifier 2.
RR won the toss and decided to bat first. The decision backfired as Hardik Pandya's three-wicket haul kept the Royals down to 130/9 in 20 overs. Chasing 131, GT reached 133/3 in 18.1 overs, thanks to skipper Pandya's 30-ball 34. Shubman Gill hit the winning six to seal the deal for GT.
#3 2020 Final - Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals
IPL 2020 was held behind closed doors in the UAE. Defending champions Mumbai Indians reached the final comfortably, and they were up against first-time finalists Delhi Capitals (DC).
DC won the toss and opted to bat, but Trent Boult and Jayant Yadav left them reeling at 22/3 in the fourth over. Half-centuries from Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer inspired DC to 156/7.
In response, Rohit Sharma's magnificent 68-run knock helped MI gain the upper hand. Ishan Kishan then chipped in with an unbeaten 19-ball 33 to ensure MI retained the crown.