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Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 culminated on a one-sided note, as the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured the title on Sunday, May 26, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. KKR sealed the chase of 114 against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and won by eight wickets.
However, the tournament was contested closely throughout the season, with the final playoff spot being filled in the last league match. There were many close matches, which took fans' ecstasy to another level.
Let's take a look at the five close matches in the 2024 season of the IPL.
#5 RR vs SRH
The game between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and SunRisers Hyderabad was another example of cricket being a game of fine margins. Batting first, SRH posted 201 on the board, with Nitish Reddy (76*) as the top-scorer.
Then, Riyan Parag (77) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (67) were terrific to steer the Royals at a comfortable rate. However, their dismissals saw RR crumble under pressure.
With 20 needed off the last two overs, RR lost Dhruv Jurel, but Rovman Powell's maximum off Pat Cummins trimmed down the equation to 13 required off the final over.
Powell hit a boundary and ran for a couple of doubles, but was trapped LBW by Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the final ball, which resulted in SRH winning the game by just one run.
#4 KKR vs SRH
This game gave rise to the fast bowler, Harshit Rana, who kept his nerves to secure a victory for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Andre Russell (64*) was the top-scorer, as KKR posted a formidable 208.
Then, after getting a good start from the openers, Heinrich Klaasen continued the team's momentum with his positive intent.
With 57 required off 18 balls, Klaasen was at his dominating best to slam three sixes to make it 39 off the last two overs. Then, the South African hit three sixes against Mitchell Starc, while Shahbaz Ahmed also helped the team's cause by ending the over with another maximum.
After Klaasen smoked a six off Rana's first ball, SRH needed seven off five deliveries. However, the fast bowler turned the tables after dismissing Klaasen and Shahbaz, and paved the way for KKR to secure a four-run victory.
#3 RR vs GT
In the clash against Gujarat Titans (GT), Rajasthan Royals posted a formidable total of 196, with Sanju Samson (68) and Riyan Parag (76) as the major contributors. Then, Shubman Gill (72) provided a solid start to the Titans with the support of Sai Sudharsan (35).
With 35 needed off 12 balls, the duo of Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan took out 19 runs in the penultimate over. Then, Rashid slashed two boundaries to take GT closer to the target. With four needed off two deliveries, Tewatia was run out after completing a double.
Then, with two needed off the final delivery, Rashid smashed the widish ball towards the point region for a boundary to help GT secure a thrilling victory.
#2 KKR vs RR
In the 31st game of the season, Kolkata Knight Riders met Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens. With an imperious knock of 109 off 56 from Sunil Narine, KKR posted a mammoth 223 on the board.
Thereafter, Jos Buttler got off to a great start, but the other RR batters couldn't contribute enough. It was his 50-run stand with Riyan Parag (34), which kept RR in the hunt.
Not many would have predicted that RR would chase down 96 off the last six overs against the talented KKR bowling attack.
With 28 needed off 12, Buttler slammed two sixes and a four against Harshit Rana to trim down the equation to nine off the last over.
In the very first ball, Buttler hit a six against Varun Chakaravarthy to assure RR of the victory. However, the three consecutive dot balls put back pressure on the Englishman, who ran for a double in the penultimate delivery.
Thereafter, Buttler smashed a six towards the deep mid-wicket region to seal the chase. He remained unbeaten on 107 off 60 balls, with nine fours and six sixes. It was the then joint-highest successful chase in IPL history, before Punjab Kings chased down 262 against the Knight Riders.
#1 RCB vs CSK
The most anticipated clash of this season between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) certainly proved to be a cliffhanger.
Faf du Plessis (54) top-scored, as RCB's collective effort saw them posting 218 on the board. However, they needed to win by 18 runs or more to qualify for the playoffs.
Then, Rachin Ravindra (61) provided a terrific start to the Super Kings. With 34 needed off the final two overs for CSK to qualify, the boundaries from Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni resulted in them needing 16 runs off the final over.
After Dhoni hit a gigantic 110m six off the first ball against Yash Dayal, it looked like CSK were in the front seat. However, Dhoni was holed out on the following ball, while Shardul Thakur could only run for a single after playing out a dot.
With 10 needed off two balls, Jadeja couldn't read Dayal's back-handed slower balls, as RCB emphatically qualified for the playoffs. Certainly, this game will be remembered for years to come, given its significance.
