Batters have frequently defeated the opposition on their own in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which has long been a venue for incredible individual genius. However, not all valiant endeavours result in success. Fans have seen some incredible innings that have lit up the tournament over the years, but sadly, they could not send their team across the finish line. These knocks demonstrate the unpredictability of cricket, which is driven by grit, flair, and unadulterated brilliance.
The best 10 IPL knocks played in losing causes are honoured in this list; these performances were deserving of more, yet are remembered by fans for their pure genius.
10. MS Dhoni 51(26) vs MI (2013)
At home, facing the formidable attack of Johnson-Munaf-Bhajji-Ojha at 58/4 in the 11th over while chasing 149, the chase only grew more difficult as the match continued.
Given the growing need rate and the lack of a rotation strike option towards the end, Dhoni took impeccable risks. He took on practically every bowler, sped to a 24-ball fifty with a SIX over deep midwicket off Johnson, and matched his power-hitting counterpart’s blazing knock to bring the MI innings back to life.
This game served as a practice for the season’s major Finals in every way: MI had set a goal of precisely 149, and MI won both. Pollard and Dhoni scored a fast 50 and played a single hand for their teams.
9. Rishabh Pant 128(63) vs SRH (2018)
Pant entered the game after DC had lost two early wickets on what was supposedly a slow track, where both leaders believed 160 would be the game-winning score.
Before shifting tactics against a strong attack, including Shakib, Rashid, and Bhuvi, he scored a steady fifty off 36 balls. After hitting 100, he destroyed Bhuvi, the league’s top bowler, for 26 explosive runs. Overall, this knock of his was one of the most comprehensive innings ever, even when Dew in the second innings made the batting appear easier.
Fun Fact: He hit over 200 when his teammates’ combined SR was around 100.
8. MS Dhoni 84(48) vs RCB (2019)
At Chinnaswamy, Parthiv’s fifty-run knock against his old team helped RCB reach 161, which was slower than its actual pace.
In the Powerplay, Steyn-Yadav’s opening spell (along with that yorker to Raina) claimed four wickets and made sure CSK played much more cautiously and with much less speed. MSD clung to the bad balls quite frequently, whereas others found it difficult to try.
It came down to 26 needed off the final over with very little help. Within the first five balls, Dhoni hit Umesh for 4,6,6,2,6. CSK might have avoided missing the mark by a run if he had simply continued smashing rather than guiding the final ball for a double.
7. Virat Kohli 71(51) vs Deccan (2011)
For any team chasing 176, 5-56 at the midway point of the innings is not a good sight. While Gony was most imposing with his line, Ishant and Steyn were on fire. One of the toughest grounds is Hyderabad, where an ineffective RCB assault had given up a far higher total.
Given that de Villiers recorded a 7-ball duck, you can infer the calibre of the Deccan attack. Despite the consequences, Kohli continued to hit the ball about, and the RCB finally needed more than 80 runs from the final five overs. After pursuing an unlikely goal with Mishra and Gony, he scored 53% of the team’s runs before losing to the latter. Despite having six batters, RCB secured a good final total because of him.
6. AB de Villiers 89(46) vs PBKS (2017)
Except for ABD, who caused mayhem at SR of 193, none of the Challengers hit above 90 in RCB’s dot-galore of Indore. Kohli removed Watson from the lineup in the opening over, leaving Superman with too much to accomplish.
Although ABD did produce, RCB ended up on a pitiful 148 thanks to the poor efforts of Mandeep 28(34) and Binny 18(20), who never got it going.
Punjab achieved a pathetic mark in 15 overs thanks to dew and subpar ball handling.
5. Manan Vohra 95(50) vs SRH (2017)
In this match against SRH in their backyard, a batsman whose repertoire of shots always showed potential was at his beautiful best, scoring his most excellent T20 score.
Made a show of it by putting on Rashid’s goggles from deep in the crease on a challenging pitch. While chasing 160, his effort put the team in a position where they only needed 15 off 10—the second-highest score was 13—despite the rest of the Kings contributing nothing.
At a scorching SR of 190, his 66% contribution ranks fourth in an IPL defeat.
4. Kieron Pollard 78(48) vs SRH (2014)
Warner and KL’s calculated innings, which saw them score below 130, would not have been sufficient, but MI’s extras enabled them to put up a more than respectable target of 173 on the difficult Dubai surface.
MI lost Rohit in the second over and three wickets during the powerplay. Before Pollard attaching knock the leggie pair of Mishra and Karn started in the 13th over, Rayudu and Pollard stabilised the ship with a run-a-ball partnership of about 30 runs. Pollard lasted nearly to the very finish, but wickets continued to fall on the other end. On the first ball, the powerful Caribbean played on Irfan Pathan’s in-swinging delivery with 20 needed off the final over.
3. Rahul Dravid 75(36) vs RR (2008)
Thanks to Sohail Tanvir, RCB was 5-3 after chasing 198 on the important Jaipur ground. Rahul Dravid played a different knock during an inning in which no other hitter was able to score more than 100.
By the time Dravid got his eye in, the game was already lost, but he was unconcerned with the Royals’ bowling ability. targeted the appropriate bowlers and hit Yusuf Pathan for three sixes in an over to reach his fifty in just twenty-five deliveries.
The bowling, fielding, and the majority of the batting had all gone wrong for the Challengers that day, with the exception of Dravid’s valiant efforts in the middle order.
2. Yusuf Pathan 100(37) vs MI (2010)
In one of the most explosive knocks in IPL history, Yusuf Pathan nearly pulled off a miracle against the Mumbai Indians at Brabourne Stadium in 2010. Chasing a daunting target of 213, Rajasthan Royals were struggling at 40/3 when Pathan walked in. He took his time to assess the pitch, managing just 15 runs off his first 14 deliveries. But what followed was pure carnage.
With brute power and clean striking, Pathan unleashed a counterattack like no other, hammering 85 runs off his next 22 balls. He dismantled bowlers like Ryan McLaren, Ali Murtaza, and Rajagopal Sathish with ruthless precision, bringing up one of the fastest centuries in IPL history at the time. Unfortunately, despite his breathtaking 100 off 37 balls, Rajasthan fell short by just 4 runs. It was a knock that deserved a win, but remains iconic even in defeat.
1. Suresh Raina 87(25) vs PBKS (2014)
There is no need to introduce this knock. With as much intent as one can develop in a qualifier, he walked in at 1-1 in a pressure chase of 227. For the majority of the second part of his innings, the CSK dugout was on its feet due to the complete disregard for Johnson’s and Awana’s pace. It appeared as though no bowler could get his wicket because he chased after every delivery. And no one did.
Before reaching an 87 so fast that no other batsman has had a greater SR while getting 50+ to date, Mr. IPL was the victim of a running mixup. Among the many records still in existence for the men in yellow from that day are the most runs scored by a batter in the powerplay, the team’s 100 runs in the powerplay, and the 33 runs off Awana in an over.
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