It’s quite common to see teams register comprehensive wins with enough wickets in hand. But with the aggressive approach at the forefront in T20 cricket, teams often lose wickets while chasing targets.
Sometimes it might be because of pressure as well, with targets being well above 180-190. Gunning down such targets with only one wicket in hand might seem impossible. But a few teams did the unthinkable and registered one-wicket wins in the IPL.
Here, we’ll list the five instances of one-wicket wins by teams in IPL history.
KKR vs KXIP, Kolkata, 2015
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were up against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in a league stage match in IPL 2015. After winning the toss, KXIP put up 183 for 5 in their first innings.
With 184 runs to chase, Robin Uthappa provided a quick start before Manish Pandey gave a further push. But by the halfway mark, KKR were at 83 for 4.
Then Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell joined hands to keep KKR in the game. A 52-run stand between them pushed the total to 136 before Pathan perished for 29.
Russell partnered with Johan Both for 23 runs before he fell for 51. Bothan was run out immediately, leaving KKR at 161 for 7.
Then Piyush Chawla’s two fours and six kept the chase alive, though KKR lost two wickets in the last over with a run required off two balls. Sunil Narine and Umesh Yadav were the last pair on the crease who stole a leg bye to finish the chase.
With that, KKR became the first team to win a match by a one-wicket margin in the IPL.
Check: Head-to-Head Stats between Kolkata and Punjab here.
CSK vs MI, Mumbai, 2018
The IPL matches between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) are always thrillers. And this one from 2018 was no less.
Both teams squared off in the IPL 2018 season opener, with MI hosting CSK at the Wankhede Stadium. CSK, meanwhile, were back in the league after a two-year ban.
So the stage was set for them to win a match on their return. But MI made it tougher for them.
CSK were out chasing 166 runs. It seemed like an easy chase, but they didn’t get a desirable start.
The pair of Hardik Pandya and Mayank Markande reduced CSK to 51 for 4. They further slid to 118 for 8 before Dwayne Bravo and Kedar Jadhav put up rescue acts.
Bravo kept CSK’s hopes alive with his one-man show. He smashed 68 runs off 30 balls while taking his side to 159 before his dismissal.
Now an injured Jadhav was on the crease with seven needed off the last over. The first three balls didn’t fetch a single run, but then Jadhav sent down a six and four to seal the match for CSK with a wicket in hand.
SRH vs MI, Hyderabad, 2018
MI were at the receiving end for one more time within five days. This time, Sunrisers Hyderabad pulled off a heist in Hyderabad.
MI mustered 147 for 8 against a disciplined SRH bowling attack. In response, SRH had a dream start, with openers putting up 62 runs in 6.5 overs.
But then Mumbai’s bowlers made a comeback in the game. They reduced SRH from 62 for 1 to 137 for 9.
The equation came down to 11 runs off six balls for SRH. MI needed just one wicket. But a set Deepak Hooda and the No. 11 Billy Stanlake denied the chance.
Hooda cleared the fence on the first ball before a wide and three singles levelled the score. Stanlake faced the last ball, which he smashed over midwicket to get a four.
LSG vs RCB, Bengaluru, 2023
Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium witnessed a nail-biting contest in 2023. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) hosted Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at their home ground.
The hosts stormed their way to 212 runs, with the top three firing on all cylinders. With 213 runs to chase, LSG had a horrible start.
They lost a wicket in the first over before losing two more in the fourth over. Then Marcus Stoinis teamed up with KL Rahul to revive LSG’s chase.
The duo put up a 76-run stand before Stoinis fell for 65 off 30. Rahul (18 off 20) followed soon, leaving LSG at 105 for 5.
Then it was the Nicholas Pooran show at Chinnaswamy. He hammered 62 runs from 19 balls to take LSG to 189 for 6.
The victory seemed in sight, but LSG slumped to 212 for 9. LSG needed only one run off the last ball, which had a lot of drama.
Avesh Khan couldn’t connect with the ball, but he set off for a bye along with Ravi Bishnoi to leave the Bengaluru crowd shocked.
DC vs LSG, Visakhapatnam, 2025
Just into the fourth match in the 2025 season, and we already had a thriller. Delhi Capitals (DC) became the latest entrant on this list after a one-wicket win against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
On a flat track in Vizag, Lucknow smashed 209 for 8 in the first innings. Delhi, in reply, were in a spot of bother at 7 for 3 within two overs.
Then, captain Axar Patel stabilised the chase with Faf du Plessis. Both stitched a 42-run stand before Patel fell for 22 off 11. Du Plessis was the next victim, departing for 29 off 18.
With half the squad back in the hut on 65, Tristan Stubbs and Ashutosh Sharma took matters into their own hands. Both played cautiously before Stubbs finally let loose to smash two consecutive sixes. But on the next ball, he was clean bowled.
Debutant Vipraj Nigam joined Sharma and was off the mark with a flurry of boundaries. Nigam played a match-turning cameo of 39 off 15 before departing on 168.
The Capitals lost two more wickets, leaving them at 192 for 9. But, in the meantime, Sharma shifted gears quickly to move from 20 off 20 to the match-winning 66* off 31.
DC needed 18 runs off nine deliveries, and Sharma held his nerve. He scored a double, a six, and four to bring down the equation to six needed off six.
No. 11 Mohit Sharma was on the crease and took a single on the second ball before Sharma finished things off in style with a six.
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