Five of the Greatest Run Chases in IPL History
From Tewatia's five sixes to Punjab chasing 262 at Eden Gardens: the nights the impossible target fell.
Every fan knows the feeling: the target looks impossible, the required rate climbs past 12 an over, and then somebody starts hitting. Here are five of the IPL's greatest chases, in the order they happened.
1. Rajasthan v Kings XI Punjab, Sharjah, 2020
Target: 224. Mayank Agarwal's hundred had taken Kings XI to 223 for 2. Sanju Samson kept Rajasthan in it with 85, but Rahul Tewatia had been struggling to time the ball and the game seemed gone. Then, in the 18th over, Tewatia hit Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes. Rajasthan won with three balls to spare, completing what was then the highest chase in IPL history.
2. Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings, Delhi, 2021
Target: 219. Chennai made 218 for 4, and Mumbai were behind the rate for most of the chase. Kieron Pollard changed that with 87 not out from 34 balls, and Mumbai won off the very last ball of the match.
3. Rajasthan Royals v Kolkata Knight Riders, Kolkata, 2024
Target: 224. Sunil Narine's hundred had given KKR 223 for 6 at Eden Gardens. Rajasthan kept losing wickets, but Jos Buttler batted through the innings for 107 not out and took them home off the final ball.
4. Punjab Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders, Kolkata, 2024
Target: 262. Ten days after Buttler's night, KKR made 261 for 6 at the same ground. It should have been enough. Instead Jonny Bairstow hit 108 not out, Shashank Singh added a brutal 68 not out, and Punjab reached 262 for 2 with eight balls to spare. It was the highest successful chase in the history of T20 cricket.
5. Sunrisers Hyderabad v Punjab Kings, Hyderabad, 2025
Target: 246. Punjab made 245 for 6, with Shreyas Iyer scoring 82. Abhishek Sharma replied with 141 from 55 balls, the highest score by an Indian batter in the IPL, and Sunrisers won with nine balls left.
Why chases have got bigger
Three of these five chases came in the last two seasons. The Impact Player rule, introduced in 2023, lets teams add an extra batter, and flat pitches and fearless young openers have done the rest. A target of 200 no longer feels safe. Even 260 has been chased.
Stats in this chapter are correct to the end of the 2025 IPL season.
