Top 3 nail-biting last-ball finishes in IPL 2025

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)

The Indian Premier League has been a source of some of the most adrenaline-charged moments and pure cricketing drama ever since the inception of the 20-over spectacle. The marquee T20 tournament has hardly ever failed to amaze the cricketing fraternity. There have been several games which have often come down to the final delivery, offering nail-biting thrillers to the fans across the globe.

IPL 2025 has been nothing different. There have been a few such high-octane moments during the 18th edition of the league. The outcome of a handful of matches have been decided after the contest going right down to the wire. In this article, CricTracker lists three most thrilling last-ball finished in the season.

Top 3 nail-biting last-ball finishes in IPL 2025

3. RCB vs CSK, Match 52 – M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

RCB got off to a flyer of a start to get to 71/0 inside the powerplay. The dismissals of Jacob Bethell (55 off 33) and Virat Kohli (62 off 33) brought about a collapse shortly after. Overs 16 to 18 resulted in only 15 runs being scored for the loss of three wickets. Romario Shepherd (53 off 14) tore through Khaleel Ahmed and Matheesha Pathirana in the 19th (33 runs) and 20th (21 runs) overs, respectively.

Chasing 214 for victory, CSK lost a couple of wickets by the end of the first six overs. Half-centuries from Ayush Mhatre and Ravindra Jadeja kept CSK well in the game with a century stand for the third wicket. The 17-year-old fell agonisingly short of a maiden IPL ton (94 off 48). The equation was 15 runs required in the final six balls, with Jadeja and MS Dhoni in the middle.

The first two deliveries bowled by Yash Dayal were mere singles. Dhoni was pinned in front by the left-arm pacer on the third ball of the over. Brought in as the Impact Player, Shivam Dube clobbered a high full-toss (which was later called a no-ball) towards the deep mid-wicket region. Two singles were conceded on the fourth and fifth balls. Dube drilled the final ball to long-on to grant RCB a memorable two-run win at the Chinnaswamy.

2. Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals, Match 32, 

Jake Fraser-McGurk (nine off six) and Karun Nair (zero off three) headed back in the third and fourth overs, respectively. KL Rahul (38 off 32) and Abishek Porel (49 off 37) ensured DC were in a better position. Skipper, Axar Patel, injected much-needed impetus into the innings with a brisk 34 (14). An unbeaten 18-ball 34 from Tristan Stubbs ensured DC ended up on 188/5.

RR raced to 50 at the end of five overs. Sanju Samson (31 off 19) retired hurt on the third ball of the sixth over. Yashasvi Jaiswal (51 off 37) perished shortly after getting to his third half-century of the season. Nitish Rana got to a 26-ball fifty on the final ball of the 17th over. However, he departed for 51 off 28 in the subsequent over. Mitchell Starc was provided the responsibility of defending nine in the final over.

The first two balls were perfect yorkers, off which a couple of singles were scored. The third ball was pushed out to deep cover. Five were required off three. Shimron Hetmyer sliced the ball in the air to obtain another double. Dhruv Jurel sent Hetmyer back to keep it to one. With two required off the final ball, a throw from deep mid-wicket ran Jurel out, which pushed the game into a Super Over. DC ended up getting past the 12-run target in four balls.

1. Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Titans, Match 56

Opting to field first, GT got rid of MI’s openers by the end of the powerplay. The hosts were dented with four wickets in as many overs from the halfway mark. Two of these wickets were that of the dynamic Suryakumar Yadav (35 off 24) and a well-set Will Jacks (53 off 35). MI were only able to put up 155/8 in their innings. Rashid Khan (1/21 in four overs) was the standout bowler for GT.

GT scored only 29 in the first six overs. Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler took GT to 68/1 at the end of 10 overs. Ashwani Kumar dismissed Buttler on 30 off 27. Coming in as the Impact Player, a few lusty hits from Sherfane Rutherford meant GT were eight runs ahead of the DLS par score when rain interrupted for the first time. A second delay due to rain meant the match had to be cut short to a 19-over contest. 15 runs were needed off the final over.

Rahul Tewatia stroked the first ball for a boundary over mid-off. The next ball was a much better one by Deepak Chahar. Gerald Coetzee smashed a slot ball outside off over long-off. With four required off three, Chahar overstepped to bring the requirement down to two off three. Coetzee’s dismissal added to the drama. Hardik Pandya’s throw from mid-off missed the stumps by a whisker with Arshad Khan having won it on the final ball.

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