RR Underdog Surprise to PBKS Uncapped Stars Stunning GT – Top 5 Biggest Upsets in IPL History

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The Indian Premier League (IPL) is known for it's unpredictability right from it's inception with underdogs Rajasthan Royals winning the inaugural edition beating off star-studded oppositions to win the title.

The second season also saw a relative underdog in the now defunct Deccan Chargers clinch the title. Ever since the opening two seasons, the lucrative league has seen the likes of Mumbai Indians (MI), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) dominate IPL.

Later Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Gujarat Titans (GT) also joined the winning club, making them one of the top sides in the competition. These champion sides start favourites in most of the contests against the other teams.

While there can never be a term called upset in a league like IPL, there have been times when weaker opposition have stunned the stronger opponents, and sometimes teams have pulled off unthinkable results. Here we attempt to take a look at some of the biggest upsets in IPL history:

RR beating MS Dhoni's CSK in IPL 2008 Final

This may not be termed an upset as Royals had reached the final overcoming six other opponents. But the difference in the star power in RR compared to CSK, make this contest as one of the stunning results in IPL history.

Shane Warne captained the Royals side, filled with unknown players, to the impossible - a top of the table finish and then the title it self by beating Mahendra Singh Dhoni's CSK in the title clash at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai.

CSK rode on Dhoni and Suresh Raina cameos to set a target of 164 for the Royals, who were reduced to 41/3 in 6.4 overs in their run chase before Shane Watson and eventual player of the match Yusuf Pathan changed the tide in RR's favour.

RCB beating CSK in their own backyard in 2008

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has never won the IPL, but has been involved in some memorable fixtures over the years, starting with the first-ever match when they suffered a Brendon McCullum demolition and later surprised CSK, one of the tough teams to beat in their own backyard.

Setting a paltry target of 127 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, RCB restricted CSK to 112/8 in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to the bowling effort from spin legend Anil Kumble, who helped his team pull off an impossible result. That was the last time RCB beat CSK on their home turf.

PBKS beating MI in 2009 low-scoring thriller

Although this can't be termed as a straight upset, the manner in which King XI Punjab (now known as Punjab Kings) defended one of the lowest totals till date in IPL history against a power-packed MI batting line up, qualifies this as one of the stunning results in the Indian Premier League.

In 2009 season, Mumbai Indians lost their star opening pair Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya very early in the run-chase of 120 at the Kingsmead in Durban, where JP Duminy's fighting fifty went in vain.

With 32 needed off 24 balls, MI seemed favourites to win especially with Duminy still at the crease. But Kings XI bowlers had other ideas as Piyush Chawla and Irfan Pathan strangled the scoring with wickets. Meanwhile, Iqbal Abdullah removed the dangerous Duminy in the final over to pull off a 3-run victory.

SRH beating RCB to 2016 title

On the back of terrific form, Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle got the chase of 209 rolling for RCB as the opening pair added 114 off 62 balls. But once Gayle departed in the 11th over and Kohli in the 13th over, RCB lost their way.

With 69 needed off 42 balls on a flat track at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, RCB were favourites to lift their first-ever IPL title with AB de Villiers, KL Rahul and Shane Watson to follow with the bat. But the Bengaluru-based side lost the trio in quick succession, leaving plenty to do for the lower order.

Sachin Baby kept RCB in the contest but Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mustafizur Rahman's death bowling brilliance saw SRH claim a thrilling 8-run win and in the process their maiden IPL title, breaking the hearts of the home fans and RCB players.

PBKS uncapped players pulling off impossible chase

Shubman Gill's Gujarat Titans were on course to a win until little known duo of Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma turned the tables for Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in IPL 2024.

Chasing 200, PBKS were down and out after they lost their top five with 111 on the board in 12.2 overs. Punjab Kings' chances were further dented when they lost Indian wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma with 50 needed off 27 balls, that's when Ashutosh joined fellow uncapped player Shashank at the crease.

Shashank smashed an unbeaten 61 off 29 deliveries, while Ashutosh slammed a 17-ball 31 as PBKS chased down the 200-run target with one ball to spare to pull one of the unthinkable results in IPL. Shashank would then later star in another impossible chase of 263 against KKR in Kolkata.

Note: There could be many more matches which fall under the category of upsets in Indian Premier League. The above mentioned results is something that the author of this article feels can be termed as upsets. Upsets in T20 cricket can be very subjective as any team can beat any opposition on a given day.