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Cricket is a funny game, especially in the IPL, where there have been instances such as Rinku Singh smacking five consecutive sixes to win a match for KKR out of nowhere. There have also been instances where a team could not chase four runs in the last over against rookie Kartik Tyagi.
The 30th match of IPL 2023 also witnessed such madness when the Lucknow Super Giants either didn't calculate their innings properly or crumbled under pressure. They failed to chase a below-par total against Gujarat Titans on a challenging Ekana pitch.
KL Rahul, despite starting brilliantly, slowed down in the middle overs and batted at a strike-rate of 111.48 for his 68. Having played 61 deliveries, it was up to him to close out the match since it was never going to be easy for new batsmen to play on that pitch. Rahul didn't help his team's cause by not structuring his innings and attacking bowlers favorable to his match-ups.
LSG were absolutely cantering along towards the target at the end of the 15th over as they needed a run-a-ball 30 runs with 8 wickets in hand. But brilliant death bowling from Mohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami saw Gujarat Titans pull things back in fine style to pull off a memorable victory.
This has been one of many instances of teams choking a run chase from a position of comfort in the IPL.
Let's revisit three instances in the IPL when teams have bottled a match in their grasp.
#3, MI vs KKR, Chennai, 2021
On a day when Andre Russell took a fifer, restricting MI's total to 152, you would say that day was destined for KKR to register a rare win against their nemesis.
However, their batting was still to take place on a two-paced Chepauk pitch, which was conducive to the bowlers bowling into the pitch.
KKR openers Shubhman Gill and Nitish Rana opened up the attack on the MI bowlers from the word go and plundered 72 runs in nine overs.
They did lose wickets but were placed comfortably at 122/4 in 15 overs and needed 31 off 30 balls with 6 wickets in hand. And you back the chasing team to win 9.5 out of 10 matches in this situation, even 10 when you have Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell batting together.
Yet, what followed next left KKR fans scratching their heads in frustration. Both Karthik and Russell were unable to time the ball, let alone muscle it, and were struggling big time with rotating the strike. Russell was even dropped twice by the MI fielders.
Result: KKR lost the match by 10 runs!
#2, KKR vs PBKS, 2020
![Sunil Narine used his craftiness to win a match for KKR [File Photo]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/04/16329-16822097257475-1920.jpg)
It was a perfect example for anyone watching cricket of how to bottle a match, which is pretty much in your grasp.
Punjab Kings, in an IPL 2020 match, needed 21 runs off 16 deliveries when Sunil Narine castled fellow West Indian Nicholas Pooran with eight wickets in hand. But despite sending an experienced (although out of form) batsman in Glenn Maxwell, they sent young Prabhsimran Singh, who consumed three consecutive dot balls.
If this wasn't enough, skipper KL Rahul seemed okay with him taking a single off the last ball, which meant Punjab now needed 20 off the last 2 overs.
Prasidh Krishna displayed some great death bowling prowess, which saw him bowl a masterful penultimate over, giving up only 6 runs and plucking out both the above-mentioned batsmen.
What looked like a cakewalk at one stage had now become a tricky chase for the Punjab side. They needed 14 off the last over with two new batsmen in Glenn Maxwell and Mandeep Singh. The final over was to be bowled by Narine.
The wily tweaker did get hit for a four off his third ball, but he unleashed his variations to the fullest, and suddenly the equation read Punjab needing 7 off 1 delivery.
Maxwell did reach out and slap Narine's fuller delivery, which he fired at the wide tramline to mid-wicket, but it just landed inside the rope on a half-volley.
Result: PBKS lost the match by a mere 2 runs in what could have been an easy win for them, eventually costing them the playoffs berth in IPL 2020.
#1 RCB vs SRH, Final, 2016
![Virat Kohli came very close to winning his maiden IPL trophy in 2016, but fell short [Image: RCB]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/04/f8b23-16822101173953-1920.jpg)
It was nothing less than a catastrophic night for RCB fans waiting for their team to lift their maiden IPL trophy in 2016. They had already faltered twice before that final and had a great chance of rewriting history. And didn't they have a golden opportunity to win the title in IPL 2016?
The Royal Challengers seemed to be cruising at 140/1 in the 13th over and needed 68 runs in 44 balls. With an asking rate of around 9 and nine wickets in hand, they were the firm favorites.
It was RCB's game to lose from there on and they did! They did what they were notorious for: choke on a straight-forward chase.
Batsmen like AB de Villiers, KL Rahul, and Shane Watson crumbled under pressure and threw their wickets at regular intervals. RCB's dreams were shattered once again by just 8 runs!
Had they batted sensibly, the story could have been different, and the history would have been different.
