IPL: Greatest performances in must-win matches

#2 MS Dhoni vs. Kings XI Punjab (2010)

Dhoni re-consolidated his tag of best finisher against Punjab in 2010

This was a special innings by a special player. The Chennai Super Kings played the Kings XI Punjab in their final league game and the repercussions were straightforward - a win and they would be through to the playoffs and a loss would see them bow out of the competition.

The Kings XI batted first and they posted a humongous total of 192 on the board thanks to a special 99 run partnership between Shaun Marsh and Irfan Pathan. Chennai got off to a horrid start, slumping to 27/2 in 4 overs. Reliable batsmen Raina and Badrinath got them back into the game, until Raina lost his wicket in the tenth over. Badrinath hit a fine half century but lost his wicket in the 17th over. The Chennai Super Kings needed 45 runs in 20 balls to make it to the playoff for a third year running and it was all up to captain cool, MS Dhoni.

Dhoni batted sensibly to bring his team within touching distance, needing 16 runs of the final over. Dhoni started the over with a boundary, followed by two runs. He then hit two majestic sixes to finish the game with two balls to spare.

Dhoni has won matches way bigger than this. But as he admitted in the press conference, it was an emotional moment for him to win this one. What makes this innings even more special is that the Chennai Super Kings then went on to win their maiden title. Also, in hindsight, this innings was pivotal in ensuring that the Chennai Super Kings could create their obnoxious record of having qualified for the playoffs every single time they've played.