IPL matches that were won by a six hit off the final ball of the match

Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders, Kolkata, May 22, 2011

Ambati Rayudu was a find of the IPL

Rivals Mumbai Indians faced Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens in the last match of the league phase of IPL 2011. Both teams having booked their spots in the playoffs, the match would have only decided whether the home team would go on to play the qualifier or the eliminator.

Batting first, Gambhir’s team rode on notable contributions from Kallis (59), Yusuf Pathan (36) and Manoj Tiwary (35) to pile up a strong 175 on the board. Mumbai squandered the advantage of a decent start by losing quick wickets and with Pollard heading back to the pavilion with 39 still required off the last 15 balls, the match seemed in KKR’s grip.

The batting duo of James Franklin and Ambati Rayudu brought the equation to 21 off the last over for a Mumbai victory. Balaji’s first four balls of the the last over largely titled the balance in Mumbai’s favour as Franklin scored boundaries of all, three of them being cheeky one’s coming off the edge of his bat.

A single off the penultimate ball meant that Rayudu needed to hit a boundary off the last ball of the match. Balaji bowled a juicy full toss on middle stump and Rayudu obliged as he deposited the ball into the stands behind the square leg fence. Mumbai pulled off one of IPL’s most dramatic victories and booked a repeat clash against KKR for the Eliminator.

The defeat though, served as an alarm bell for KKR who came together post this loss and went on to win the tournament by defeating Chennai in the summit clash.