Top 5 nail-biting CSK vs MI matches in the IPL ft. 2019 final

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) have each won five IPL titles. Both teams have played riveting cricket over the years, and their contests have more often than not been closely fought.

CSK and MI have locked horns on 37 occasions in the IPL with the former having prevailed in 17 of the said matches and the latter in 20. However, CSK have beaten MI in their last three IPL matches. The last time MI beat CSK was in the year 2022.

On that note, here is a look at the top five nail-biting CSK vs MI matches in the IPL:

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#1 2019 final at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

Lasith Malinga bowled an impressive last over and guided MI to a win. [Source: Getty]

The 2019 final between CSK and MI lived up to the final tag. The game was in the balance throughout with no team having an advantage. The pendulum kept shifting from one side to another and finally, MI held their nerve to pull off a stunning victory.

On a difficult batting wicket, MI scored 149 for the loss of eight wickets from 20 overs. Apart from Kieron Pollard (41* from 25 balls), none of the other batters got going. Deepak Chahar was the most impressive bowler picking up three wickets in his four overs.

Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Shane Watson kept CSK in the hunt during the run-chase. CSK were reduced to 133 for five wickets from 18.3 overs and needed 17 runs from nine balls.

What followed was absolute drama. CSK needed nine runs from the last over bowled by Lasith Malinga. CSK scored four runs from the first three balls and needed just five runs to win the coveted IPL trophy.

Watson was run out on the fourth ball with CSK needing four runs to win from two balls. Shardul Thakur smashed two runs on the fifth ball and needed two from the final ball. Malinga trapped Thakur leg before wicket on the last ball and MI emerged victorious by one run.

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#2 2012 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

The 2012 group match between MI and CSK in the IPL was a close encounter. R.P. Singh, playing for MI in IPL 2012, picked up 3/28 from his four overs to help restrict CSK to a modest total of 173/8 from 20 overs. Murali Vijay was the top scorer with 41.

MI lost the wicket of James Franklin early in the chase. Thereafter, Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma added 126 runs for the second wicket from just 81 balls.

Dwayne Smith smashed 14 runs from the last three balls against CSK in Mumbai in 2012. [Source: Getty]

MI then lost wickets in a cluster and were reduced to 159/8. With 14 runs required from the last three balls, Dwayne Smith smashed a six and two boundaries to guide MI to a famous win on the last ball. Ben Hilfenhaus, who had been so impressive for CSK, was on the receiving of Smith's heroic innings for MI.

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#3 2022 at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai

MI vs CSK encounters are never short of drama and a group encounter between the two teams in 2022 was another cliffhanger.

Dhoni smashed a boundary on the last ball and won the game for CSK. [Source: Getty]

CSK, chasing a target of 156 needed four runs to win from the last ball, and their favourite son, Dhoni, smashed a boundary to get his team over the line. The then-CSK skipper smashed 28* from just 13 balls including three fours and a six.

Earlier, MI posted 155/7 in 20 overs. Tilak Varma (51) was the top scorer with 51*. Mukesh Choudhary picked up three wickets with the new ball. Choudhary finished with impressive figures of 3/19 from three overs and was named Player of the Match. However, the night belonged to Dhoni who smashed a boundary on the last ball to seal the game for his team.

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#4 2018 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

MI and CSK played the first match of IPL 2018 and the said game lived up to its billing. MI were invited to bat first by CSK and on a tricky batting surface, the hosts posted 165/4 from 20 overs. None of the batsmen got going with Suryakumar Yadav top-scoring with 43. However, it was Krunal Pandya who provided the impetus and finishing touches to the innings by scoring an unbeaten 41 off 22 balls.

Dwayne Bravo played a match-winning knock of 68 against MI in IPL 2018. [Source: Getty]

CSK were down and out having the last eight wickets for 118 runs and MI could smell victory. However, Dwayne Bravo had other plans and played a match-winning knock of 68 from just 30 balls. He smashed three boundaries and seven maximums to put his team in a match-winning position.

Post Bravo's dismissal, Kedar Jadhav and Imran Tahir kept their cool and guided CSK to a famous one-wicket win.

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#5 2008 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

The first encounter between the two teams was riveting. In a high-scoring match in Chennai, the home team emerged victorious by just six runs.

Matthew Hayden was the Player of the Match in the very first MI-CSK encounter. [Source: Getty]

Mi skipper Harbhajan Singh won the toss and asked CSK to bat first. Matthew Hayden (81) and Suresh Raina (53) took the attack to to the MI bowlers to help their side post a huge total of 208/5 in 20 overs. Skipper M S Dhoni provided the finishing touches to the innings scoring 30 from just 16 balls.

In reply, MI kept losing wickets at regular intervals, and at one point, were reduced to 141/6 in 15.3 overs. Thereafter the skipper Harbhajan Singh and Abhishek Nayar added 48 runs in just 20 balls and got MI close to the target. The former was dismissed for 28. Nayar played a fighting knock (45* off 20) but MI fell short of the target by six runs. Aussie legend Hayden was named Player of the Match for his blistering knock.