Top 5 Greatest Upsets in IPL History

Generally, the meaning of the word upset is the one being sad for things not going their way. When it comes to sports, specifically cricket, the meaning of upset changes completely. Yes, when a team unexpectedly defeats an opponent that is stronger, then it is termed as an upset in cricket. But in the Indian Premier League (IPL), it is very tough to call any match result an upset as all teams look extremely strong.

The T20 extravaganza is in its 17th year, and even choosing five upsets out of more than 1000 matches that have taken place in its history has been a tough task. However, here we have handpicked five such matches when terming them as the top five greatest upsets in IPL history

RCB beat 2008 champions Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2009

After what had transpired in the inaugural edition with Royal Challengers Bangalore (now Bengaluru), not many had expected this result. Legendary Shane Warne had led Rajasthan Royals to the title in IPL 2008 and the cricket odds were heavily in favour of them to win their season opener.

The tournament moved to South Africa in 2009 due to general elections back home. The match started on the expected lines, as RCB lost three wickets for just 17 runs in less than five overs. But Rahul Dravid stood strong to score 66 runs, while Kevin Pietersen mustered 32, as they were the only two players to reach double-digits. RCB somehow managed to crawl to 133/8 in their 20 overs.

In response, the Royals were expected to win in canter at the Newlands in Cape Town. But what followed was a shock to everyone. RR capitulated stunningly to just 58 runs in 15.1 overs, with Anil Kumble registering magical figures of 5/5 in 3.1 overs. RR kept losing wickets, and they could never recover as their title defence started in a horrific fashion.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala beat Mumbai Indians by 8 wickets in IPL 2011

It was the fourth edition of the IPL as the debutants Kochi Tuskers met the runners-up of last season, Mumbai Indians, in the 13th match of the season. While KTK were coming off two losses in as many matches, MI had won both their previous games. Clearly, the match prediction was in favour of MI and many felt their win was confirmed when skipper Sachin Tendulkar scored his first T20 century to power his side to 182 runs in their 20 overs.

But what followed next at the Wankhede Stadium shocked everyone. The Tuskers from Kerala cantered to victory, winning by eight wickets in just 19 overs. Brendon McCullum smashed 81 runs to take his side home, and the Kochi Tuskers registered their first-ever win in the IPL.

Pune Warriors beat CSK in IPL 2013 in Chennai

With all due respect to the now-defunct franchise, Pune Warriors have possibly the worst-ever win-loss record in IPL history. By the time, IPL’s sixth season started, CSK were already a star team having won the tournament twice and made the final of the competition for three consecutive years. No doubt the betting tips from many were to back MS Dhoni and his men in this game.

But the 19th match of the season turned many heads as the Warriors, who had been struggling until then, played their best game to breach the Chepauk fortress. Batting first, they posted 159 runs in their 20 overs, including a 67-run knock from Aaron Finch.

In response, CSK kept losing wickets at regular intervals with the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashok Dinda and Mitchell Marsh sharing six wickets between them equally. CSK who had won two out of three until then and went on to win their next seven matches, could only muster 135 runs in their 20 overs losing the match by 24 runs. It was certainly a mammoth effort as it turned out to be only one of the two matches CSK lost at home in eight outings that season.

RPS thrash IPL 2015 champions MI in season opener of IPL 2016

With CSK and RR banned, Rising Pune Supergiants signed MS Dhoni as their captain and built a team for a couple of seasons. The debutants also faced the defending champions Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2016 season opener. Looking at the way Mumbai Indians had shaped as a team by then, not many would’ve predicted even a toss prediction in favour of RPS for the first match.

But anything could happen with Dhoni at the helm, as RPS went on to thrash the then-two-time IPL champions. MI could reach 121 runs in their 20 overs due to Harbhajan Singh’s unbeaten 45-run knock after being 68/7 at one stage. But the chase finished off quickly as Ajinkya Rahane scored 66*, opening the innings and helping RPS win by nine wickets with a massive 32 balls in hand.

While this win may seem normal with Dhoni as captain, but the fact that RPS could only win four more matches in the remainder of the season makes this look as an upset. RPS finished at the seventh place with only five wins in 14 matches in IPL 2016.

RCB beat CSK in IPL 2019 by 1 run

RCB fans might feel offended that this match was termed an upset. But literally, no one saw this win coming for RCB, especially against CSK, when the season had gone all wrong for them until then. CSK had won seven out of nine matches until then, while RCB had endured exactly the opposite season—7 losses and 2 wins—when these two teams met in the 39th match of the season.

Yes, in this situation, RCB managed to defend 160 at the Chinnaswamy stadium despite MS Dhoni smashing 84* off just 48 balls. None of the other CSK batters could contribute much in the chase and in fact, they were reduced to 28/4 at one stage. Also, many were of the opinion then that only RCB could’ve taken the game this close with their bowling attack. Nevertheless, it was certainly an unexpected win for RCB at that stage of the season and more so with Dhoni still in the middle.