Top 10 Super Overs in IPL History: Most Dramatic IPL Finishes

How we ranked the greatest IPL Super Overs

This is an editorial ranking, not an official IPL one, and another fan could reasonably arrange these matches differently. This ranking was created by comparing all 16 IPL Super Over matches using the same five criteria: historical significance, how dramatic the regulation match itself was, how competitive the Super Over turned out to be, any standout individual performance, and how memorable the match has remained over time. No single factor decides a match’s position on its own; it’s the combination that separates the top ten from the rest.

The Top 10 IPL Super Overs, Ranked

10. Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Daredevils, 2013: AB de Villiers Forces a Tie

Both sides scored exactly 152 runs in their regular 20 overs, forcing a dramatic tie. Bangalore had initially collapsed during their run chase, but they managed to drag the game into a Super Over. RCB batted first in the tie-breaker and struggled early on. That was when AB de Villiers stepped up and completely changed the match. He smashed two massive, consecutive sixes off the final two balls from Umesh Yadav to help RCB set a tough target of 15 runs. Bangalore’s bowler Ravi Rampaul then defended the score, restricting Delhi to 11 runs to seal the victory. De Villiers turning a tense situation into a winning one with just two swings of his bat is what earns this match its place on the list. It ranks here because of his last-gasp hitting, even though the match itself was low on quality before his explosive finishes. 

9. Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals, 2015: The Highest-Scoring Tie in the Top 10

Punjab and Rajasthan tied at 191, one of the highest totals two teams have ever matched exactly in IPL history. Punjab set a stiff target in the Super Over, racing to 15/2, and Rajasthan simply couldn’t respond, managing only 6/2 in reply. A near-190 target in six balls, chased down by less than half, shows how one-sided a Super Over can be even after a genuinely even regulation match. Why it ranks here: the scale of the tie itself is remarkable, but the Super Over lacked real competitiveness once Punjab posted their total.

8. Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians, 2020: The Highest Score to Reach a Super Over

This remains the highest regulation score in IPL history to end in a tie, both sides reaching 201. Mumbai’s push to that total was driven by Ishan Kishan and Kieron Pollard, and they carried that form into the Super Over, making 7/1. It wasn’t enough. RCB reached 11/0, comfortably completing the chase. Two teams matching 201 runs exactly, then still needing a Super Over to separate them, is a genuine rarity at this ground level. Why it ranks here: the regulation drama earns it a place, but RCB’s chase in the Super Over itself was fairly comfortable.

7. Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 2026: The Shortest Super Over Finish

Mohammed Shami hit a six off the last ball of the regulation match to tie the scores at 155, forcing a Super Over few had expected. Sunil Narine then delivered a devastating three balls, conceding just a single run while taking two wickets, restricting Lucknow to 1/2, the lowest Super Over total ever recorded in the IPL. Chasing only two, Rinku Singh finished it with a four off the very first ball. KKR needed just one delivery to complete their chase, making this the shortest Super Over finish in IPL history. Why it ranks here: the sheer speed of the finish, combined with Narine’s spell, makes this one of the most efficient Super Over performances ever seen, even if the ending arrived almost too quickly to build real tension.

6. Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals, 2025: Starc’s Yorkers Force a Tie

Rajasthan needed just 9 runs from the final over of the regular match. With 6 wickets left, it looked like an easy win for them. However, Delhi’s Mitchell Starc changed everything. He bowled 5 perfect yorkers in a row to limit the scoring, forcing a tie at 188 runs. In the Super Over, Delhi’s bowling and fielding caused total chaos, leading to two run-outs and proving why run-outs in IPL history can be just as match-changing as wickets taken by bowlers. KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs then stepped up for Delhi Capitals, chasing down the target in just 4 balls to win. Starc defending 9 runs in the final over under immense pressure remains the biggest highlight of the match. It ranks here because of how exciting the end of the regular match was, even though Delhi finished the Super Over chase very quickly.

5. Gujarat Lions vs Mumbai Indians, 2017: Jasprit Bumrah Defends 11

Both sides had scored 153, setting up a Super Over that would test nerve as much as skill. Mumbai’s total of 11/2 wasn’t overwhelming, and Gujarat Lions had power hitters capable of chasing it down with ease. Jasprit Bumrah made sure that never happened, restricting Gujarat Lions to just six runs in reply, another reason he is always discussed among the best death-over bowlers in IPL history. Bumrah defending a modest total against genuine hitters, under full Super Over pressure, is one of the finest death-bowling performances this format has produced. Why it ranks here: a relatively low-scoring Super Over made genuinely gripping by the quality of the bowling that decided it.

4. Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 2019: Rabada’s Yorker Seals It

Prithvi Shaw’s 99 was the standout individual innings of this contest, helping tie the match at 185, agonizingly short of what would have been a memorable century. Delhi made 10/1 in the Super Over, and Kagiso Rabada then delivered a spell built around a decisive yorker to Andre Russell, restricting KKR to just seven. Shaw falling one run short of a century, in a match that still went to a Super Over, adds a layer of drama beyond the finish itself. Why it ranks here: a genuine individual near-miss combined with a Super Over settled by pure bowling skill against one of the format’s most dangerous hitters.

3. Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, 2009: The First Super Over in IPL History

Every Super Over that’s followed owes something to this one, the very first tiebreaker the IPL ever used. KKR made 15/1 in their six balls, a target that looked defensible. Yusuf Pathan didn’t see it that way, powering Rajasthan Royals to 18/0 in just four balls to complete the chase with two deliveries unused. Being first is its own kind of significance, and Yusuf Pathan’s finishing power made sure the format’s debut ended emphatically, placing him in the wider conversation around the best finishers in IPL history. Why it ranks here: historical importance alone secures its place, even though the chase itself was fairly one-sided.

2. Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, 2014: Settled by Boundary Count

This is the only match on this list where the Super Over itself ended in a tie. Both teams had scored 152 in regulation, and remarkably, both scored exactly 11 in the Super Over as well. Under the playing conditions used at the time, the result came down to which side had hit more boundaries across the match, and Rajasthan Royals won on that count. Steve Smith showed real awareness in the closing stages, taking two runs off the final ball rather than pushing for more, since a tied Super Over was already enough to win under the rule in place. A Super Over that itself ends level, decided by a rule that no longer exists in the IPL today, is about as rare as this format gets. Why it ranks here: the layered tiebreaker, and Smith’s calculated decision-making in the moment, make this one of the most unusual finishes in IPL history.

1. Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab, 2020: The Only Double Super Over

Both sides had scored 176, and even that wasn’t enough to separate them, the first Super Over itself finished tied at 5-5. Mumbai Indians then took their chance in the second Super Over, scoring 11/1. Chris Gayle opened Punjab’s reply by hitting the very first delivery for six, showing why he still leads the list for the most sixes in IPL history. No other IPL match has ever needed two Super Overs to find a winner, and the swings across both tiebreakers make this the format’s most complete drama. Why it ranks here: the uniqueness of a double Super Over, combined with genuine momentum shifts across both extra overs, gives this match a claim to the top spot that no other IPL Super Over can match.