IPL: Biggest wins while chasing 200-plus totals
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has witnessed numerous exciting chases since its inception in 2008. There have been quite a few teams that have recorded the biggest wins while chasing a 200-plus total. For instance, the five-time winner Mumbai Indians registered the biggest win in the top-tier league while chasing a 200-plus score against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 16th edition of the competition.
In match 54 of the IPL 2023, the Bengaluru-based franchise posted a competitive first innings total of 199 runs, courtesy of skipper Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell’s aggressive batting exploits. While Faf scored 65 off 41 balls, featuring three sixes and five fours, Maxwell slammed 68 off 33 balls, smoking four sixes and eight fours. Their impressive knocks propelled RCB to 199 in their stipulated 20 overs.
However, after a solid start by Mumbai, courtesy of Ishan Kishan’s 42 off 21 balls, it was Suryakumar Yadav who took the onus to score big and see them through to the finish line. The explosive batter clobbered as many as six sixes and seven fours in his 35-ball 83 blitzkriegs. In addition to this, Suryakumar combined with Nehal Wadhera for a 140-run stand which comfortably helped clinch the two points. Impressively, MI won the contest by six wickets and with 21 balls remaining, which also is the biggest win in the IPL while chasing a 200-plus total.
In doing so, Mumbai Indians bettered Delhi Daredevils’ (now Capitals) record, which was set in 2017 against Gujarat Lions (now defunct) in the 2017 season. The then-skipper Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik’s 77 and 65 runs, respectively, propelled Gujarat to attain a humongous 208 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
However, a scintillating 143-run stand between Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant helped Delhi stamp their authority over Gujarat. Sanju slammed a 31-ball 61 which included seven sixes, whereas Pant fell three short of his century, as he headed back to the dugout with an impressive score of 97 runs off 43 balls, which included nine sixes and six fours at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 225.58. With this, Delhi won the match by seven wickets and 15 balls to spare, the then biggest win in terms of balls remaining while chasing a 200-plus total in IPL.
