IPL 2024: Top 5 league stage matches of IPL 2024

The 2024 IPL edition has been a rollercoaster ride for cricket fanatics, filled with suspense and intriguingness. The excitement has been palpable, with shattered records, emerging talents making their mark, and the league stage concluding with a bang from four powerhouse teams.

Here’s a rundown of the five most thrilling matches from the league stage of IPL 2024, each one a nail-biter that kept fans on the edge of their seats. 

1. Match no 68: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings

Touted as one of the most intriguing virtual knockout matches, the Southern derby clash between the two powerhouse teams was for sealing the last and crucial fourth position of the playoffs timeline, with the team’s NRR being the deciding factor of one of both teams sealing the fourth place of the table. It occurred amidst the electrified crowd of the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru; the away side, Chennai Super Kings, won the toss and was elected to bat first.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru set a humongous target of 219 on a turning and batters-friendly ground. As the playoff qualification scenario lay on RCB defeating CSK by a minimum of 18 runs, the hosts showcased their will and determination against an in-form batting lineup of CSK through their impeccable bowlers’ arsenal.

In a stunning display of skill and strategy, RCB defeated CSK by 27 runs, fulfilling the qualification criterion and sealing the crucial fourth spot. This victory was a testament to the team’s resilience and spirit, especially considering their mere 1% chance of making it to the playoffs at the halfway mark of the league stage. 

2. Match no 8: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians

The 2024 IPL edition witnessed a galore of high-scoring innings, big sixes and commendable batting chases. But, it all started with the initial stage clash between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians.

Winning the toss and choosing to bowl, Mumbai Indians seemed confident in restricting the Sunrisers Hyderabad with their bowling side, but the home side had their own plans. The 2016 champions showcased their emerging and powerful batting prowess thanks to the likes of debutant Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klassen and Aiden Markram.

By this, the Sunrisers Hyderabad broke the gigantic 11-year record of the highest batting total by scoring 277/3. In response, the Mumbai Indians gave their all and best by scoring 246/5, with SRH beating MI by 31 runs.

See also: IPL 2024: Player Analysis: How did Abhishek Sharma calmly surpass Kohli’s six-hitting record?

3. Match no 30: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

With the Sunrisers Hyderabad displaying their top-notch batting skills by scoring the highest batting innings in the tournament’s history, they seemed not yet done. In just a matter of weeks, Sunrisers Hyderabad were up against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and strived to break their record.

On the small and lively dimensions of Chinnaswamy Stadium, the orange arsenal batted first, and thanks to Travis Head’s stupendous century and other batting cameos by Heinrich Klaasen and Abdul Smad, they scored 287/3 in 20 overs, the tournament’s highest-ever batting innings.

Despite the Royal Challengers Bengaluru displaying their valiant batting effort, the Orange triumphed in a win over them by just 25 runs.

4. Match no 39: Chennai Super Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants

The main reason for having this match on the list is a testament to a resilient chase of a vast batting total. Amidst a massive crowd of Chepauk, the hosts were given to bat first and set up a colossal target of 211 for the away side, thanks to a captain’s knock by Ruturaj Gaikwad of 108 runs off 60 balls.

In their batting innings stint, Lucknow Super Giants weren’t able to middle the ball on the slower wicket and in 11 overs, they scored a mere 88/3. With 123 runs required from the last nine overs, the team’s middle order gang of Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran and Deepak Hooda have reached the target mark and scalped a win by six wickets and three balls remaining in front of the roaring fanbase of CSK.

The backbone of the innings was a complete innings by Marcus Stoinis, where he scored 124 runs off 63 balls, making it the highest individual score in IPL run chases. 

5. Match no 42: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings

As many cricket fanatics can infer, the batting side has a better advantage over the bowling side in the tournament, and the matchup between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Punjab Kings sums it up.

On a batters-friendly track of Eden Gardens, Kolkata Knight Riders set up a colossal target of 262 runs through the complete team’s batting prowess. Many game spectators assumed that the away side could not fulfil the mammoth of a target.

Still, the Punjab Kings were up for the challenge and with a praiseworthy century by Jonny Bairstow and brilliant batting cameos by Prabhsimran Singh, Rilee Rossouw, and Shashank Singh, the Kings chased the target successfully with eight balls to spare. This game broke many records by being the highest target successfully chased in men’s T20 cricket and the most sixes hit in an IPL inning and a T20I match (42 sixes).