Four bowlers who defended 6 or fewer runs in final over of IPL matches

It tests the abilities and nerves of the bowler to perform in a pressure situation. However, some names have been outstanding in defending low runs in the final over. Let us discuss four of these bowlers who have defended six or fewer runs in the ultimate over in IPL.

Munaf Patel

The very first season of the league showed us an excellent bowling display in the last over. This happened in the match between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians in 2008. Batting first, RR registered a score of 145 at a loss of 7. In return, Mumbai Indians looked in a great flow and scored 141 runs till the 19th over. The team required just four runs more with three wickets in hand. The RR skipper Shane Warne handed the bowl to Munaf Patel.

Harbhajan Singh, along with Dhawal Kulkarni, was present on the crease. However, Patel became the hero for RR as his miraculous bowling defended the low score and sealed a two-run victory for RR. He gave two runs in the over and clinched three wickets bowling out MI just two runs short of their target. Rajasthan completed the victory and defended the lowest score in the final over in IPL history.

Karthik Tyagi

The young bowler became a sensation after breaking Munaf Patel’s record of defending the lowest runs in the final over. He achieved this feat for Rajasthan Royals in 2016 in the match against PBKS. Batting first, RR scored 185 runs in 20 overs and had to defend this target against Punjab’s mighty batting order. Punjab managed to score 182 till the end of the 19th over. In the final over, they required just four runs. The skipper handed the ball to young Karthik Tyagi.

Two experienced batters, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran, were present at the crease, and defending this low total seemed impossible for the young bowler. However, a player’s performance in pressure situations defines his class as Tyagi bowled brilliantly, incurring just one run in the final over, sailing RR towards a two-run victory. 

Kuldeep Yadav

Defending low runs in the last over is a huge challenge and a spinner doing it is something that no one had ever imagined. However, Kuldeep Yadav achieved this feat for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2019 against Delhi Capitals. 

In the final over for KKR, they had to defend six runs with two new batters, Colin Munro and Hanuma Vihari, on the crease. KKR’s skipper Dinesh Karthik decided to gamble with the left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav. Many thought that giving a last over to a spinner would be a poor decision. However, Kuldeep Yadav succeeded in justifying the captain’s trust and expectation from him, giving just five runs in the over. Ultimately, the match was driven to the Super over, and KKR failed to take over the opponents. Nevertheless, Kuldeep’s superb efforts raised KKR’s hopes and dragged the game till the Super over!

Siddharth Trivedi

Despite being an underrated bowler, Siddhant Trivedi achieved this feat for Rajasthan Royals against Deccan Chargers in 2010. While DC’s victory seemed inevitable, they had to score six runs in the final over with three wickets still left and settled batsman Rohit Sharma batting brilliantly. The situation seemed quite tense for both the teams, and the RR captain Shane Warne handed the ball to Siddhant Trivedi, who was famed for his slower balls and cutters.

Nobody expected this from the bowler, but Trivedi’s nerves of steel got the better of the Chargers. From starting the over with a slow bouncer to Rohit to ending the match with Rohit’s wicket on the fifth ball bowling out the opponent, Trivedi conceded just three runs in the final over. Ultimately RR sealed a two-run victory over DC as Trivedi pulled off a brilliant final over!