How We Ranked the Best Comebacks in IPL History
Ranking comebacks is partly subjective. A single-match miracle and a season-long recovery are both extraordinary — just in different ways. We used these six factors to decide:
- Size of the deficit — How far behind were they, and how unlikely was the recovery?
- Tournament stage — A title comeback ranks above a league-stage one.
- Pressure level — Were they elimination games? Must-win situations?
- Final result — Did they win the title, the game, or just survive?
- Historical impact — Did this set a record or become an IPL moment people still talk about?
- Fan memory — Some comebacks live forever regardless of the result.
Quick Comparison: Top 10 IPL Comebacks at a Glance
| Rank | Comeback | Type | Low Point | Final Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KKR 2014 | Season turnaround | 2W in 7 games | IPL Champions |
| 2 | RCB 2024 | League stage | 1W in 8 games | Playoffs |
| 3 | MI 2015 | Season turnaround | 1W in 6 games | IPL Champions |
| 4 | CSK 2018 | Franchise comeback | 2-year suspension | IPL Champions |
| 5 | Deccan Chargers 2009 | Year-on-year | Finished last in 2008 | IPL Champions |
| 6 | SRH 2016 | Playoff route | Finished 3rd | IPL Champions |
| 7 | PBKS 2026 | Match chase | Target of 265 | Won by 6 wickets |
| 8 | Rinku Singh 2023 | Individual finish | 29 off last over | Won by 3 wickets |
| 9 | MI vs RR 2014 | NRR qualification | Needed 190 in 14.3 overs | Playoffs |
| 10 | CSK 2010 | Season turnaround | 2W in 7 games | IPL Champions |
The Top 10 Best Comebacks in IPL History
Rank 1 — KKR 2014: From Losing Five of Seven to Winning Everything
This is the gold standard of IPL comebacks.
Kolkata Knight Riders had only two wins from their first seven games in IPL 2014, but still completed one of the greatest title runs in the IPL winners list. They were sitting in a dangerous position, with their playoff chances looking shaky. Then KKR produced one of the most complete turnarounds in IPL history: they won nine consecutive matches, including the final, to lift the trophy.In the final against Kings XI Punjab, Manish Pandey scored 94 off 50 balls as KKR chased 200 with three balls to spare. It was KKR’s second IPL title, and the final completed one of the greatest season reversals the league has seen.
Why it’s Rank 1: This isn’t just a match comeback. It’s a full season reversal — from two wins in seven games to nine wins in a row, finishing with a title. MI 2015 had an even worse early low point, but KKR’s finish was cleaner and more relentless because their title run ended with nine straight wins.
AllCric Verdict: KKR 2014 is the most complete comeback in IPL history because it checks every box — a horrible start, a sustained winning streak, playoff pressure, and a title. This is the benchmark every other IPL comeback is measured against.
Rank 2 — RCB 2024: One Win in Eight Games, Then Six Straight Must-Wins
If KKR 2014 is the greatest full-season comeback, RCB 2024 is the greatest league-stage recovery in IPL history.RCB had just one win from their first eight matches in IPL 2024. At that point, they had lost seven of eight and were bottom of the table.Then RCB won six consecutive matches to qualify for the playoffs. Their final league-stage game against CSK became a direct qualification battle, and RCB won by 27 runs after scoring 218/5 and restricting CSK to 191/7. Virat Kohli summed up the emotion after the match by saying, “God’s got a plan,” after RCB completed one of the most dramatic late-season pushes in IPL history.
Why it’s Rank 2: The only reason this sits below KKR 2014 is that RCB didn’t win the title. They were eliminated in the playoffs. But as a league-stage comeback, this is unmatched.
AllCric Verdict: In league-stage comeback terms, RCB 2024 is historic. The math was against them. The form was against them. They still found six straight wins and reached the playoffs.
Rank 3 — Mumbai Indians 2015: From Bottom of the Table to Champions
Mumbai Indians have a habit of starting slow. But 2015 was something else, and that comeback helped MI strengthen their place among teams with the most IPL titles won by a team.MI lost five of their first six games. From that position, they needed to win seven of their next eight matches to stay alive and reach the playoffs. They did exactly that, including a five-match winning streak during the recovery phase.In the final against CSK, Mumbai posted 202/5, with Lendl Simmons scoring 68 and Rohit Sharma making 50. CSK finished at 161/8, and MI won by 41 runs to lift their second IPL title.
Why it’s Rank 3: This is a full-season title comeback, like KKR 2014. What puts it below KKR is not the early low point — MI’s start was actually worse. KKR ranks higher because their finish was more relentless: nine straight wins to the title, while MI’s recovery included a loss in between.
AllCric Verdict: MI 2015 is proof that in T20 cricket, a disastrous start is survivable if a team peaks at the right time. Mumbai’s second half of that season was elite.
Rank 4 — CSK 2018: A Franchise Comeback That Was About More Than Cricket
This wasn’t just a team coming back from a rough patch. This was a franchise returning from a two-year suspension.Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals completed their two-year IPL suspensions in 2017 and returned to the league in 2018.CSK won the title immediately on return.In the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Shane Watson produced one of the great IPL final innings. He stayed unbeaten on 117 off 57 balls, hitting 11 fours and eight sixes, as CSK chased 179 and finished on 181/2 in 18.3 overs.CSK had been mocked by many fans for picking an older squad at the auction. Watson was 36. He finished the final almost by himself.
Why it’s Rank 4: This sits below the first three because CSK’s 2018 season itself was strong — they were never really in danger of missing the playoffs. The comeback here is the franchise-level story, not a form reversal within the season.
AllCric Verdict: Some comebacks are about cricket. CSK 2018 was about redemption. Returning after two years away and winning the title straight away is one of the most emotional comeback stories in IPL history.
Rank 5 — Deccan Chargers 2009: The Original Bottom-to-Champions Story
Before anyone else did it, Deccan Chargers showed it was possible.Deccan Chargers finished at the bottom in the inaugural IPL season in 2008. One year later, they won the title in South Africa.In the 2009 final against RCB, Deccan posted 143/6, with Herschelle Gibbs making 53 not out. RCB needed 144 to win but finished on 137/9. Deccan won by six runs.
Why it’s Rank 5: This is a year-on-year comeback, not a same-season comeback. The jump from last place in 2008 to champions in 2009 is the IPL’s original rags-to-riches story — but because it spans two seasons, it ranks below the within-season title turnarounds above.
AllCric Verdict: No one expected Deccan to become champions in 2009. Captained by Adam Gilchrist, they proved that last place means nothing once a new season starts.
Rank 6 — SRH 2016: Winning the Title the Hardest Way Possible
Third place after the league stage. Three knockout games. One title.Sunrisers Hyderabad remain the only team to win the IPL title through the Eliminator route. They beat KKR in the Eliminator, Gujarat Lions in Qualifier 2, and then RCB in the final.The final was played at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. SRH posted 208/7, and RCB finished at 200/7, falling short by eight runs. David Warner made 69 for SRH, while Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli gave RCB a strong start in the chase.
Why it’s Rank 6: SRH’s 2016 season was not a form comeback — they were solid throughout. The comeback here is specifically the playoff route: finishing third and then winning three elimination-pressure games in a row.
AllCric Verdict: Winning through the Eliminator means there is zero margin for error. SRH had three chances to go home — and they converted all three into wins.
Rank 7 — PBKS 2026: The Highest Successful Chase in IPL History
This is the freshest entry on this list — and one of the most extraordinary match comebacks in IPL history.On April 25, 2026, Punjab Kings chased down 265 against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, producing the highest successful chase in IPL history. DC made 264/2, but PBKS replied with 265/4 in 18.5 overs and won by six wickets with seven balls remaining.KL Rahul scored an unbeaten 152 off 67 balls for DC, while Nitish Rana made 91 off 44. But PBKS came out swinging. Their openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh added 116 in the powerplay. Prabhsimran made 76 off 26, and captain Shreyas Iyer finished the chase with 71 not out off 36 balls.Before the chase began, ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster gave PBKS only a 14.83% win probability.
Why it’s Rank 7: This is a single-match chase record, not a season-long comeback. But its scale earns it a place here. Chasing 265 is something no IPL team had done before.
AllCric Verdict: When a team posts 264 in T20 cricket, the defending side is supposed to be safe. PBKS destroyed that assumption and rewrote the ceiling for IPL chases.
Rank 8 — Rinku Singh 2023: Five Sixes. Five Balls. One Moment That Lives Forever.
There is no individual match finish in IPL history better than this one. On April 9, 2023, KKR needed 29 runs off the final over against Gujarat Titans. ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster gave them only a 1.29% chance of winning. No team had chased that many in the 20th over of a T20 game before. Umesh Yadav took a single off the first ball of the final over. Then Rinku Singh hit five consecutive sixes off Yash Dayal to win the match for KKR. He finished on 48 not out off 21 balls, and KKR won by three wickets.Rashid Khan’s hat-trick earlier in the chase had left KKR in deep trouble. The game looked gone.Until it wasn’t.
Why it’s Rank 8: This is a single-over, single-man finish. It doesn’t carry the weight of a title win or a season recovery. But in terms of sheer improbability, very few IPL moments come close.
AllCric Verdict: Rinku Singh walked out to bat when the game was mathematically gone. He left it mathematically won. Some moments don’t need context to be great — they just are.
Rank 9 — MI vs RR 2014: Cricket’s Most Precise Heist
This wasn’t just about winning the match. It was about winning it fast enough.
Mumbai Indians had to chase Rajasthan Royals’ 189 and reach 190 in 14.3 overs to beat RR on net run rate and qualify for the playoffs. Corey Anderson produced a sensational 95 not out off 44 balls.The drama came at the end. MI reached 189 at 14.3 overs, which meant the scores were level but their net run rate equation was not finished. Then Aditya Tare hit a six off the next ball, taking MI to 195/5 in 14.4 overs and pushing them through.
Why it’s Rank 9: The actual match target was not enough. The NRR calculation meant every ball mattered, not just every run. That type of precision pressure is unique in IPL history.
AllCric Verdict: Rahul Dravid, mentoring RR, famously reacted in frustration after the finish. That reaction says everything about how impossible this felt — and how completely MI pulled it off.
Rank 10 — CSK 2010: Dhoni’s First Title, Built on a Mid-Season Turnaround
CSK’s first IPL title in 2010 didn’t arrive smoothly.Chennai had only two wins from their first seven matches. Then they won five of their next seven league games, including a must-win match against Kings XI Punjab, to qualify for the semi-finals.That must-win game against Punjab became one of Dhoni’s early IPL classics. CSK chased 193 with two balls to spare, with MS Dhoni finishing on 54 not out.In the final, CSK beat Mumbai Indians by 22 runs. CSK made 168/5, with Suresh Raina scoring 57 not out, and then restricted MI to 146/9.
Why it’s Rank 10: This was a genuine season recovery, not just a normal title run. It does not rank higher because the comeback was less dramatic than KKR 2014, MI 2015, and RCB 2024 — but it deserves a place because it started CSK’s IPL dynasty.
AllCric Verdict: Every great franchise has a moment that defines its identity. For CSK, 2010 was that moment — the first title, the first proof that the Yellow Army was built for the biggest stages.
Close Calls That Just Missed the Top 10
RCB 2016 Qualifier 1 vs Gujarat Lions: RCB were reeling at 29/5 while chasing 159. AB de Villiers scored 79 not out and Iqbal Abdulla made 33 not out as RCB reached 159/6 in 18.2 overs and won by four wickets.
DC vs RCB 2025: Delhi Capitals were 58/4 while chasing 164 against RCB, but KL Rahul stayed unbeaten on 93 off 53 balls and Tristan Stubbs made 38 not out. DC reached 169/4 in 17.5 overs and won by six wickets.