IPL 2025: Top 5 players who won matches from near-impossible situations

IPL 2025 has been a riveting affair with many games going down to the wire. The finishers have also played a key role in making matches all the more interesting with their tactical exploits in the death overs. As many as 22 matches were alive till the last over this season. As the highly-competitive league reaches its business end, here is a look at the top five finishing acts from near-impossible situations this season. 5. Sameer Rizvi vs PBKS Sameer-Rizvi. (Photo source: IPL) Sameer Rizvi played a blinder of a knock in Delhi Capitals' (DC) last game of the season against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on May 24. PBKS Slammed 206/8 in the first innings. When Rizvi walked out to bat at No. 5, DC needed 114 runs from 59 balls. The right-handed batter forged two brilliant partnerships with Karun Nair and Tristan Stubbs to take his team closer to the target. Rizvi notched up a 22-ball half-century, combining with Stubbs to take 14 runs from the penultimate over. Only eight runs were needed for a win in the last over and Rizvi sealed the game with a six off Marcus Stoinis with three balls and six wickets to spare. 4. Avesh Khan vs RR Avesh-Khan. (Photo source: IPL) Avesh Khan came into the tournament after recovering from an injury. He didn't look at his best rhythm-wise, but he produced a stellar performance against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on April 19. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) posted 180/5 after opting to bat first. In reply, RR were cruising through most parts. In the final over, the inaugural champions needed nine runs for a win with six wickets to spare. However, Avesh bowled a stunning last over, taking one wicket and conceding just six runs. 3. Mitchell Starc vs RR Mitchel Starc (Source: IPL/X) Mitchell Starc's heroics with the ball helped DC snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against Rajasthan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 16. The Capitals posted 188/5 in the first innings, with many batters contributing. In reply, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Rana scored blistering half-centuries to put RR in a position of strength. Only nine runs were needed off the final over with seven wickets in hand, and Starc was handed the ball. The Australian pacer relied on his yorkers and conceded just eight runs to take the game into the Super Over. Starc bowled a brilliant Super Over as well, going for just 11 runs. Tristan Stubbs and KL Rahul finished the game in just four balls. Starc was awarded Player of the Match for his heroics. 2. MS Dhoni vs LSG Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni (Source: Rishabh Pant) When MS Dhoni walked out to bat in Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) clash against LSG at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on April 14, as many as 56 runs were required in five overs with five wickets remaining. The surface was sluggish and run-scoring was nOt easy. Shivam Dube, who is known for his powerful batting, had scratched and clawed on his way to a 20-ball 17 when he was joined by his captain. Dhoni took little time to get going, hitting consecutive boundaries to end the 16th over. This gave CSK some much-needed momentum. Nineteen runs came off the penultimate over, leaving only five runs to win in the 20th and Dube and Dhoni finished proceedings in three balls. Dhoni remained unbeaten on 26 off just 11 balls, belting four fours and one six. 1. Ashutosh Sharma vs LSG Rishabh-Pant-and-Ashutosh-Sharma. (Photo source: X/IPL) Delhi Capitals conceded 209/8 after opting to bowl first against Lucknow Super Giants in Visakhapatnam on March 24. In reply, DC were staring down the barrel, losing three wickets for seven runs inside the first two overs. After a brief resurrection, Faf du Plessis and Axar Patel were dismissed in quick succession as DC were reeling at 65/5. Debutant Vipraj Nigam smashed a whirlwind 39 off 15 balls to keep DC interested. However, after he was dismissed in the 17th over, the onus was on Ashutosh Sharma to take the team home. The right-handed batter hit boundaries for fun, even as wickets kept falling from the other end. In the penultimate over, Ashutosh hit three boundaries to bring the equation down to six runs needed off the final ball. He hit Shahbaz Ahmed straight down the ground to bail his team out, winning the match by one wicket with three balls to spare.

IPL 2025: Top 5 players who won matches from near-impossible situations

IPL 2025 has been a riveting affair with many games going down to the wire. The finishers have also played a key role in making matches all the more interesting with their tactical exploits.

3. Mitchell Starc vs RR