The 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) is going underway in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
IPL Teams have made comeback from the brink of elimination to reach playoffs. This is what adds to the thrill of a tournament like the IPL. Some teams have even gone on to win the trophy, qualifying in such manner. Here are some of the comebacks by IPL teams to reach the playoffs:
2010: Chennai Super Kings
In IPL 2010, Chennai Super Kings won just 2 games out of their first 7 games and later they won 5 out of their last 7 games. Finished 3rd on the points table and later gone on to win the IPL trophy. MS Dhoni was injured during the first match of the tournament against Deccan Chargers and made comeback after missing three matches. Later Chennai Super Kings were crowned champions of the tournament for the first time.
2010: Deccan Chargers
Deccan Chargers started the tournament with winning 3 matches of the first 4, but then they lost 5 consecutive games. But then, they bounced back strongly and won 5 matches on a streak which made them sail to the semi-final of the league.
2011: Royal Challengers Bangalore
In IPL 2011, Royal Challengers Bangalore started their season with a win against Kochi Tuskers Kerala but later lost three consecutive games. Their fourth game ended in a draw and were placed at the bottom of the points table after 5 matches. After Chris Gayle replaced Dirk Nannes, Royal Challengers Bangalore made a comeback and won 7 games consecutively. RCB ended at the top of the points table with 9 wins in 14 matches.
2012: Chennai Super Kings
In IPL 2012, Chennai Super Kings were struggling to qualify for the playoffs. Chennai Super Kings won just 5 matches of the first 12 matches, losing 6 and 1 match was abandoned. But they won the 3 of the next 4 matches and managed to qualify for the playoff due to better not run rate as Royal Challengers Bangalore had the equal points.
2014: Mumbai Indians
In IPL 2014, Mumbai Indians had one of the worst starts, they lost the first 5 matches that were scheduled in UAE. But they bounced back when the IPL returned to India and won 7 of the next 9 matches. Their last game of the league was against Rajasthan Royals, who were ahead of Mumbai Indians in the points table with 2 points. Mumbai Indians needed to win this match with a high margin to be ahead of Rajasthan Royals in net run rate to qualify for the playoffs. Mumbai Indians won the match by 5 wickets and wee qualified for the playoffs.
2014: Kolkata Knight Riders
In IPL 2014, Kolkata Knight Riders lost 5 of the first 7 games and were struggling. The team changed their batting order, promoting Robin Uthappa as an opener which worked very well as he became the highest run-scorer in the tournament with 660 runs. After that, they won all the 7 league matches and finished 2nd on the points table. And later they went onto win the IPL 2014 trophy, second title in 3 years.
2015: Mumbai Indians
In IPL 2015, Mumbai Indians lost the first 4 matches and were 7th on the points table after losing 5 of the first 6 matches. After that, Mumbai Indians bounced back and won 7 of the next 8 games and ended second on the points table. Later they went onto win the IPL 2015 trophy.
2016: Royal Challengers Bangalore
In IPL 2016, Royal Challengers Bangalore had a slow start and had lost 5 of the first 7 games. But the team bounced back in the second half of the tournament and won 6 of the remaining 7 matches and second on the points table. It’s one of the best IPL seasons for RCB, reached Final but lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad.