IPL Final: Top Five Indian Premier League Finals

The Indian Premier League is one of the most exciting T20 competitions in world cricket and there have been a number of thrilling finals since its inception back in 2008.

The Chennai Super Kings took the title last year after beating the Gujarat Titans via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, the first time the IPL final has been decided by DLS.

We have delved through the archives to pick out the top five Indian Premier League finals, starting with the inaugural edition in 2008 when a cricketing great guided his team to glory.

2008 IPL Final - Chennai Super Kings beat Rajasthan Royals by three wickets

There was a lot riding on the first edition of the IPL and the final, between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, didn't disappoint with the fight for glory going right down to the last over.

Rajasthan managed to score 163-5 from their allotted 20 overs with MS Dhoni (29 not out) and Suresh Raina (43) the pick of the batters, while Yusuf Pathan finished with figures of 3-22.

Yusuf then starred with the ball as his fantastic knock of 56 from just 39 balls helped put the Royals in a strong position before the late Shane Warne, who was captain of the side, took his team over the line by chasing down eight runs in the last over.

2012 IPL Final -  Kolkata Knight Riders beat Chennai Super Kings by five wickets

The Super Kings were taking part in their fourth final in the first five IPL editions in 2012 and they were certainly the team to beat, having lifted the trophy in 2010 and 2011.

Heavy favourites to make it three in a row, Chennai posted 190-3 with Michael Hussey (54), Murali Vijay (42) and Suresh Raina (73) doing the damage at the top of the order.

Kolkata's chase got off to a dreadful start when captain Gautam Gambhir was dismissed for just two, but Jacques Kallis and Manvinder Bisla proceeded to put on a 136-run partnership to put the Knight Riders on the cusp of victory.

Shakib Al Hasan (11 not out) and Manoj Tiwary (nine not out) took Kolkata over the line with two balls to spare, delivering the franchise's first IPL title.

2016 IPL Final - Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by eight runs

There was some mammoth hitting in the 2016 IPL final between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad, who managed to hold on to win by eight runs.

Hyderabad posted a huge 208-7 from their 20 overs, with David Warner's 69 from just 38 balls setting the tone before Yuvraj Singh (38) and Ben Cutting (39 not out) added crucial knocks.

That total didn't seem to scare Bangalore and they looked on their way to chasing it down when Chris Gayle (76) and Virat Kohli (54) put on an opening stand of 114.

But when the two openers departed, the rest of Royal Challengers' batting line-up collapsed and eventually fell eight runs short of the target.

2017 IPL Final - Mumbai Indians beat Rising Pune Supergiant by one run

The lowest scoring IPL final came in 2017 and while that may not sound like a thrilling spectacle, it turned out to be one of the most nerve-shredding, anxious matches in the tournament's history.

Electing to bat first, Mumbai were limited to 129-8 from their allotted overs, with Krunal Pandya the pick of the batters as he ended up making a vital knock of 47.

Rising Pune Supergiant, who are now a defunct franchise after appearing from 2016 to 2018, looked to be on course for victory with Ajinkya Rahane (44) and Steve Smith (51) setting their side up.

However, Mitchell Johnson claimed both of those vital wickets and the rest of the batting line-up was unable to get the job done as Pune fell just one run short.

2019 IPL Final - Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings by one run

Another thrilling final came in 2019 when the Mumbai Indians held their nerve to get the better of Chennai Super Kings by just one run at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Hyderabad.

Mumbai were restricted to 149-8, the pick of the batters being Kieron Pollard who scored an unbeaten 41 from 25 balls, but that wasn't expected to be enough to claim the spoils.

Shane Watson played through the pain barrier to make a brilliant 80 from 59 balls in Chennai's response, but faltering performances from those coming in after him left the game on a knife edge.

The game eventually came down to the last ball, the Super Kings needing two off it to win, with Lasith Malinga bowling a sublime slower ball to deceive Shardul Thakur and trap him LBW.