Top 10 Best Chases IPL 2026: Ranked by Pressure and Difficulty

Chases are where T20 cricket lives or dies. The bat-first side puts up a number, and you find out over the next 90 minutes whether the chasing batters can solve it. Some IPL 2026 chases were routine victory laps. Others were escapes from positions that looked dead at the halfway mark.

Here are the 10 best, ranked by a combination of required run-rate, win-probability low point, and the quality of the finishing innings.

Methodology

Three weights. Difficulty (required-rate at innings half-time and at the start of the death phase). Pressure (lowest win-probability touchpoint during the chase, with anything below 15 percent counted as a near-loss). Heroism (whether the chase was anchored by one batter or a partnership, and how good the finishing strike-rate was). Each chase scores out of 10 across the three weights.

Bookends to the chase narrative also matter. Chases that fell off a cliff and then came back rank higher than smooth chases of similar totals.

1. The Eden Gardens late-April escape

Required to chase 220-plus on a dew-affected night. Lost both openers in the powerplay and were 40 for 3 at the end of the eighth over. Win probability dropped to 12 percent.

A middle-order pair built a partnership of 80-plus across the next eight overs. The required rate stayed above 12 for most of that period. The finisher then closed with a knock that featured five sixes in the last three overs.

The bat-first side's captain admitted post-match that his bowlers ran out of variations once the dew set in. This chase ranks first because of the win-probability low point and the quality of the recovery.

2. The Wankhede last-over thriller

Total chased: just under 200. The chasing side stayed close throughout but were 16 needed off the last over with one set batter and a tail-end partner.

A six off the first ball, a single off the second, a four off the third, and a controlled six off the fifth ball wrapped it up. The set batter finished unbeaten with a strike-rate above 180 across his innings.

Pressure was through the roof in the final over. Required-rate at the start of the 20th over was nearly 16. Most chases at that pressure point fail.

3. The Chepauk slow-pitch grind

Chasing 180-plus on a sticky Chepauk surface. The chasing side were 60 for 4 at the halfway mark with the required rate above 12.

This was less about hitting and more about clever cricket. Two batters rotated strike, picked their boundary balls, and never panicked. The eighth-wicket pair sealed it with two needed off the last ball.

Difficult chases on slow pitches deserve weighting. This one was an exhibit in T20 maturity.

4. The Bengaluru high-altitude blitz

The Chinnaswamy chase that broke 240. Win probability for the chasing side at innings half-time was 22 percent. They made it look like 70 percent by the end of over 17.

Three batters scored fifties. The opening pair set a platform of 100 in the powerplay. The third hitter accelerated through the middle. Boundaries came at a rate of one every four balls across the chase.

Less of a struggle than other chases on this list, but the size of the total bumps it into the top five.

5. The Mohali three-wicket finish

Chased 190-plus losing wickets steadily. From 110 for 1 in the 12th, fell to 145 for 5 in the 17th. Win probability dipped to 28 percent.

A No. 7 batter, who had not been on the impact-sub list at the start of the season, came on, scored 30 not out off 14, and walked off with the match.

This chase ranks because of the quality of the unsung hero and the way the impact-sub rule was used.

6. The Hyderabad rain-shortened chase

A revised target of 11.5 an over off 12 overs. The chasing side did not waste a ball. Powerplay scoring of 80, middle-overs control, and a clean finish.

Reduced-overs chases compress variance. The fact that this one was won at all, against the dew and against a strong opening attack, makes it notable.

7. The Ahmedabad death-overs heist

Required 60 off 30 with one set batter. Each over of the death phase produced 12 or more. The set batter finished with three consecutive sixes off the same bowler in over 19.

Death-overs chases that hit double-digit run-rates over five overs are harder than they look. Bowlers know what is coming and still cannot stop it.

8. The Delhi soft-pitch grind

Chased a sub-160 total but on a pitch where every other innings that week had failed to break 130. The chasing side took 19 overs and lost six wickets. Difficulty came from conditions, not from required-rate.

Soft-pitch low-totals chases often slip through the cracks of greatest-chases lists. This one earns the nod because it was strategic batting at its most patient.

9. The Lucknow back-from-the-dead chase

This chase had a 9 percent win-probability low point. Lost three wickets in the first six. Came back. Lost two more in the middle. Came back again. The eventual finisher, a senior all-rounder, hit two sixes in the last over to win.

Two separate revival arcs in one chase makes it a top-10 entry on dramatic value alone.

10. The Jaipur clean chase

Routine in everyone's books except the people who were actually batting. Chased 175-plus on a turning track with two openers who scored at over 175 strike-rate from ball one.

Sometimes the best chases are the ones that look easy. The execution was flawless. No partnership broke down, no pace blowup, no bowler got into a rhythm.

Honourable mentions

A WPL chase from the same window that featured a 90-not-out finishing innings was close to making the list. A reduced-overs DLS-shortened match that was technically a chase but produced too few overs to qualify also missed out.

A second Eden Gardens chase, this one against a different opponent, came in 11th overall. The dew advantage was less pronounced and the totals were lower.

What the rankings tell us

Six of the top 10 are dew-affected venues. That is not coincidence. Dew tilts chases at the most predictable venues in the IPL. Three of the top 10 came from less-favoured chasing venues, which is what makes them special. The Chepauk and Bengaluru entries especially show that the bat-first sides can no longer assume their total is enough.

For fantasy implications, see the Dream11 hub and the Orange Cap predictor. The points table provides standings context, and the budget optimizer helps with credit allocation around chase specialists.

FAQ

Why is the Eden Gardens chase ranked first? Because of the win-probability low point. A 12-percent recovery is the most pressure-laden chase of the season.

Are dew-affected chases unfair to bowlers? Partly. Dew is a known variable. Captains who bat first plan around it.

Does the impact-sub rule make chases easier? Yes. The chasing side can adjust the lineup based on required run-rate, which is a structural advantage.

Will any of these chases get topped before the final? Probably yes. Knockout pressure produces standout chases, and the Eliminator typically delivers at least one.

Where do I track live chase probability? Most cricket data sites publish ball-by-ball win-probability charts. They are the easiest way to verify what the eye-test is telling you. See more analysis at the hedging guide.