The highest target ever chased down in IPL playoff history is 215 runs, achieved by the Gujarat Titans (GT) against the Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Here’s list of teams who remained calm under pressure and chased these targets to take themselves to victory:
1. 215 Runs — Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals (Qualifier 2, 2026):
Venue: Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur.
Batting first, the Rajasthan Royals posted a daunting 214/6. The innings was anchored by 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who brutalised the powerplay to score 96 off just 47 balls. A late death-overs blitz from Donovan Ferreira (38* off 11) pushed RR past the 210-run mark. The Gujarat Titans mounted a tactical response engineered entirely by their openers. Shubman Gill smashed a masterclass 104 off 53 balls, becoming the first captain in IPL history to score a century in a playoff match. Alongside Sai Sudharsan (58 off 32), the duo stitched together a 167-run opening partnership, the highest stand for any wicket in IPL playoff history. GT chased it down in 18.4 overs with 7 wickets in hand.
2. 204 Runs — Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians (Qualifier 2, 2025):
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
The Mumbai Indians looked to have booked their ticket to the final after posting an imposing 204-run target.The Execution: Punjab Kings responded by throwing caution to the wind. Unlike GT’s anchor-and-accelerate method, PBKS relied on sustained, hyper-aggressive intent from their entire batting order. No single batsman scored a massive century; instead, five different players chipped in with rapid 30s and 40s operating at a strike rate above 180, breaking a decade-long playoff record by tracking down the target in 19.3 overs.
3. 200 Runs — Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings (2014 Final):
Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
This match is widely regarded as the greatest final in IPL history. Kings XI Punjab (now PBKS) posted a massive 199/4, powered by a blistering unbeaten century from Wriddhiman Saha (115* off 55). Chasing 200 in a final had never been accomplished before this game.KKR lost their talismanic captain Gautam Gambhir for just 1 run. Step forward Manish Pandey, who played an iconic, career-defining knock of 94 runs off 50 balls. Pandey single-handedly neutralized Mitchell Johnson’s raw pace. Despite a late-innings batting collapse in the death overs, Piyush Chawla hit the winning boundary with 3 balls to spare to secure KKR’s second IPL title.
Read More : Batters with most runs in IPL finals
4. 191 Runs — Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings (2012 Final):
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Playing in front of a hostile Chennai crowd, KKR set a target of 191 runs after CSK’s top order, led by Suresh Raina (73 off 38) and Michael Hussey (54), battered the bowling unit. KKR’s chase suffered an immediate disaster when tournament MVP Sunil Narine’s opening partner, Gautam Gambhir, fell in the very first over. Unheralded wicketkeeper-batsman Manvinder Bisla played the innings of his life, smashing 89 off 48 balls. He formed a clinical 136-run partnership with Jacques Kallis (69 off 49). Manoj Tiwary hit consecutive boundaries in the final over against Dwayne Bravo to break CSK’s home dominance.
5. 189 Runs — Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals (Qualifier 1, 2022):
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Jos Buttler’s clinical 89 off 56 balls powered the Rajasthan Royals to a highly competitive total of 188/6.This match established GT’s reputation as the ultimate “ice-cool” chasing team. After solid contributions from Shubman Gill and Matthew Wade, the game went down to the wire. Entering the final over, GT required 16 runs. David Miller put on a lethal display of finishing ability, smashing Prasidh Krishna for three consecutive sixes off the first three balls of the 20th over to remain 68* off 38 and storm GT straight into their maiden IPL final.
