Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) received a big blow as wicketkeeper-batter Sam Billings has opted out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. The English player says he wants to focus on playing a longer format cricket for Kent and England. Billings shared a heartfelt Instagram post wherein he thanked KKR for all the memories. The wicketkeeper-batter also said he hopes to play for the team soon.

Also Read: IPL 2023 Auction: Released players from each team

With Billings not playing IPL 2023, KKR has lost a genuine power-hitter and a wicketkeeper-batter. Apart from Billings, Sheldon Jackson is the only other designated wicketkeeper in the squad. KKR have retained Jackson, but they would like to add one more player to that list when the IPL mini-auction takes place on December 23 in Kochi.

While Billings could not do much impact with the bat in hand, he scored his runs at a strike rate of 150 plus. Jackson was not given enough chances with the gloves in hand. With Billings no more part of IPL 2023, Jackson is KKR's first-choice wicketkeeper. KKR has retained nine players from IPL 2022 season.

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A post shared by Sam Billings (@sambillings)

IPL 2023: Who will KKR likely target in place of Sam Billings?

A wicketkeeper-batter, who is as dynamic as Billings is what KKR would likely target. KKR will keep a tab on quite a few Indian players who impressed in SMAT 2022. The likes of Ankush Bains & Harvik Desai can potentially go for big bucks in the IPL mini-auction. Few foreign wicketkeepers' batters like Josh Philippe, Kusal Mendis, & Matthew Wade could also fetch big amounts. 

Read Also: IPL 2023: Gujarat Titans trade Lockie Ferguson and Rahmanullah Gurbaz to Kolkata Knight Riders

Retained Players: Shreyas Iyer, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Pat Cummins, Nitish Rana, Sheldon Jackson, Rinku Singh, Umesh Yadav

Possible Released Players: Shivam Mavi, Mohammad Nabi, Chamika Karunaratne, Ramesh Kumar, Ajinkya Rahane, Aaron Finch

Since the inaugural season of IPL in 2008, it has delivered unforgettable final encounters. From Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings competing for the title in the first season, to Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru gearing up to win their first in IPL 2025, we have come a long way.

Here's how IPL Finals since 2008 looked like with the teams being a part of it:

The Ultimate Chronicle: IPL Finals since 2008

Take a look into the two teams emerging every season to fight for the IPL title since 2008-2005:

IPL 2008 (Winner: RR)

• Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings 
• CSK:163/5 | RR: 164/7
• P.O.T.M: Yusuf Pathan 56(33) & 3/22

IPL 2009 (Winner: DCH)

• Deccan Chargers vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru 
• DCH: 143/6 | RCB: 137/9
• P.O.T.M: Anil Kumble 4/16

Read Also: Most 50+ scores as a captain in IPL playoffs

IPL 2010 (Winner: CSK)

• Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings
• CSK: 168/5 | MI: 146/9
• P.O.T.M: Suresh Raina 57*(35) & 1/21

IPL 2011 (Winner: CSK)

• Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
• CSK: 205/5 | RCB: 147/8
• P.O.T.M: Murali Vijay 95(52)

IPL 2012 (Winner: KKR)

• Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders
• CSK: 190/3 | KKR: 192/5
• P.O.T.M: Manvinder Bisla 89(48)

IPL 2013 (Winner: MI)

• Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings 
• MI: 148/9 | CSK: 125/9
• P.O.T.M: Kieron Pollard 60*(32) & 1/34

IPL 2014 (Winner: KKR)

• Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders 
• PBKS: 199/4 | KKR: 200/7
• P.O.T.M: Manish Pandey 94(50)

Read Also: Most sixes hit by any batter in IPL history

IPL 2015 (Winner: MI)

• Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings
• MI: 202/5 | CSK: 161/8
• P.O.T.M: Rohit Sharma 50(26)

IPL 2016 (Winner: SRH)

• Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
• SRH: 208/7 | RCB: 200/7
• P.O.T.M: Ben Cutting 39*(15) & 2(35)

IPL 2017 (Winner: MI)

• Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Supergiant
• MI: 129/8 | RSP: 128/6
• P.O.T.M: Krunal Pandya 47(38)

IPL 2018 (Winner: CSK)

• Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings 
• SRH: 178/6 | CSK: 181/2
• P.O.T.M: Shane Watson 107*(57)

IPL 2019 (Winner: MI)

• Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings 
• MI: 149/8 | CSK: 148/7
• P.O.T.M: Jasprit Bumrah 2/14

IPL 2020 (Winner: MI)

• Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians 
• DC: 156/7 | MI: 157/5
• P.O.T.M: Trent Boult 3/30

Read Also: Teams to finish last in IPL Points Table

IPL 2021 (Winner: CSK)

• Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders 
• CSK: 192/3 | KKR: 165/9
• P.O.T.M: Faf du Plessis 86(59)

IPL 2022 (Winner: GT)

• Rajasthan Royals vs Gujarat Titans
• RR: 130/9 | GT: 133/3
• P.O.T.M: Hardik Pandya 34(30) & 3/17

IPL 2023 (Winner: CSK)

• Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings 
• GT: 214/4 | CSK: 171/5 (15 ovs) DLS method
• P.O.T.M: Devon Conway 47(25)

IPL 2024 (Winner: KKR)

• Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders 
• SRH: 113 (18.3) | KKR: 114/2 (10.3)
• P.O.T.M: Mitchell Starc 2/14 & 2 catches

Read Also: Highest individual scores by players in IPL playoffs

IPL 2025

• Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Punjab Kings 
• The final is set to take place on June 3, 2025. May the best team win.

India A started their England tour on a great note with a solid Day 1 display against the England Lions in Canterbury. Karun Nair headlined the day with a solid, unbeaten 186 with the bat for India A.

England Lions captain James Rew won the toss and decided to bowl first on a greenish pitch at the St. Lawrence Ground. 

India A lost captain Abhimanyu Easwaran early on 8 while Yashasvi Jaiswal went back to the dressing room after adding 24. 

When it looked like that, Rew took the right decision of bowling first, Sarfaraz Khan and Karun Nair put up a 181-run partnership for the third wicket to give India A the advantage after Day 1’s play. 

Karun Nair, who last played a test match in 2017, continued his great form and completed his fifty in 85 balls. 

Soon, Sarfraz Khan, who was dropped from the test squad, completed his fifty in 84 balls as well. When both batters were looking to get to the hundred mark first, Sarfraz was caught down the leg side on 92 off 119 balls and missed his ton.

Sarfaraz Khan gets dismissed 8 short of a well-deserved hundred.

Sarfaraz was looking good but was eventually caught down the leg side on 92.

Karun Nair is batting on 97!

India A 233/3 in the first inning!#ENGAvINDA #SarfarazKhan pic.twitter.com/pY7pCRmwZP

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) May 30, 2025

Nair, who was dropped on 89 off Ajeet Singh Dale, completed his 24th first-class ton off 155 balls.

Post that, incoming batter Dhruv Jurel and Nair started smashing the bowlers and changed their gears. Nair reached the landmark of 150 in 205 balls while Jurel reached his fifty in just 68 balls.

At the end of Day 1 of the 4-day unofficial test match, Jurel remained unbeaten on 82 off 104 balls while Nair remained unbeaten on 186 from 246 balls, with India A finishing with 409/3. 

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has produced some of the most thrilling matches in cricket history, with some teams successfully chasing down mammoth targets to win games. Rajasthan Royals were the first team to chase down a 200-plus total when they scored 217/7 in 19.5 overs to overcome Deccan Chargers’ 214/5 in the IPL 2008. It was only the ninth match of the league. Over the course of the next 12 years, a lot of sides chased down totals over 200+, but none came anywhere close to scaling what RR achieved in 2008.

That record stood for a solid 12 years before the Royals eclipsed it again in IPL 2020 when they hunted down Kings XI Punjab’s 223/2 with 226/6. The mark stood for five years. Currently, Punjab Kings hold the record for the highest successful run chases in IPL history.

Here is a list of the Highest Successful Run Chases in IPL History.

Read Also: Most Ducks in IPL

Highest Successful Run Chases in IPL History

1. Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2024) | 262 Runs

Punjab Kings hold the record for the highest successful run chases in IPL history. PBKS successfully chased down a target of 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens in IPL 2024. Tasked with chasing down a daunting target of 262 in front of a vociferous away crowd in Kolkata, PBKS had their task cut out for them. However, the Punjab team defied all odds.

Player of the Match Jonny Bairstow scored an unbeaten 48-ball 108, while Shashank scored an unbeaten 68 off 28 balls as Punjab pulled off the greatest run chase in IPL history.

In fact, Punjab Kings’ successful run chase against Kolkata Knight Riders is the only time a team has chased down a score of 250 or more in IPL history. It is also the highest successful run chase in T20 cricket as a whole.

2. Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings (2025) | 246 Runs

Sunrisers Hyderabad are second on the list of highest successful run chases in IPL history and coincidentally, it came against Punjab Kings in IPL 2025. After PBKS posted 245/6 in the first innings, SRH chased down the target by reaching 247/2 in 18.3 overs with Abhishek Sharma playing a starring role with a 55-ball 141. Abhishek hit a 40-ball century, making it one of the fastest in IPL history.

Punjab started strong with an explosive opening stand from Prabhsimran Singh and young Priyansh Arya. The two added 66 runs in just 24 balls, giving the team a perfect start. After Prabhsimran fell for 42, captain Shreyas Iyer took charge, smashing a half-century in just 22 balls. Nehal Wadhera supported him well, and the Kings crossed 150 runs within 12 overs.

The strong foundation was capped off in style by Marcus Stoinis, who cleared the ropes four times in the closing overs, helping Punjab finish at 245, their highest total of the season so far and a testament to the batting unit’s depth and intent. But Sunrisers Hyderabad responded with a brilliant opening partnership between Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head. Their 171-run stand helped them chase down the target successfully.

3. Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Lucknow Super Giants (2025) | 228 Runs

Stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma's unbeaten 85 led RCB to chase down 228 runs against Lucknow Super Giants. After the win, they sealed a top-two finish in the very last league game of IPL 2025. This is also RCB's highest-ever successful chase in IPL history and they will now play in Qualifier 1 against Punjab Kings. Records galore for RCB don't stop there, as they have ended up winning all 7 away games in the regular season, which is just remarkable.

The chase saw significant contributions from Virat Kohli and Phil Salt in the powerplay, followed by Jitesh Sharma and Mayank Agarwal's unbeaten partnership. Agarwal scored 41 not out to support Sharma's match-winning innings.

Earlier, Lucknow Super Giants posted a formidable 227/3, powered by captain Rishabh Pant's spectacular 118.

4. Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings (2020) | 224 Runs

A collective effort by Sanju Samson, Steve Smith, and Rahul Tewatia led the Rajasthan Royals to chase down a target of 224 runs against Punjab Kings in 2020, the highest successful run chase in IPL history. Samson was the top-scorer with an explosive 85 off just 42 deliveries but Rahul Tewatia became the centre of attraction because of his massive 7 sixes in the important moment. He smashed 5 sixes in an over against Sheldon Cottrell which changed the whole game.

5. Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2024) | 224 Runs

Rajasthan Royals equalled the highest successful run chase in the IPL recorded by them in 2020, when they beat Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens. In a battle for the position at the top of the IPL 2024 standings, KKR managed 223/6 on the back of Sunil Narine’s maiden T20 century. For the Royals, Avesh Khan and Kuldeep Sen took two wickets each. 

In the run chase, Jos Buttler stood tall with an unbeaten 107 off just 60 balls, steering his team over the line on the last ball. The Royals were on the backfoot at 121/6 in the 13th over. But a cameo from Rovman Powell and some late power-hitting from Buttler got the Royals home.

Interestingly, Punjab Kings surpassed this record 10 days later against the same opponent at the same venue, when they successfully chased 262.

6. Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings (2021) | 219 Runs

Mumbai Indians pulled off a stunning 4-wicket victory over their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings in a match in 2021. Ambati Raydu & Faf du Plessis played blistering innings to put up that mammoth total at Delhi.

Chasing down the target of 219 runs, Mi didn't have a good start. Kieron Pollard's unbeaten 87 from 34 balls, including 6 boundaries and 8 sixes, played the most pivotal role in securing the win. He was also the best bowler for Mumbai in that match. Pollard conceded only 12 runs in his 2 overs and scalped 2 huge wickets.

7. Rajasthan Royals vs Deccan Chargers (2008) | 215 Runs

In the inaugural IPL edition, Rajasthan Royals chased a massive target of 215 runs against Deccan Chargers. Andrew Symonds' explosive 117 runs in just 53 deliveries helped Deccan Chargers to put up a huge total of 214 runs.

While Chasing, Graeme Smith and Yusuf Pathan laid the foundation with a 98-run partnership. The explosive knocks from Mohammad Kaif and Shane Warne at the end took Rajasthan to achieve victory.

Read Also: 5 batters with the most runs in IPL playoffs history

8. Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals (2023) | 215 Runs

Sunrisers Hyderabad stunned Rajasthan Royals at their home to clinch a high-scoring last-ball IPL thriller. Leveraging on a crucial last-ball no-ball from Sandeep Sharma, Sunrisers snatched the cliffhanger to register for their fourth win of the season. With 17 needed off the final over and 4 needed off the final ball, power-hitter Abdul Samad smashed a six off the last ball to help Sunrisers register a memorable win.

The foundation of the chase was laid by top-order batters Abhishek Sharma (55) and Rahul Tripathi (47) but it was the Glenn Phillips 7-ball 25 cameo that turned the game on its head and reignited the chase.

9. Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings (2023) | 215 Runs

Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Kumar produced a superb effort with the bat as Mumbai Indians completed a gigantic 215-run chase against Punjab Kings and won the match by six wickets in Mohali on Wednesday. The pair added 116 runs for the third wicket after Mumbai were 54/2 in the powerplay.

Ishan Kishan scored 75 in 41 balls. Tilak Varma and Tim David joined the chase and wrapped the contest in 18.5 overs with no issues.

10. Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings (2024) | 215 Runs

Brushing aside the first-ball dismissal of the explosive Travis Head, his opening partner Abhishek Sharma showcased an amazing range of stroke-play to ensure Sunrisers Hyderabad finished off its league engagements in the IPL in style with a four-wicket win over Punjab Kings.

Chasing a target of 215, Sunrisers batting depth came to the fore as first Rahul Tripathi set the tone before Abhishek served another reminder of his growing stature as a future India star. The way he stood up and swung Rishi Dhawan and later carted spinner Harpreet Brar for two huge sixes was truly symbolic of his authority, class and timing against pace and spin alike.

Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen came up with superbly-paced knocks to help the team’s cause on yet another perfect batting strip here.

While the spotlight always shines on the top performers of the IPL, every season also sees a team finish at the bottom of the points table. Some have a record of never ending at the bottom, while some have appeared the most times.

Explore the teams to finish last in IPL points table every season and track the count for each team.

Team with the most last-places finishes

Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils) stands out with most last-place finishes in IPL history. Despite having a good reputation of finishing at the top in the years like 2009 and 2012, along with reaching the finals in 2020, they still has the highest number of bottom finish record.

The franchise have finished last 4 times in IPL points table, in the following years:

• 2011: lost 9 out of 14 matches
• 2013: lost 13 out of 16 matches
• 2014: lost 12 out of 14 matches
• 2018: lost 9 out of 14 matches

Read Also: IPL Playoffs: Teams with most IPL Eliminator defeats

Teams with fewest last-place finishes

Chennai Super Kings finished last in points table for the first time in IPL history in 2025. They joined hands with Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, both having one last-place finish each.

• CSK: in IPL 2025 season 
• KKR: in IPL 2009 season 
• RR: in IPL 2020 season

Beyond the current active teams, 2 former franchises, Deccan Chargers and Pune Warriors India, also registered only one last-place finish during their respective IPL tenures.

Read Also: Which team has qualified for IPL playoffs most times?

Teams with no last-place finish ever

Only the newer franchises, Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants, introduced in 2022, have never finished last in IPL points table.

GT has turned out to be very successful since their inaugral season. They won the title in 2022, and qualified for the playoffs 3 out of 4 times in their IPL seasons so far.

Read Also: Every heated moment of IPL 2025 that you missed

Teams to finish last in IPL Points Table (2008-2025)

The 2025 IPL season has delivered a brutal reality check for Rishabh Pant. After being picked up by LSG for 27 crore, he turned out to be the most expensive flop of this season.

Can a player sustain an international career after such disappointing performance? Is Rishabh Pant's T20I career nearly over after a horrific IPL 2025?

Let's dive into the cold facts.

The disappointing IPL 2025 numbers 

Rishabh Pant was picked up by Lucknow Super Giants as the most expensive player in IPL history for ₹27 crore, which proved to be totally not worth it. He only managed to score 151 runs in 13 matches with an average of 13.73 and a strike rate barely crossing 107.

He is the lowest scorer among all the LSG batters in IPL 2025. Apart from batting performance, he also failed as a captain. The team only won 6 matches out of 13 and lost their playoffs berth under Pant's captaincy.

Pant's questionable descision-making, poor shot selections, and a complete lack of form did not justify the big price tag ahead in the auction.

Read Also: Expensive flops? Rishabh Pant and Venkatesh Iyer's IPL 2025 disappointments

Rishabh Pant stats in IPL 2025

• vs DC: 0 runs (6 balls)
• vs SRH: 15 runs (15 balls)
• vs PBKS: 2 runs (5 balls)
• vs MI: 2 runs (6 balls)
• vs KKR: 0 runs (0 balls)
• vs GT: 21 runs (18 balls)
• vs CSK: 63 runs (49 balls)
• vs RR: 3 runs (9 balls)
• vs DC: 0 runs (0 balls)
• vs MI: 4 runs (2 balls)
• vs PBKS: 18 runs (17 balls)
• vs SRH: 7 runs (6 balls)
• vs GT: 16* runs (6 balls)

The T20I context: India's current pool and future outlook

Rishabh Pant's position is now critically questionable as India's T20 squad selection prioritizes consistency in batting, high strike rates, and adaptable wicket-keeping.

The current pool of contenders are highly competitive and has the potential to outperform Pant.

Read Also: BCCI Central Contract 2025: Talking points from BCCI's contract announcement

The wicket-keeper batsman contenders

• KL Rahul: His current form in IPL 2025 is magnificent and he has consistently performed well for the team. Rahul's ability to anchor and accelerate has again brought him into T20I contention.
• Sanju Samson: Yet another prime contender with high experience and quality performance. He also holds the ability to blend well into the format.
• Dhruv Jurel: A promising young talent who also has the ability to make impactful finish for the team.
• Ishan Kishan: The pocket dynamo who started his IPL 2025 season with a phenomenal century, and gained his spot in BCCI's central contract (2025), is another strong contender.

Where Rishabh Pant fits (or doesn't fit):

Following the poor performance of Rishabh Pant, several known names have speculated about his mental state and his inability to deal pressure. The former Indian cricketer, Kris Srikkanth, also suggested that Pant should consider taking a break from his format.

Read Also: Most Player of the Match awards in T20I cricket history

The modern T20 format demands a lot of things that Pant is completely missing:

• Insufficient strike rate 
• Lack of clarity in shot-making
• Inability to convert build innings 
• Diminished reliability as wicketkeeper-batter
• No longer an unique left-handed power option 
• Difficulty handling run-rate pressure 

Pant is missing the "X-factor" that he once possessed. Therefore, unless his form significantly improves soon and makes a comeback, his T20 career is effectively over.