IPL 2022: Game-changing overs

The pendulum in T20s can swing in a flash. One ball, one bad decision, one over is enough. We jot down the biggest game-changing overs of IPL 2022. They are based on the movement of the Criclytics win projector between the start and the end of the over. 

Understandably, most of the biggest game-changing overs were at the death. Therefore, we have taken the liberty of looking beyond just the percentage change and handpick the best overs across all phases of the game. 

The first and the last over of the match are not considered. Hence, you won’t see Rahul Tewatia's sixes off the last two balls against Punjab Kings. For your curiosity, Gujarat’s win probability was 1% before the last two balls. Let’s delve into the main thing now.

Match 30, Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 37th over

W 0 1 wd W W W

RR’s win percentage increased by 61%

Chasing 218, KKR were placed nicely with four overs left in the game. They needed 40 runs with six wickets in hand and Shreyas Iyer well in at the individual score of 85. You won’t see many captains opt for leg-spin at this stage but Sanju Samson took the punt and did it quite successfully.

In an over of leg-spin mayhem, Yuzvendra Chahal ran through the remaining batting resources of the opposition. KKR batters went for the big hits and perished one after the other. After the dismissals of both the Iyers, KKR sent in Shivam Mavi to protect Pat Cummins from the spinners. Chahal fetched them both off consecutive deliveries to end the over with four wickets and a hat-trick against his name. RR’s win percentage escalated from 24% to 85%, a jump of 61%, making it the most impactful over of the season. 

Match 7, Lucknow Super Giants vs Chennai Super Kings, 39th over

6 wd wd 1 2 4 4 6

LSG’s win percentage increased by 58%

It is a game that exposed CSK’s inferior bowling resources. Dwaine Pretorius and Dwayne Bravo had pulled things back following the plan of slower ones and bowling wide outside the stumps. However, once they were done with their spell, CSK had to go to the part-time military medium bowling of Shivam Dube. 

Bowling the 19th over with 34 runs still in hand, Dube conceded 11 off the first three balls. At this point, the match was in a 50-50 position on the Criclytics meter. But the worst was yet to come. Evin Lewis cashed in on Dube’s incompetent bowling. The over that started with only 25% chances of an LSG win ended with Criclytics favoring them by 83%. They went on to win the match with three balls to spare. Dube didn't bowl again in the competition. 

Eliminator, Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, 38th over

wd 5wd 0 0 W 1 1 0

RCB’s win percentage increased by 46%RCB were under the pump with three overs left in the Eliminator. Wanindu Hasaranga had gone for 14 runs in the previous over which shot up LSG’s win probability to 57%. Harshal Patel’s two overs were key but he began with six wides. 

What followed was probably the best comeback by a bowler within an over. Having conceded 6 runs without bowling a legitimate ball, Harshal allowed only 2 more runs in the over while also dismissing Marcus Stoinis. From a very gettable equation of 35 off 18 balls, LSG found themselves in a pickle, requiring 33 off 12 balls. RCB’s forecast on the Criclytics win projection jumped from 40% to 86%. Harshal propelled his team from a position where they were heading towards rock bottom.  

Match 29, Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings, 38th over

6 6 4 6 1 2

GT’s chances increased by 34%

CSK on the wrong side of another 25-run over, this time from a specialist seamer in Chris Jordan. It was a rare occasion when the Men In Yellow lost a match they should have won. 

GT needed 48 off 18 balls with their chances of a win reeling at 7%. Rashid Khan, the batter, went into the clutch mode, producing 22 runs off the first four balls. The over lifted their chances to 41%, eventually taking them to a memorable win. 

Match 67, Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Titans, 23rd over

0 4 5wd 0 4 1 4

RCB’s win percentage increased by 22%

Moving on from the death overs, a Virat Kohli special puts the third over of RCB’s run chase in a do-or-die game against GT at the third spot in our list. Kohli struggled throughout the season. On occasions, he looked good, but he couldn’t carry on. But in this match, fans witnessed vintage Kohli.

He set the ball rolling in this over. After two silent overs to begin the chase, Kohli broke the shackles with a gorgeous drive. Later, the right-hander spoke about how the stroke got him into the groove. The bowler, Mohammad Shami conceded two more boundaries in the over alongside bowling five wides that brought 18 off the over. The Criclytics meter moved from 26% to 48% in RCB’s favor and it was one-way traffic thereon. The win helped RCB qualify for the playoffs. Hence, it was one of the most notable overs of IPL 2022. 

Match 13, Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals, 34th over

1 1 5nb 6 4 0 4

RCB win percentage increased by 19%Dinesh Karthik’s maverick season won many games for RCB including a fulfilled run chase against RR. With the back against the wall, Karthik, batting at only 1 off 3 balls, took Ravichandran Ashwin to the cleaners in the 14th over. It brought 21 runs as the right-hander swept and also struck the ball cleanly over long-on. Ashwin didn’t help his case by bowling a no-ball. 

It enabled RCB to come back from the dead. At the start of the over, their chances of a win were only 14%. Within the next two overs, it towered to 52% with the asking rate coming down. RCB won with five balls to spare and guess who was the player of the match. Dinesh Karthik of course.