Aditya Tare celebrates after hitting the match-winning six to help MI qualify for the playoffs in 2014

1. Anderson leads, Tare finishes

Mumbai Indians win by five wickets in Mumbai on May 25, 2014

MI had lost each of their first six matches in the UAE leg of the tournament. Not many expected the team to make the playoffs. Surely not after RR amassed 189/4. MI had to chase the gargantuan target in 14.3 overs in order to qualify. Aditya Tare swung the first ball he faced — a leg-stump full toss bowled by James Faulkner — over the long-leg boundary to spark wild celebrations. On the other hand, Rahul Dravid was so furious he took his cap off and flung it to the ground. Corey Anderson was the Man of the Match for his undefeated 44-ball 95. It all came down to nine runs needed off three balls. Anderson took a single, leaving Faulkner with eight to defend off just two balls. Ambati Rayudu then hit the next ball for six before running himself out off the next. A long discussion ensued between the umpires and RR players, and it came to light that MI could qualify provided they hit a boundary off the fourth ball. Tare did better. He cleared the boundary! He then tugged his jersey over his head. His teammates swarmed him.

Corey Anderson lofts one during the course of his unbeaten 95

2. Sublime Smith takes Royals home

Rajasthan Royals win by seven wickets in Ahmedabad on April 14, 2015

Chasing a 165-run target for their third consecutive victory, the Rajasthan Royals cantered to a seven-wicket victory thanks to a well-paced 79 not out from Steven Smith. The defeat was MI’s third loss in as many games. Mumbai were done in by the failure of their top order. Aaron Finch, Parthiv Patel, Unmukt Chand and Rohit Sharma were all back in the hut before the end of the 10th over. Finch, in fact, was retired hurt. Corey Anderson and Kieron Pollard added 104 for the fourth wicket and also provided the innings with a late flourish but their efforts eventually proved futile. Smith and Ajinkya Rahane added 64 runs for the second wicket after RR lost Sanju Samson in the fifth over. When Rahane was dismissed, RR needed 73 off 41 balls, a tricky proposition even though they had eight wickets in hand. Batting at No. 4, Deepak Hooda hit two sixes before falling to Lasith Malinga. With the equation down to 52 off 31, Smith changed gears. He collected 15 runs off a Malinga over to bring it down to a very doable 24 off 18. RR got home with five balls to spare. Smith’s 53-ball effort was studded with eight fours and a six, which he hit off Pawan Suyal. Not only did Smith essay a captain’s knock, he also got hold of the Orange Cap after this innings.

3. Bhajji takes MI into maiden IPL final

Mumbai Indians win by four wickets in Kolkata on May 24, 2013

Chasing 166 for a place in their maiden IPL final, Mumbai were served well by openers Dwayne Smith and Aditya Tare who added 70 in nine overs before the latter was dismissed. After a 55-run stand between Smith and Dinesh Karthik, MI were reduced to 132/4 with the duo as well as skipper Rohit Sharma back in the hut. Smith made 62 off 44. Kieron Pollard, too, fell and it was down to Ambati Rayudu to take MI home. He smashed a six to cow corner to bring it down to 16 off 10 balls. MI needed eight off the final over. That’s when Shane Watson rattled Rayudu’s stumps. With six required off four, Rishi Dhawan hit one over short fine-leg before running a leg-bye. Fittingly, Harbhajan Singh hit the winning runs — a boundary — to take MI home. He won the Man of the Match award for his 3/23. In fact, he played a role in five of the six RR wickets that fell. Apart from dismissing Rahul Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane and Watson, he also caught Sanju Samson and Stuart Binny.

4. MI prevail despite Yusuf’s 37-ball 100

Mumbai Indians win by four runs in Mumbai on March 13, 2010

The IPL was back where it belonged. That itself called for celebrations. Playing the second match of the third edition — the previous one was played entirely in South Africa — of the tournament, MI and RR dished out a classic. Batting first, a new-look MI racked up 212/6 at the iconic Brabourne Stadium. Ambati Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary struck fifties and the others played cameos as five of the seven bowlers employed by Shane Warne went at over 10. The real fun was yet to begin, though. Yusuf Pathan batted like a dream in his 37-ball 100 to leave RR with 40 to get off 17 deliveries. R Sathish ran him to bring MI right back in the contest. But Paras Dogra punished Sathish, who bowled the 18th over, by clobbering two sixes and as many fours for a haul of 21. It came down to 19 off 12 balls. Zaheer Khan bowled an excellent over replete with yorkers to leave RR to get 12 off the last over. Malinga ran Dogra out on the first delivery before dismissing new man Amit Uniyal for a first-ball duck. RR needed six off the last ball but all it took was another Malinga yorker as Mumbai staged a great escape. Yusuf hit nine fours and eight sixes to smash the second-fastest (at the time) hundred in T20 cricket. Warne termed the knock as the “best ever” he had witnessed.

5. RR win nail-biter to secure top spot

Rajasthan Royals win by five wickets in Jaipur on May 26, 2008

This wasn’t a high-scoring match but it turned out to be a thriller. Chasing 146 to ensure they finish at the top of the table in the inaugural edition of the tournament, RR needed 46 off 18 balls to maintain their cent per cent record at home. MI, on the other hand, were hoping to finish on the right side of this nail-biter so that they could one step closer to the semifinals. Left-hander Niraj Patel and Jadeja ket their cool as RR won the match off the final ball. Sohail Tanvir was the star of the day for RR. He picked up 4/14. A poor over from Ashish Nehra left Rajasthan needing 32 off 12 balls. Rohan Raje conceded 17, including a six that Jadeja hit over cover. With 15 to get off the final over bowled by Dilhara Fernando, MI were expected to get home. But Patel hit a six over long-on. It came down to three off the last ball and Fernando bowled a wide. Patel hit the last delivery to mid-on, and a fumble got them two runs and, with it, a famous victory.