In IPL 2024, at Eden Gardens, Punjab Kings chased down 262 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders. It became the highest successful run chase in T20 cricket history. This was not just another big IPL match. It turned into a hitting show. The ball crossed the boundary 42 times in that game, the most ever in a T20 match. That night changed how people looked at big targets in T20 cricket.
But this story is bigger than just one match. Since 2008, the Indian Premier League has seen many crazy chases. Teams have hunted down 200-plus scores again and again. What once looked impossible slowly became normal. Totals that were called “match-winning” started getting chased with overs left.
The 262 chase in 2024 may sit at the top, but it represents a bigger trend. That’s why in this article, we’ll look at the highest scores chased in IPL history.
What Is the Highest Score Chased in IPL and Why These Numbers Keep Getting Bigger
The highest chase in IPL history was between the Punjab Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders. PBKS chased 262 runs on April 26, 2024, against the KKR. KKR set 262 as the target with good batting from Sunil Narine, who scored 71, and Phil Salt, who made 75. PBKS chased the target with more than an over left.
PBKS chase was led by Jonny Bairstow, who smashed 108 runs from just 48 balls, hitting 8 fours and 9 sixes. Prabhsimran Singh gave a fast start with a 20-ball fifty. Then Shashank Singh finished the chase with 68 runs from 28 balls to complete one of the biggest run chases ever seen.
The list of the highest chases shows how chasing big totals has become normal in IPL. Sunrisers Hyderabad chased 247 in 2025. Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased 230 in 2025. Rajasthan Royals chased 226 in 2020, and RR again chased 224 in 2024. These numbers keep growing because batting has become faster and more aggressive.
Several reasons explain why big chases are now common. Modern batters also play fearless cricket with 360-degree shots and attack from the first ball. Players like Abhishek Sharma showed this with 141 runs off 55 balls while chasing 246 in 2025.
Top 10 Highest Scores Chased in IPL That Rewrote the Record Books
This list shows the top 10 most successful chases in IPL history from 2008 to 2025.
| Rank | Team | Score | Target | Opponent | Venue | Date |
| 1 | PBKS | 262/2 | 262 | KKR | Eden Gardens | Apr 26, 2024 |
| 2 | SRH | 247/2 | 246 | PBKS | Hyderabad | Apr 12, 2025 |
| 3 | RR | 226/6 | 224 | PBKS | Abu Dhabi | Sep 27, 2020 |
| 4 | RR | 224/8 | 224 | KKR | Eden Gardens | Apr 16, 2024 |
| 5 | MI | 219/6 | 219 | CSK | Wankhede | May 1, 2024 |
| 6 | RR | 217/7 | 215 | SRH | Jaipur | Apr 24, 2008 |
| 7 | SRH | 217/6 | 215 | RR | Jaipur | May 7, 2023 |
| 8 | MI | 216/4 | 215 | PBKS | Mohali | May 3, 2023 |
| 9 | SRH | 215/6 | 215 | PBKS | Hyderabad | May 19, 2024 |
| 10 | DC | 214/3 | 209 | GL | Delhi | May 4, 2017 |
Rank 1 PBKS Chase 262 Against KKR at Eden Gardens in IPL 2024
The match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Punjab Kings was on April 26, 2024. In this game, a total of 523 runs were scored and 42 sixes were hit. Punjab Kings chased 262 runs in 18.4 overs with 8 wickets in hand, making it the highest successful chase ever in T20 cricket history.
PBKS scored 93 runs in the powerplay, which was their highest ever powerplay score in a chase. This match broke many records. It became the highest successful chase in T20 cricket history, beating South Africa’s 259 chase from 2023. The match also set a record for most sixes in a T20 match with 42 sixes.
Rank 2 SRH Chase 247 Against PBKS in IPL 2025 Powered by Abhishek Sharma’s 141
The match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings was on April 12, 2025. SRH chased 246 runs and finished at 247/2 in 18.3 overs. The match had 492 total runs scored. Abhishek Sharma’s 141 not out was the main reason SRH won this match easily.
Punjab Kings batted first and posted 245/6. Their openers gave them a fast start. Priyansh Arya scored 36 off 13 balls, while Prabhsimran Singh made 42 off 23 balls. They pushed PBKS to 89/1 in the powerplay. Captain Shreyas Iyer played a powerful knock, scoring 82 runs off 36 balls at a strike rate above 220. In the end, Marcus Stoinis smashed four sixes in the final over to score 34* off 11 balls.
Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head hit 83 runs without loss in the powerplay. Their partnership reached 171 runs from 75 balls. Abhishek then took complete control. He reached fifty in 19 balls and his first IPL century in just 40 balls. He hit 14 fours and 10 sixes and finished with 141 runs off 55 balls before retiring hurt. SRH won the match with 9 balls remaining, making it one of the greatest T20 chases ever.
Ranks 3 to 5 How Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians Joined the Elite Chase Club
Rank 3: RR vs KXIP – The Tewatia Magic (IPL 2020)
Kings XI Punjab set a huge target of 223/2 in Sharjah. Mayank Agarwal scored 106 off 50 balls, and KL Rahul made 69 runs. RR started well too, with Steve Smith scoring 50 off 27 balls and Sanju Samson making 85 off 42 balls. The game changed when Rahul Tewatia hit five sixes in one over from Sheldon Cottrell. He scored 53 off 31 balls and helped RR chase the target with 3 balls left. This chase became the highest in IPL history at that time.
Rank 4: RR vs KKR – The Buttler Show (IPL 2024)
KKR scored 223/6, thanks to Sunil Narine’s 109 runs from 56 balls. RR were in trouble and became 121/6 in the 13th over. Jos Buttler then scored 107 not out from 60 balls and kept hitting boundaries when needed. RR needed 46 runs from the last three overs, and Buttler finished the match on the last ball with a single.
Rank 5: MI vs CSK – Pollard’s Last Ball Heist (IPL 2021)
CSK scored 218/4 first. Faf du Plessis scored 50 off 28 balls, Moeen Ali made 58 off 36 balls, and Ambati Rayudu smashed 72 off 27 balls. MI had to chase a big total. Kieron Pollard then played a match-winning knock, scoring 87 not out off 34 balls with 8 sixes. MI needed 2 runs from the last ball, and Pollard won the game for them.
Ranks 6 to 10 When Chasing 215 in the IPL Was Considered Nearly Impossible
SRH chased 215 against RR in Jaipur in IPL 2023 and reached 217/6, which was the highest chase at that ground and showed that even bowling-friendly pitches can help batters. MI showed strong batting depth in Mohali in IPL 2023 when they chased 215 and finished at 216/4 with good work from the middle order and finishers under pressure.
In IPL 2024, SRH again chased 215 at Hyderabad. In IPL 2017, DC chased 209 and reached 214/3 because of Rishabh Pant’s 97 off 43 balls and Sanju Samson’s 61 off 31 balls. In IPL 2023, MI chased 213 in Mumbai and it showed that chasing 210+ scores has become normal in modern IPL cricket.
From 215 to 262: How the Highest Score Chased in IPL Has Grown Bigger Every Decade
The story of the highest IPL chase is simple. Every decade, the target has gone higher.
In 2008, during the very first season, Rajasthan Royals set the original benchmark. They chased 215 against Deccan Chargers in Hyderabad on April 24, 2008.
At that time, 200 looked huge. Andrew Symonds had smashed 117 off 53 balls for Deccan. The total looked out of reach. But Yusuf Pathan hit 61 off 28 balls. In the final over, with 17 needed, Shane Warne hit a four and two sixes to finish it with one ball left. That 215 chase stayed the highest for 12 years.
In the 2010s, teams improved, but the record did not move much. The best was 211 by Kings XI Punjab against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014. Chasing 200 became normal, but 215 still stood.
Then the 2020s changed everything.
In 2020, Rajasthan chased 224 in Sharjah. In April 2024, they matched 224 again at Eden Gardens, with Jos Buttler scoring 107*. But ten days later, on April 26, 2024, Punjab Kings chased 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata. It became the most successful chase in IPL and T20 history.
In 2025, Sunrisers Hyderabad chased 246, powered by Abhishek Sharma’s 141 off 55 balls.
The Night Jonny Bairstow and Shashank Singh Made IPL History at Eden Gardens
The night of April 26, 2024, at Eden Gardens was one of the wildest matches in IPL history. Punjab Kings chased 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders, which is still the highest successful chase in T20 cricket. The match was crazy for batting, with 523 runs scored and 42 sixes hit. Bowlers had a very hard time controlling the game that night.
Prabhsimran Singh and Bairstow took PBKS to 93/1 in the powerplay. Then Bairstow took control, scoring 108 off 48 balls with 9 sixes. He also hit 24 runs in one over against Andre Russell. In the final phase, Shashank Singh finished the chase with 68 off 28 balls, hitting eight sixes. PBKS reached the target with 8 balls left. This match became famous because it broke the record for the highest chase in T20 cricket.
Why This Match Also Holds the World Record for Most Sixes in Any T20 Game
The KKR vs PBKS match became the T20 match with the most sixes ever. In that match, a total of 42 sixes were hit. It turned Eden Gardens into a full batting show. Bowlers had almost no margin for error because every bad ball was going over the ropes.
KKR hit 18 sixes. Phil Salt hit 6 and Sunil Narine hit 4, while Andre Russell and Shreyas Iyer also added important hits. PBKS went even harder with 24 sixes. Jonny Bairstow hit 9, Shashank Singh hit 8, and Prabhsimran Singh hit 5. This made PBKS’s total the second-highest six-count by a team in a T20 innings.
The 42 sixes broke the earlier record of 38 sixes, which had already been set twice in that same IPL season. This match showed how T20 batting has become more aggressive. The sixes also helped PBKS chase 262 because boundaries were the fastest way to keep the required run rate under control.
SWOT Analysis of Punjab Kings as IPL’s Greatest Chasing Side
Punjab Kings hold the record for the highest chase in T20 history. They chased 262 against KKR in 2024. They also chased 204 in an IPL playoff in 2025, and it is the highest playoff chase in IPL history. PBKS is also the only team to successfully chase 250+ in IPL. They have completed 8 successful chases of 200+ totals, more than any other team. Their squad is full of match winners like Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell and Marco Jansen who can both bat and bowl.
The biggest problem is the title drought. PBKS has played 17 seasons but has reached the final only once, in 2014. Players like Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh have talent but lack long tournament experience.
The 2025 season gave PBKS confidence after reaching the final. If they keep the same squad core, they can push for the 2026 title. The biggest threat is knockout match pressure. Young players sometimes struggle in big games. Death bowling is another concern because apart from Arshdeep Singh, PBKS lacks consistent economical bowlers at the end of innings. Squad imbalance is also a historical problem for the franchise.
The Teams That Have Chased 200 Plus Most Often in IPL History Ranked
Punjab Kings sit at the top of this list with 8 successful 200+ chases. They are the most dangerous chasing team in IPL history. Their record includes the historic 262 chase against KKR in 2024, and it is the highest chase in T20 cricket. The 204 chase against the Mumbai Indians in the 2025 playoff is the highest playoff chase in IPL history. The Mumbai Indians are second with 5 such chases. They even chased 200+ three times in the 2023 season.
Final Words
Over the years, the IPL has undergone significant change, particularly in its pursuit of high totals. 200 runs were thought to be extremely difficult to chase in early IPL games. However, batting has become much faster and more fearless in today’s games, where teams frequently chase scores of 210 or more.
Will IPL 2026 produce the first-ever 270+ chase? Share your predictions!
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