If two Super Overs in a day wasn’t enough to fill the IPL fans’ appetite, outstanding exhibitions of executing yorkers by Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami meant the Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab created a first: that of a second Super Over after the first one was tied with both teams scoring five runs each.
And since the rules prescribed that batsmen dismissed in the first Super Over, along with the bowlers who bowled, were ineligible, it put MI in the drivers’ seat as Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya walked out to bat in the second.
However, Chris Jordan, who had leaked 20 runs to Pollard and Nathan Coulter-Nile in the 20th over in regulation time, resulting in Mumbai Indians’ total swelling to 176 for six, conceded just 11 runs. Jordan had Mayank Agarwal to thank for saving four runs with a stunning leap off the last ball of the over.
Trent Boult, who bowled an exceptional last over of the match that resulted in a tie, was then taken to the cleaners by Chris Gayle and Mayank as the duo scored 15 runs off just four balls.
The nail-biting win meant KXIP has kept its Indian Premier League campaign afloat.
The drama in the last four overs — two Super Over faceoffs — overshadowed the heroics of a few individuals in the first 40 overs.
Quinton de Kock anchored the MI innings after Rohit Sharma elected to bat first. Krunal Pandya came to the fore in resurrecting the innings after KXIP struck thrice in the PowerPlay. And Pollard’s cameo (34 n.o., 12b, 1x4, 4x6) resulted in MI setting up a formidable total.
Mumbai Indians batsman Kieron Pollard plays a shot during the IPL 2020 match against Kings XI Punjab in Dubai on October 18, 2020.
Bumrah then got rid of three of the Kings XI Punjab’s most vital batsmen. Still, Rahul’s umpteenth effort of leading from the front, aided by Deepak Hooda’s finishing act, had bottom-placed KXIP within touching distance of upsetting the defending champion. It eventually did!
SCOREBOARD
MUMBAI INDIANS: Rohit Sharma b Arshdeep 9 (8b, 2x4) , Quinton de Kock c Mayank b Jordan 53 (43b, 3x4, 3x6) , Suryakumar Yadav c M. Ashwin b Shami 0 (4b) , Ishan Kishan c M. Ashwin b Arshdeep 7 (7b, 1x4) , Krunal Pandya c Hooda b Bishnoi 34 (30b, 4x4, 1x6) , Hardik Pandya c Pooran b Shami 8 (4b, 1x6) , Kieron Pollard (not out) 34 (12b, 1x4, 4x6) , Nathan Coulter-Nile (not out) 24 (12b, 4x4) ; Extras (b-4, lb-2, w-1): 7; Total (for six wkts. in 20 overs): 176.
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-23 (Rohit, 2.5 overs), 2-24 (Suryakumar, 3.3), 3-38 (Ishan, 5.1), 4-96 (Krunal, 13.5), 5-116 (Hardik, 15.3), 6-119 (de Kock, 16.3).
KINGS XI BOWLING: Maxwell 4-0-24-0, Shami 4-0-30-2, Arshdeep 3-0-35-2, Jordan 3-0-32-1, M. Ashwin 3-0-28-0, Hooda 1-0-9-0, Bishnoi 2-0-12-1
KINGS XI PUNJAB: K.L. Rahul b Bumrah 77 (51b, 7x4, 3x6) , Mayank Agarwal b Bumrah 11 (10b, 1x4) , Chris Gayle c Boult b Rahul Chahar 24 (21b, 1x4, 2x6) , Nicholas Pooran c Coulter-Nile b Bumrah 24 (12b, 2x4, 2x6) , Glenn Maxwell c Rohit b Rahul Chahar 0 (2b) , Deepak Hooda (not out) 23 (16b, 1x4, 1x6) , Chris Jordan run out 13 (8b, 2x4) ; Extras (w-4): 4; Total (for six wkts. in 20 overs): 176.
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-33 (Mayank, 3.3), 2-75 (Gayle, 9.1), 3-108 (Pooran, 12.5), 4-115 (Maxwell, 13.3), 5-153 (Rahul, 17.3), 6-176 (Jordan, 19.6).
MUMBAI INDIANS BOWLING: Boult 4-0-48-0, Krunal 2-0-12-0, Bumrah 4-0-24-3, Coulter-Nile 4-0-33-0, Pollard 2-0-26-0, Rahul Chahar 4-0-33-2.
Toss: MI; MoM: Rahul.
Match tied. KXIP won in the second Super Over after the first one was also tied .
