Highlights:
- IPL match 36 turned out to be nothing short than a finale of World Cup
- For the first time in history, the game went on to second super over
- KXIP Punjab won the match keeping their Play-Off hopes alive
- Both teams put up the score of 176 runs for a loss of 6 wickets after 20 overs
Kings XI Punjab’s Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal got their side across the finish line against the defending champions of the Indian Premier League Mumbai Indians in a historic IPL 2020 match which went on to the 2nd Super Over to decide the fate of the match at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
For the first time in the history of this game, the scores were tied at the end of regulation 20 overs and after that at the end of the first Super Over. But Mayank Agarwal and Chris Gayle scored 15 runs without any loss in the second Super Over to add two crucial points to their tally and keep their play-off hopes alive.
With this win, KXIP now have 6 points from nine games in the IPL 2020 points table with currently tied on points with three other teams, who are fighting for the fourth play-off spot in the eight-team table i.e. SunRisers Hyderabad, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals with just the Net Run Rate acting as the decider.
Also Read: 55 Interesting IPL Facts You Should Know
Chris Gayle did not come out to bat in the first Super Over, but in the second Super Over, he smashed a six on the very first ball to put Trent Boult under pressure. He took a single on next ball to bring Mayank on strike, who smashed back-to-back boundaries to seal the win, which took them to sixth spot on the points table.
Apart from his heroics with the bat, Mayank’s sensational fielding effort at the fence saved four runs and restricted MI to just 11 runs. Kieron Pollard had struck the ball nicely and it seemed as if it will go the distance but Mayank threw himself in the air and pulled the ball, saving crucial runs for his team.
Mayank u beauty ❣️❣️#MIvKXIP #IPLinUAE #MayankAgarwal #SuperOver pic.twitter.com/OPO8N65aoY
— Alok Srivastava (@BrightBeast1) October 18, 2020
In the 1st Super Over of the match, KXIP could only manage five runs on the scoreboard. Jasprit Bumrah got rid of Nicholas Pooran on the second ball and then dismissed Rahul with a toe crushing Yorker on the last ball of the Super Over.
Mohammed Shami, who leaked a lot of runs towards the end in the regulation over, made amends and bowled six great balls to tie the game and take it the second Super Over.
In the regulation match KXIP skipper, K L Rahum played a captain’s knock scoring 77 off just 51 balls but couldn’t finish the job for his side. The game seemed to be slipping away from Mumbai Indians and Rohit handed the ball to Bumrah who bowled a perfect in-swinging yorker at the base of off stump to provide the all-important wicket of the skipper.
Deepak Hooda (23 not out off 16 balls) and Chris Jordan (13 off 8) then collected 13 runs the last but one over to once again shift the tide in their side’s favour. With just nine needed of last six balls of the match, the duo managed five runs off first two deliveries, bringing the equation down to four off four balls.
However, Trent Boult bowled brilliant last four balls and restricted them to 176/6 after 20 overs and good fielding from Mumbai Indians restricted KXIP at 176/5 with a run out on the final ball when the players tried to convert a single into double.
For the in-form Mumbai Indians, Quinton de Kock carried on with his good performance and smashed yet another half-century as he put up scoring 53 off of 43 balls to lay the foundation for a big finish.
Though Mumbai Indians got off to a terrible start as they lost three wickets inside the Powerplay, with skipper Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan all back in the dressing room with just 38 on the scoreboard. de Kock and Krunal Pandya strung together a crucial 58-run stand for the fourth wicket to steady their inning. Young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi dismissed Krunal to break the dangerous stand in the 14th over.
