In the end, it was such an anti-climax for a stunning match in the Super Over. A game which took the breath away for 40 overs was eventually decided in just three balls by South African pacer Kagiso Rabada.
Prior to this match, Rabada had bowled two super overs for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and each time he had emerged triumphant. Only Jasprit Bumrah for Mumbai Indians (MI) has such an enviable record in super overs.
But, it turned out to be a cakewalk for Rabada as he clinched two wickets in his first three balls and did not even have to complete the over (as the rule says that once two wickets are down, Super Over innings is over).
As it happened - Ball by Ball commentary : Kings XI Punjab fall short as Delhi Capitals take thrilling Super Over victory
If Rabada was the super hero in the dying moments for Delhi, Punjab’s high scorer in this match Mayank Agarwal, quite astonishingly, did not even turn up to open the innings for the Super Over after being in such great touch.
His West Indian teammate Nicholas Pooran who got out for a duck after facing three balls in Punjab's full innings couldn't do much in the team's Super Over inning too as he was dismissed for a Golden Duck.
Captain KL Rahul also couldn't keep a bouncer from Rabada down as he top-edged the over's second ball which was caught by Axar Patel on square leg.
Incredible match
KL Rahul decided to field first after winning the toss and his fast bowlers (Mohammed Shami and Sheldon Cottrell) bowled menacingly to reduce Delhi 13 for 3 after the 4th over.
Of course, Shikhar Dhawan had to blame himself for his bizarre run-out after a mix-up with Prithvi Shaw.
Captain Shreyas Iyer (39 off 31 balls with 3 sixes) and Rishabh Pant (31 off 29 balls with 4 fours) tried to do the rescue act. However, it was Marcus Stoinis (53 off just 21 ball with 3 sixes and 7 fours that gave Delhi the belief to fight back. And what an incredible fight back it was later on by DC!
From 100 for 6 in 17 overs, DC reached 157 for 8.
KXIP batted almost in an identical fashion by losing the top for just 55 runs (DC had lost half the side for 87). All along, opener Mayank Agarwal was supporting the batsmen going by. His 89 runs off 60 balls with 4 sixes and seven fours were as assured as they come.
However, with just one run left for the win, Agarwal went for glory (only flaw of the innings) and paid heavily for his misadventure in the most critical stage of the match.
Ashwin - the one over wonder
Former Kings XI Punjab skipper R Ashwin had a dream start this IPL by getting two wickets in his very first over. He conceded just two runs but unfortunately he couldn't bowl again in the entire innings due to his injury on shoulder.
That also hurt Delhi attack badly when Agarwal was going berserk, they did not have the guile of Ashwin to stop the flow.
Stoinis Vs Mayank match
Indeed, this match can be remembered as the display of nerve by Stoinis and Agarwal. After playing his hand with bat, fittingly, Stoinis bowled three dot balls and picked the wickets of Agarwal and Chris Jordan.
The spoiler
After all the hype and drama over the result, the fact remained that there was a clear umpiring error at the end of 18th over. Neither did the commentators talk much about this blunder, nor did anyone ask questions in the post-match TV presentation.
Chris Jordan reached his ground, but umpire gave him a run short. In a tournament where a run can cost teams IPL trophies, it may have only cost KXIP their first win.
(Vimal Kumar is a senior sports journalist who has covered multiple cricket world cups and Rio Olympics in the last two decades. Vimal is also the author of Sachin: Cricketer Of The Century and The Cricket Fanatic’s Essential Guide.)
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