It was a roller coaster of a match in the Indian Premier League as Delhi Capitals defeated Kings XI Punjab in a nail-biting super-over clash. It was Punjab captain KL Rahul who won the toss and chose to field as Delhi Capitals lost Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw pretty early. Caribbean batter Shimron Hetmyer also failed to negotiate the moving ball as Mohammed Shami was the star for the Kings. The Capitals gradually stitched a partnership with skipper Shreyas Iyer and Risabh Pant holding their fort and keeping the scoreboard moving.
However, the Kings came back to the game when Bishnoi picked up Pant and Iyer also lost his calm trying to up the ante against Shami. It was 93-5 at one point and then Marcus Stoinis came like a whirlwind and struck Chris Jordan for a 30 in the 20th over scoring 53 in 21 deliveries inspiring the Capitals to a competitive total of 157.
It was a steady start from the Kings as Rahul and Agarwal held their own and did not lose a wicket in the first four overs like their counterparts. Soon Mohit Sharma dismissed Rahul and things started going downhill from thereon for the Kings. Ravichandran Ashwin bowled an excellent over and send both Karun Nair and Nicholas Pooran back to the pavilion and also injured himself in the process.
It was 40/4 at one stage as Agarwal and Sarfraz Khan tried to stitch a partnership, but the Mumbai batter failed to stick around. However, Krishnappa Gowtham tried doing his part as Agarwal was putting on a show. With wickets falling at the other end Agarwal had to take the matter on his own hands. He almost crossed the line for his team only to find the fielder in the deep in the final over. Chris Jordan also got out in the final over forcing a super over.
Rabada was all guns blazing in the super over as he dislodged Rahul and Pooran in back to back balls and restricting the Kings to only two runs. Iyer and Pant came out for the Capitals and steered the match home comfortably.
Marcus Stoinis proved himself as a finisher
It was such a close game and when you look back at it Delhi Capitals. They were in a spot of bother when the Aussie batsman came to the crease. He simply tonked the ball to different parts of the ground and scored 30 runs off Chris Jordan’s 20th over.
Then came back in the next innings to pick up two wickets in a crucial over which eventually forcing the super over. It was a night where he proved his doubters that he can come down the order and tonk the ball. He can hit just like a finisher. Stoinis is often considered as a batsman who likes to settle in slowly. He theb plays his shots but this time it was a totally different story for the Aussie allrounder.
The highlight was the controversial umpiring call
Another poor call cost Kings XI Punjab once again. It even trended on Social Media, as the fans wondered why the decision was not reviewed. What a horrendous call, that was criticized even by the experts in The Dugout.
Watch it below in this Tweet-
UMPRIE won the match ? pic.twitter.com/06BwmMrtfi
— cricket videos (@middlestump5) September 20, 2020
Magnificent Mayank almost steered Punjab home
Everyone was waiting for KL Rahul to return in action with the bat. They wanted him to deliver, as skipper and even with the gloves behind the stumps. However, it was his Karnataka teammate who shone on the night like a diamond. Agarwal opened the innings and was calm right from the start as he was running out of partners at the other end. He simply took off from the 17th over and then kept on going until he found the only player in the deep with one run needed for victory.
Use the technology available. Poor #DCvKXIP pic.twitter.com/BZbRaA571d
— Trent Woodhill (@TrentWoodhill) September 20, 2020
Rabada shines in another super over for the Delhi Capitals
When the match rolled over to the super over, almost everyone knew that it would be Kagiso Rabada coming out to bowl for the Capitals. He has been a metronome in these super overs. The South African speedster can handle pressure really well. He dismissed KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran in consecutive deliveries to restrict the Kings to only two runs. Rabada seems to enjoy the super overs and he is making it a habit of winning them.
The controversy surrounding the IPL continues
Apart from all the action, there was also a huge controversy in the penultimate over. It was where Agarwal and Jordan ran for two runs but the square leg umpire called it a run short. He had cited that Jordan has not planted the bat inside the crease.
However, the replays did show that the umpires have made a wrong call. This gave the Delhi Capitals a clear advantage. That single run would have made Kings XI Punjab the winners in the game. It eventually went over to the super over. It could turn out to be a huge call later in the tournament.
