Kings XI Punjab beat Mumbai Indians in the second Super Over to go to six points in the IPL 2020 points table in match 36 in Dubai. In what was an enthralling contest between the two teams, both teams finished on 176 in the first period of play. The two teams again finished on five in the first Super Over. Kings XI Punjab then rode on an important six from Chris Gayle to seal the deal in the second Super Over. Several records were created in this contest in Dubai which saw some enterprising cricket played from both teams. More on the KXIP vs MI match report in detail below.
Mumbai Indians won the toss and opted to bat first. Rohit Sharma (9) was dismissed cheaply in this game and so was Suryakumar Yadav (0). Quinton De Kock (53) scored his third half-century of the season to resort Mumbai innings. he found support from Krunal Pandya (34) in the middle overs as the duo added a 58-run stand before Krunal was dismissed in the 14th over. De Kock then followed soon in the 17th over of the Mumbai innings. From 119 for 6 in 16.3 overs Kieron Pollard (34) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (24) added 57 runs in the remaining 20-odd deliveries to take Mumbai to 176 for 6 n their 20 overs. Keiron Pollard and Coulter-Nile hit some lusty blows in the death overs to take Mumbai to a winning score.
KL Rahul scored 77 in the chase and fell in the 18th over to turn the match in Mumbai’s favor. Chris Gayle (24), Nicholas Pooran (24) and Deepak Hooda (23) all played their part in taking Punja close to their target.
With nine needed from the final over to win, Trent Boult delivered the goods and took the match to a Super Over. This was the second Super Over for Mumbai this season, having played one earlier against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Kings XI Punjab & Super Over Saga
This was the first time in IPL history that a match had two back to back Super Overs. Also, this was the first time in IPL history that two games played in a single day were decided on Super Overs. Earlier in the season, KXIP lost their campaign opener to a Super Over against Delhi Capitals.
Batting first in the first Super Over, KXIP scored just five as Bumrah bowled a brilliant over. His over was matched by Mohammed Shami who restricted Mumbai Indians to five in the Super Over. While KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda batted for Punjab in the first Super Over, for Mumbai it was skipper Rohit Sharma and Quinton De Kock.
In the second round, Mumbai batted first with Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya. They scored 11 with Pollard hitting a timely boundary of the third ball off the over.
It was Punjab’s turn to track the score down with Mayank Agarwal and Universe Boss Chris Gayle. The Jamaican hit a six off the very first ball from Trent Boult. Gayle took a single off the second ball to hand over the strike to Agarwal. The Karnataka batsman hit Boult for a four through mid-off to bring the equation down to one from the last three balls. Agarwal hit Boult for another boundary, this time through mid-wicket to win it for Punjab.
The match took an eternity to finish with both teams giving it their all till the last ball. This win helps them to stay alive in the tournament. Meanwhile, it was heartbreak for Mumbai who will have to address their death bowling concerns heading into the last phase of the league stage and playoffs beyond that. This was also their second Super-Over defeat, in this IPL season after losing an earlier game against RCB.
What was the Turning Point in the Game?
KL Rahul’s wicket in the 18th over of their chase turned out to be the major turning point in the game. With Rahul at the wicket, Punjab were cruising in the contest. With his departure, KXIP yet again could not get the job done. Meanwhile, KXIP skipper Rahul was once again guilty f not finishing the game off for his side, the very point on which Virender Sehwag touched upon after their lucky escape against RCB.
KL Rahul for his valuable 77 was awarded the Man of the Match. He went past 500 runs in the season during his knock against MI. He now has 525 runs from nine games, at an average of 75 and a strike-rate touching 140 nearly.
“We knew it would get slower with their decent spinners, so Mayank and I got a good start over 50 runs. When Chris plays against spinners, I trust them to take down the spinners. Chris coming in helps, he is an experienced player and knows how to carry the team through. You can’t prepare for Super Overs, no team prepares for Super Overs. You have to trust your bowling group and it is important you let them believe their instinct and gut” said Rahul.
