IPL 2020: We don't want to make a habit out of it - KL Rahul on KXIP's affair with Super-Overs

IPL 2020: KKR's Rahul Tripathi reprimanded for breaching code of conduct against Sunrisers

Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Rahul Tripathi found himself at the receiving end after being reprimanded for breaching the Indian Premier League (IPL) Code of Conduct during KKR’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Tripathi, who has been one of the in-form players for the franchise, hit a 16-ball 23 and forged a 48-run stand with Shubhman Gill before being dismissed by T Natarajan. “Tripathi admitted to the Level 1 offence 2.3 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding,” IPL said in a statement. However, KKR has good reasons to celebrate as they bagged two more points against SRH, courtesy a fine performance by Lockie Ferguson. The Kiwi pacer broke the back of the Hyderabad top-order and scalped two more wickets in the nervy Super Over to tilt the game in KKR’s favour. He returned with figures of 3/15 in his quota of four overs before castling the timber of David Warner and Abdul Samad in the one-over face-off. Ex-skipper Dinesh Karthik looked in good touch as well. He played a timely cameo of 29* to add 58 runs off the last five overs in the company of Eoin Morgan.

IPL 2020 | MI vs KXIP: Hits and Flops as Punjab emerge victorious in a tale of two Super Overs

When the weekend was approaching, cricket lovers would have casually said, “It would be better if we get a super over this weekend!” Well not one, but they got to see three super overs and it was in the final game of the day that a second super over was required to determine the winner between two sides who just did not want to give up. Kings XI Punjab, who defended five runs in the first Super Over, were able to hold their nerves and with some exceptional bowling from Mohammed Shami and Chris Jordan’s along with the big-hitting prowess of Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal in the second super over, they chased down 12 in just four deliveries to win a thriller in Dubai. By the end of the game, there were so many heroes and also many villains that it is difficult to include all of them in the list of Hits and Flops. For e.g. Agarwal’s brilliant effort on the boundary, which converted a certain six into just two runs was as important to the victory as Gayle’s six. Similarly, Jordan going for the double by running a longer path to reach the crease was as heinous a crime as KL Rahul getting out after settling in. But at the same time, we also cannot forget Jordan’s contribution with the bat in the regular match and with the ball in the Super Over. So it is in these tough conditions and the extra pressure of choosing the right person, we have decided our Hits and Flops of the game. Hits #1 Mohammad Shami If the Hits and Flops were ever to be chosen for this game, Mohammed Shami’s name would be way up in the order just for the fact that he defended mere five runs in the first super over. Yes, you read it right, he defended five runs in a super over. That was how Punjab were able to make a comeback after their dismal turn out with the bat where captain Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, and Deepak Hooda could only get five off Jasprit Bumarah’s over in the Super Over. Even apart from the super over, Shami had bowled well in the game as well. In the registered 20 overs, he gave away just 30 runs in his quota of four overs and picked up two crucial wickets of Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya. #2 KL Rahul Had it not been for his efforts to get Quinton de Kock run out on the final ball of Shami’s Super Over, Rahul would have been in the list of Flops as his team would have ended up losing the game. Rahul, even after being brilliant, hasn’t just been able to finish the game for his team. In this game too, he made an outstanding 77 off 51 balls. But just as the team needed him the most, he got out in the 18th over with Punjab still needing 19 off 15. #3 Chris Jordan Chris Jordan had three phases in the game - Hero - Villain -Hero as he gave a powerful performance with both bat and ball. Coming in to bat with all-rounder Hooda with 19 runs still required and Bumrah’s over going on, he played smartly by making 12 off seven balls and taking the equation down to 2 off 1. But while attempting the second, he got run out, which he could have avoided, had he run in a straight line instead of following an elongated path. But then coming on to bowl in the second super over, he did immensely well to keep the target to just 12 as he executed brilliant yorkers to keep his team in the hunt. In regular time though, he had gone for 20 runs in the last over, so considering that, it was a big improvement on his part. Flops #1 Rohit Sharma Without a doubt, it was not a Rohit Sharma's day as he first got out cheap in the match and then while partnering with de Kock in the first super over wasn’t able to score six off a Shami over to get the team through. The fact that he wasn’t even able to join his players in the field during the second super over also played against his image of a 24x7 active captain. It also showed that he was unfit. #2 Trent Boult Boult was brilliant in the last over of the regular game as he was able to defend nine runs off it. But before that, he had given away 40 from his three overs and that hurt Mumbai big time. Also, the fact that he bowled a full toss to Gayle on the very first delivery of the second super over and getting hit for a six off it is a crime that he committed which led to a loss for his team Mumbai. Therefore Boult is forced to be a part of the Flops group. Special Mention: Hardik Pandya This mention could have gone to both Hardik and Suryakumar. But Hardik was chosen as part of messing up in the main match he did that in the super over too as he wasn’t able to connect any of the two balls that he faced in Jordan’s over during the second super over. Earlier in the regular match, Pandya could muster only eight runs. If this much excitement was not enough, get ready because these are the sign of things to come and Kings XI look like a team on the comeback trail. With the next few matches very crucial, starting against Delhi Capitals on Tuesday. Mumbai have got three rest days before they play their first game against CSK on 23rd October. Powered by Froala Editor

IPL 2020 | MI vs KXIP: Rahul, Shami buoyed KXIP hold nerves to clinch second Super Over

Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 176/6 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 53, Kieron Pollard 34*, Krunal Pandya 34; Mohammad Shami 2-30, Arshdeep Singh 2-35) tied with Kings XI Punjab 176/6 in 20 overs (KL Rahul 77; Jasprit Bumrah 3-24, Rahul Chahar 2-33) Kings XI Punjab won the second Super Over. Woof! Let's all take a moment to grab hold of our breaths. These heart-testing nail-biters are compensating big time for the plethora of adversities 2020 had in store for mankind. Kings XI Punjab snavelled two points in their reverse fixture against Mumbai Indians in an edge-of-the-seat David vs Goliath thriller which was decided on the virtue of not one but two mouth-watering Super Overs on Sunday, October 19. Punjab yet again made a meal of their 177-run chase towards the fag end despite talisman Rahul leading the charge with his sixth fifty of the season. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami were two peas in a pod during the opening round of tie-breakers, unleashing a slew of picture-perfect yorkers to draw stalemate. However, Agarwal exorcised the ghosts of his previous glitch with a near 10-feet jump in the second Super Over to parry back a definite six and then rocked consecutive fours to officially finish proceedings in what was bedlam for the ages at Dubai. Business as usual for the skip! Vandalisers Rahul and Gayle bossed the chase with swagger in the initial ten after Mayank Agarwal exhausted his share of cheat codes, the zing bails shaved by Jasprit Bumrah's inducker. The opener sneaked away with a faint edge off Trent Boult as the quick's vociferous appeal received little to no support, before an erroneous chip eluded Suryakumar Yadav's zealous plunge at mid-on. PowerPlay restrictions done and dusted, the digital screens beamed a thriving 51/1. Don't count Mumbai out just yet While Gayle fancied a tiny shimmie and lambasted Nathan Coulter-Nile straight into the media box, Rahul cashed in on Boult's waist-high bumpers with a set of disdainful pulls. Although Rahul stood firm like a rock, MI kept punching holes at the other end. Gayle picked the bones out of Rahul Chahar's half-tracker but registered zilch height, as Boult reverse cupped to send him trudging for 24. Nicholas Pooran was just beginning to grow in confidence when Rohit Sharma reverted to the ace up his sleeve and he didn't disappoint. Bumrah took the left-hander out of the equation for 24 courtesy a desperate swish. The skipper then added another feather to his cap by introducing Rahul Chahar in front of Glenn Maxwell, who's had a well-documented history with arch-nemesis leg-spinners. The carrot was dangled a whale outside the off-stump as the under-fire Aussie fell for the bait, perishing nicking behind to Sharma, who astutely stationed himself at slip. The mother of plot twists cropped up forthwith as an on-song Rahul was dumbfounded by Bumrah's 149kmph gate-crashing yorker, that not only dismantled his stumps but crashed Punjab's hopes of winning the encounter in a bottle job storyline that has become familiar over the course of this season. KXIP bang in the middle of the choke-zone The equation boiled down to 22 off a dozen, with Deepak Hooda and Chris Jordan thrust upon the responsibility of powering KXIP home. Two streaky boundaries and a shelled chance later, the bottom line was nine off the last six deliveries. Boult, the defender at work, was carved off the pads in all glory off the very first ball but Coulter-Nile at short backward square couldn't latch on, notwithstanding a goalie style dive to his right. In all fairness, he actually prevented a certain four there. The butterflies started dangling in the stomachs as KXIP entered the messing up territory, 3 now required off as many balls. Hooda dug out almost a tramline wide to fetch a single off the penultimate ball, shrieking it further to a nerve-wracking 2 off 1. Jordan squeezed a block-hole thunderbolt into the empty pockets of mid-wicket, but Kieron Pollard swooped in from the long-on hotspot and inflicted an electric pick-up and throw in one motion to deny KXIP the requisite brace by an inch at the striker's end. Mumbai shoot themselves in the foot Earlier, MI rammed into the proverbial cul-de-sac right away. Arshdeep Singh drew first blood, albeit more by accident than by design as Rohit Sharma chopped on in a bid to steer one down third man. Suryakumar Yadav's head fell across perilously as an erratic flick landed in mid-wicket's palms off Mohammed Shami. Ishan Kishan threw the kitchen sink at Singh's long hop only to offer third-man some nice catching practice, leaving MI in a blind alley at 38/3. Krunal-de Kock at the heart of MI's riposte However, Quinton de Kock and Krunal Pandya grabbed control of the steering wheel, fashioning a 58-run stand to help MI take baby steps towards a number worth bowling at. Any indiscretions in terms of width were berated to either side of the wicket while generosity in a couple of byes and an overthrow vitalised their cause. The lefties had just got under KXIP's skin when Ravi Bishnoi provided the breakthrough, duping Pandya into a toe-edged sweep for 34. Pollard-Coulter-Nile twist KXIP's arm While Hardik Pandya amazed to deceive, de Kock accrued a hat-trick of fifties - four in last five games - before yanking Chris Jordan's in-the-slot length ball to deep mid-wicket. Kieron Pollard and Nathan Coulter-Nile served KXIP a cordial reminder of the chinks in their death bowling armour, lacing 57 off 21 versus a ballast of overcooked short stuff. Pollard cudgelled a six-studded 34 off 12 while his partner concluded with an equally searing 24 off 12. For stat geeks, this was the quickest 50-run partnership in the ongoing edition. Probably just one amongst the sling of trivial records shattered on a wild, crazy night. Next on the itinerary Enduring baptism by fire, KXIP have a day's breather to let the mayhem sink in as Delhi Capitals lurk with an eye at the qualifier berth on Tuesday, October 20. The plug was pulled on their Houdini act at the eleventh hour but MI will take the positives in their stride and roll forward to meet Chennai Super Kings on Friday, October 23. Easy fodder? Sharjah with the answers.

IPL 2020 | MI vs KXIP: What experts said as KXIP bounce back after dramatic super overs

The match between the Mumbai Indians and the Kings XI Punjab saw an unprecedented situation in the history of T20 cricket as the match was tied twice- first in the 20th over the game while the second time in the super over. That led to chaotic situations on the field as there was a serious lack of clarity on the issue of who among the ones who batted can be eligible to bat again in the second super over. The Kings XI Punjab got the better of the Mumbai Indians, although a long and vigilant battle. Captain’s take Winning captain KL Rahul was aware of the team’s history in the IPL 2020 and as well as affirmed their efforts to avoid making winning by difficult situations a habit. He also said that the team has been working very hard irrespective of the result in matches and their position on the points table. He accepted the problem his team is facing in closing out games even from commanding positions. “It is not the first time. But we don't want to make a habit out of it. We will take the two points in the end. It doesn't always happen the way you plan so you don't really know how to stay balanced. I was just hoping we get over the line because the boys have been working really really hard. In the games that we have lost, even then we have played well and just not been able to get over the line,” Rahul said in the post-match presentation. On the issue of how the team strategies the twin super overs, Rahul said that no team can prepare for a super over, and in the case when they have to face the challenge, captains have to trust the bowlers’ guts. Heaping praise on Shami who denied the Mumbai Indians when they needed a mere 6 runs from the first super over, Rahul said “He was very clear he wanted to go six yorkers. He has been phenomenal and keeps getting better every game. It is important that senior players win the games for the team.” On the feeling of relief in the camp after two wins on the trot, Rahul said that the team is focused and taking one game at a time. He also said that these wins are bringing happiness back into the squad but at the same time, the players are aware of the challenges ahead of them in winning every game they are to face in the season to have a chance to make into the playoff. “We still want to take it one game at a time. It is sweet after the kind of matches we have lost but the talk in the dressing room is to focus on the process. We know we need to win everything from here, but we can't forget the processes that lead to a win,” Rahul added. Mumbai Indians’ captain Rohit Sharma was unwell and hence could not make it to the chat with the host broadcaster. Kieron Pollard attended the customary interaction on his place and said that the loss in the second super over against the Kings XI Punjab was not the worst thing that has happened to the men in blue and that they would move on from here to the next games. Experts’ take The game saw an unprecedented situation of two super overs and experts were having a busy night on Sunday. For cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle this game was the best of the IPL 2020 where both the team had their moments and both of them squandered their advantages. He also reminded the world of the value that experienced players with tested skills and presence of mind bring to the table for a team. No doubt, he was praising Chris Gayle who nonchalantly hit Boult for a six off the first ball of the super over. Earlier, Bhogle was in sheer amusement over Bumrah’s brilliance in the first super over and said that the speedster is one of those characters who love occasion. Aakash Chopra predicted correctly about two super overs in a day well before the last over began. Veteran cricket journalist Sambit Bal was of the view that both the occurrence of super overs were the results of mishandling of chase by the Sunrisers in the first game and the Kings XI Punjab in the second. He also suggested that the KXIP should get the award for most dramatic finishes in IPL games, irrespective of what could have been the result of the second over.