The Run Falls Short for KXIP

3 balls to go. 1 run to win. Tell me you didn’t see KXIP winning from here. I secretly hoped for a super over but I didn’t expect to see it play out. This match was the very definition of a rollercoaster ride filled with the ups and downs for both, the Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab.

DC batting
The top order was quick to collapse as Mohammed Shami absolutely tore through DC’s batsmen and a stupid misunderstanding led to Dhawan getting run out for a duck. With Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer on the field, the fated partnership looked ready to begin. Both of them were taking the cautious approach, going after loose balls, preserving wickets while putting some runs on the board. However, that was not going to be enough so they had to get aggressive. Ravi Bishnoi came in for his IPL debut and stunned Pant with a wrong’un, his slog sweep turned into an inside edge and the ball flew into the stumps. Iyer too went for a shot but was deceived by a slower delivery from Shami as he got the height but no the distance and Chris Jordan took the catch perfectly. After both of them fell in quick succession, things were looking bleak for the Capitals.  Then came in Marcus Stoinis who blitzed 53 runs of 21 balls to get Delhi back in the hunt as he went after Chris Jordan, sending him all across the stadium. A memorable debut for Bishnoi coupled with fiery performances from Shami and Cottrell managed to restrict them early on but then all hell broke loose as Stoinis carried them on to a pretty solid 157. Considering the pitch size and how difficult it was to play on, this was definitely a good score and DC were back in the game.

The man of the match – he was instrumental in DC’s victory.

KXIP batting

KXIP got off to a disastrous start. Wickets kept falling at regular intervals and some craft bowling from Ashwin got him the double-strike of Karun Nair and Nicholas Pooran. This left them reeling at 55-5 at one point in time. The game looked as good as over with KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan and Glenn Maxwell were already back to the dugout after some dismal performances. Mayank Agar-wall weathered the storm, playing a superb innings to dig his team out of the hole and keep them in the hunt for the game. He was playing at a pace under run a ball but  during the 18^th over, he unleashed on every bowler who came at him as he set up a 46 run partnership with Krishnappa Gowtham to revive his team’s hopes. It came down to 13 to win off the final over from Stoinis and Mayank executed perfectly, starting with a 6, then running a couple and smashing a 4. This left just one run with 3 balls to get it and it seemed like KXIP had it in the bag.  A short ball whizzed past Mayank but they still had 2 balls to get it done. Mayank went for a glory shot and mistimed it as the shot found the safe hands for Hetmyer. The game had come down to the wire. With the last ball, the pressure was on, DC needed the wicket or a dot. They could go for a bouncer but what if it went wide, or a yorker but what if it went for a full toss. Stoinis made the run with the game on the line and stopped as the pressure got to him. Stoinis went in again, went for the yorker, a horrible miss but Jordan flicked it and found Rabada at mid wicket with perfection. What an innings from Agarwal but he couldn’t take his side home. Two back to back full tosses and two back to back wickets.

Mayank Agarwal got KXIP to the doorsteps of victory but couldn’t get them past the line.

The Super Overs
The story here is simple. KXIP brutally blundered by not sending Mayank out.  He had played and mauled every single bowler, was accustomed to the track and had just been dismissed and yet KXIP didn’t think it smart to play him. It was a simply stunning decision. Punjab’s super over just highlighted the brilliance of Kagiso Rabada. What a beauty! A reckless shot from KL on a cleverly bowled slow bouncer from Rabada and then Rabada came in again, fast and furious as he completely uprooted Pooran’s stump and sent KXIP packing with a measly target of 3. A dazzling performance from Rabada – the king of super overs. Iyer and Pant came in and made quick work of the score with a helpful wide from Shami.

A clinical Rabada bowled a perfect super over to turn the tide and hand DC the game.

Turning Points
Yes, Stoinis’ heroics with bat and ball and Mayank’s batting were major factors (also for my fantasy😉), there were 3 others that could have completely changed the course of the game.

1. Ashwin – After a lovely over in which he picked up 2 major scalps, Ashwin dived and injured himself, rendering him unusable for the rest of the match. He really could have tipped the scales in favour of DC going up against his former side. I hope we see him back in action soon.
2. In the 19^th over, Shreyas Iyer may have very well dropped the game as he got both hands on the ball and then let it go for a four.
3. By far, the biggest factor. A run between Chris Jordan and Mayank was ruled short but as replays showed was just about legal. Had that decision been overturned by the TV umpire, the game would have been KXIP’s. I can’t explain how much this game reminds me of the WC final. Ben Stokes’ bat of god took England to a super over they shouldn’t have reached and an alleged short run which was perfectly legit but wasn’t over turned, allowed DC to reach the super over. Both DC and England went on to win.
4. Nicholas Pooran gets the award for Golden Flop. 2 ducks in 1 game. That’s all I have to say.

The difference between KXIP winning and losing (and quite possibly a factor that decides the playoffs).

A crazy, dramatic and thrilling game with opportunities for both teams. Quite like a pendulum, KXIP, DC, KXIP, moving back and forth and then it just stopped bang in the middle. Delhi dodged a massive bullet there, got up and somehow won and what will be insane is if the short run somehow decides who qualifies which is quite possible considering how close IPL is known for being.

An elated DC side, narrowly edging Punjab to scrape through