Sourav SinhaIPL 2020 match day 2: Delhi Capitals Vs KingsXIPunjab

21September

IPL 2020 match day 2: Delhi Capitals Vs KingsXIPunjab

IPL is back and how!

2 days – 2 matches – 2 humdingers and already one super over!

This IPL will be closely contested. Each team is evenly matched. It’s going to be fun.

Here are my 5 best moments from yesterday’s match between Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab.

1. MD. Shami breathing fire

Shami broke into the Indian team during Sachin’s farewell series in 2013. He came in as an out and out, pace bowler. A bowler who can swing the bowl at a very good pace. His rise in Test Cricket was phenomenal but he couldn’t transfer that potential into the Limited Overs format. He was highly inconsistent in his line and length when it came to 50 overs or 20 overs cricket. But his breakout year was 2018 when he made a comeback looking fitter and some new balls in his armoury namely the bouncer and the knuckle ball. He became the go-to man for Virat Kohli during the Cricket World Cup in 2019. Shami turned out to be one of the few Indian cricketers in the first 2 matches in this IPL who didn’t look rusty after the 6 months break. He was breathing fire yesterday. Each and every ball looked like will get him a wicket. He was unlucky to not get 4 wickets due to a dropped catch but his return of 3/15 in his 4 overs was easily the best bowling figures of the match.

2. Marcus Stoinis ‘ heroics with the bat

Delhi Capitals was in all sorts of troubles right from the word go. Shami’s bowling along with bad batting and running pushed them back. Though Pant and Iyer brought back some sanity they were far behind from the par score. It all changed in the last 2-3 overs as Marcus Stoinics showed why he is regarded so highly among the pundits. He took 30 runs of Jordan in the last over and from a below-par total Delhi Capitals ended on a high with 153 runs to defend.

3. Ashwin

Ashwin was the captain of the KingsXIPunjab last year and I expected him to make a difference in this match while playing his last year’s team. And how right was I? His first over which turned out to be his only over broke the back of the KingsXI chase. He conceded 2 runs and took 2 wickets. 33/2 became 35/4 and the chase was derailed. But unfortunately, Ashwin got injured in the last ball (hopefully its not shoulder dislocation because if that’s the case then Delhi Capitals will struggle with their lineup for the rest of the tournament).

4. Mayank Agarwal

As batsmen came and went and the score reading 55/5 at one stage, one player stood solid for Kings XI Punjab and it was Mayank Agarwal. For 75% of the innings, his strike rate was below 100 but then he took off towards the end and ended up scoring 58% of their runs. He scored 89 of 60 balls (Should have been 90 because the umpire wrongly called one run short earlier in the match – how ironic that the match ended in a tie). Mayank opened the batting and almost carried the bat through only to gift his wicket away with the team needing 1 run to win off 2 balls.

5. Marcus Stoinis ‘ heroics with the ball

The day was not over for Stoinis. His batting heroics was followed by bowling heroics. With Ashwin injured after bowling only one over, Stoinis had to bowl the other 3 overs and his 3rd over turned out to be the last over of the match. With Mayank on strike and 13 runs to win the momentum was with KingsXIPunjab. The first 3 balls yielded 12 runs and the match was tied. KingsXIPunjab got ready to celebrate only to see the next 3 balls go like this: DOT, W, W. From an absolutely hopeless situation, Marcus Stoinis once again brought Delhi Capitals back into the match. It was a tie.

With such a high octane finish, the Super Over turned out to be a dud. But this match will be remembered for the ups and downs through the 40 overs. Delhi capitals from scoring a below-par total ended up scoring heftily at the end and then with 1 run needed of 3 balls, KingsXIPunjab found a way to tie the match and subsequently lose the super over.