IPL 2020, Match 2 – Delhi Capitals v Kings XI Punjab – Delhi triumph in topsy-turvy thriller

A roller-coaster ride of a 2nd 2020 Indian Premier League match between the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) saw the franchise from the capital city triumph after the match went to a super over. KXIP were in the game for the best part of it, particularly after Mayank Agarwal leveled the scores with 3 balls remaining.

KXIP could not have asked for a better start to the game after DC lost their top-order to atrocious shots and a dreadful mix-up between the opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw, the former being the victim. Skipper Shreyas Iyer and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant then began re-structuring the innings from scratch, Iyer being the one starting to accelerate after a point of time with a few sweetly-timed maximums, being particularly severe on Krishnappa Gowtham.

KXIP were back in the game within a span of three deliveries between the 14th and the 15th over, as DC lost both their set batsmen. Marcus Stoinis then decided to inject a final boost to the innings, and he did it and how. 57 runs came off the last 3 overs of the innings, out of which Stoinis scored 49. He scored 53 in all before being run out off the penultimate delivery, as Delhi finished with 157.

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Punjab started off smoothly, with the pair of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal taking 28 off the first 4 overs, Rahul scoring 20 of them. But once Rahul’s leg stump was sent for a toss by Mohit Sharma, the tide heavily tilted towards DC. Ashwin struck twice in his opening and only over of the evening, removing Nair and the dangerous Nicholas Pooran, before injuring his shoulder while fielding off his own bowling and walking off the field with a grimace.

KXIP slumped to 55/5 at the halfway stage, but they still had Mayank Agarwal, who had been playing second fiddle to Rahul during the latter’s time at the crease. He and Gowtham brought Punjab back in the game with a 46-run partnership, before the latter, trying to play an inexplicable cut shot backing away, was pouched by Pant off Rabada.

The two main architects for DC in their win today

But Agarwal had not given up the ghost. With support from Chris Jordan, he took 17 from the 18th and 12 from the 19th, to leave 13 runs from the last over, which was bowled by Stoinis. A monstrous straight six first ball was followed by a brace and a boundary through extra cover to level the scores. What followed next was something reminiscent to one of those larger-than-life Hollywood movies.

Agarwal, missing out on the 4th delivery, tried to dispatch a full toss over the point boundary, but ended up holing out to Hetmyer at deep point. If that wasn’t preposterous enough, Chris Jordan, who had strike for the last ball after the batsmen crossed, hit a full toss on leg stump straight to the hands of Rabada at square leg, of all regions of the field. With the momentum being well and truly on their side, DC fully capitalized on it, as Rabada, allotted to bowl the super over for the Capitals, removed Rahul and Pooran in successive deliveries, and it took Pant 2 deliveries to complete the 3-run target.

ALSO READ: IPL 2020: DC vs KXIP Game Plan 2 – How to subdue Glenn Maxwell in the UAE

DC v KXIP – What went wrong for the Kings XI Punjab?

1)Dismal display of death bowling:

Delhi Capitals were a 100 for 6 in the 17th over when Jordan was handed the ball to wrap things up. While he was economical in his first couple of overs, his last 2 went for an astonishing 43 runs, as Stoinis seemed to find the boundary every time he made contact with the ball. Jordan just could not find the yorker for once, committing the mistake of pitching it right in the slot, and the ball kept flying to all parts of the ground. Despite the partnership between Pant and Iyer rescuing the Capitals, it was the last three overs that gave them belief that they were well and truly in with a chance at the game.

2)Lack of application from middle-order after platform laid by KL Rahul

When KL Rahul lost his wicket against the run of play, the Kings XI had 33 runs on the board, a good foundation to build upon for the batting order. Cut to two overs later, they were 40 for 4, with all their big names back in the hut. All they needed was a partnership equivalent to the Iyer-Pant one in the Delhi innings, where, after getting their eye in, they took the attacking route, that too off the slower bowlers.

But in Kings XI’s case, the batsmen took the tagline for the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, ‘hit out or get out’ far too seriously. Karun Nair, Glenn Maxwell, and Sarfaraz Khan were all guilty of trying to clear the ropes and holing out, which made the task far too difficult for Mayank Agarwal. He tried his utmost best to get his team over the line, but…

3)Mayank does a Mushfiqur

You have 1 run to score to seal the game, and you have three balls to do so. You have batted for the entirety of the innings and the momentum is right by you. All you need to do is either tap the ball towards an empty space and run, or expertly try to find the gap. There is absolutely no need to go for the glory shot, like Mr. Sunil Gavaskar has said time and again on such situations. Sadly, despite putting in so much effort, Agarwal could not get this one thing right.

Having taken 12 off the last over from Stoinis already, he slashed a full-toss straight to the hands of Hetmyer at deep point, the only fielder stationed outside the inner circle. To make matters look worse, Jordan got a full toss on leg stump next ball, the last of the game, which could have been hit anywhere, but he ended up looping it straight to Rabada at square leg. The 3-ball super over for Punjab did nothing for them to make up for their batting blunders either.