On this day in 2020: MI and PBKS play two super overs for first time in T20

Some T20 madness was witnessed when Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) locked horns in the 36th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. The mind-boggling encounter took place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on this very day (October 18) in 2020. Both teams fought till the very end and created history in the process.

For the very first time, fans saw not one but two super overs taking place in a T20 match. The result eventually went in Punjab’s favour but the ultimate winner was cricket on that day. Speaking of how the game unfolded, MI won the all-important toss and invited KXIP to bowl first. The decision looked fruitful as contributions came in from various players.

While Quinton de Kock and Krunal Pandya played handy knocks early on, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Kieron Pollard gave MI a fiery finish. As a result, MI posted a challenging 176/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Chasing the challenging total, KXIP looked in the hunt for the best part with skipper KL Rahul scoring a brilliant 77.

Not one but two Super Overs

Deepak Hooda, Chris Gayle, and Nicholas Pooran also played handy knocks. Needing nine runs off the last over, Punjab could only manage 8 and the game got tied. A super over followed which saw KXIP losing both their wickets inside five runs. Subsequently, MI needed six runs to fetch two more points. While Punjab’s defeat looked inevitable, Mohammed Shami turned the tide with a jaw-dropping over.

Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock could manage only five runs and this way, the one-over Eliminator also got tied. Previously, the team hitting more boundaries was awarded the winner in case the super over got tied. However, the rules were changed and as per the new norms, teams would continue to play super overs until one side wins. Notably, the batters and bowlers featured in the first super over can’t play again.

Hence, for the very first time, T20 cricket saw two super overs in one clash. MI were asked to bat first and they posted 11/1, thanks to a crucial boundary from Kieron Pollard. With 11 runs to defend, Trent Boult would have been confident. However, Chris Gayle dented his plans by smashing a six off the first ball.

Later, Mayank Agarwal smashed a couple of boundaries and took his side over the line on the fourth ball. This way the game finally concluded and KXIP was undoubtedly the happier side. KL Rahul bagged the Player-of-the-Match award for his brilliant 77.