Relive the magic: 5 Most memorable matches of IPL 2020
There’s a reason that the Indian Premier League is called the toughest T20 tournament on planet earth. Every season we see some matches turning out to be close encounters that it is even hard for the fans to come to terms with, leave alone the players. This edition of the tournament too saw a handful of thrillers being played, top 5 of which are listed below. Have a look:
5. Delhi Capitals vs Kings XI Punjab (Match 2)
The very second game of the Indian Premier League this season saw the match descend into a thriller, which eventually ended in a super over. The Kings XI Punjab won the toss and chose to bowl first. And thanks to a brilliant half-century by Marcus Stoinis, Delhi were able to reach 157 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their 20 overs. For Punjab, the hero with the ball was Mohammed Shami who took three wickets.
#MatchRecap ?️#DCvKXIP can aptly be described as a rollercoaster of emotions ??
ICYMI, here’s a quick recap of our dramatic Super Over victory which gave us the 2️⃣ points last night!#Dream11IPL #IPL2020 #YehHaiNayiDilli pic.twitter.com/lmiTx11CJS
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) September 21, 2020
Punjab, in their chase, started off on a shaky note, and no one other than Mayank Agarwal was able to score runs. It was due to his efforts that Punjab recovered from the horrific start they had and were able to equal the score put by Delhi on the board. In the Super Over, Punjab batted first and their batting horrors translated into those six balls also, as the team’s batsmen facing Kagiso Rabada, were able to put up only 3 runs before losing their wickets. Delhi easily got to that total and walked home with a win under their belt.
4. Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals (Match 9)
Another match and another horror coming true story unfolding for Punjab. In their match against Rajasthan, Punjab with the batting attack led by the opening batsmen, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, put on an impressive score of 223 runs on the board in their 20 overs. Mayank Agarwal scored 69 runs and KL Rahul got past the 100-run mark, scoring 106 runs in 60 deliveries.
When Rajasthan came in to bat in the second inning of the match, the team after losing one of their openers within just 15 runs, found some stability in the form of a partnership between Steve Smith and Sanju Samson. But after their departures nothing seemed to go their way until Rahul Tewatia came in. He smacked the Punjab bowlers all over the park, rescuing his team out of a losing position, by scoring 53 runs off 31 deliveries. It was due to his heroics that Rajasthan won the match by 4 wickets.
3. Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians (Match 10)
Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians produced a thrilling match when faced off against each other in the 10th match of the tournament. After being put in to bat first, Bangalore batsmen put up on the board, what would considered to be a winning total of 201 runs for the loss of 3 wickets, where the heroes with the bat for the team were AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal and Aaron Finch, all of whom scored half-centuries.
What a matchhh!!!!! Its super over!#IPL2020 #RCBvMI #Polly pic.twitter.com/8wsD2mrYv5
— Darshan (@darshandama7) September 28, 2020
After a shaky start, Ishan Kishan and Keiron Pollard came to the rescue for Mumbai, scoring 99 and 60 runs respectively, helping their team equal the score they were set to chase. The match descended into a Super Over, where batting first Mumbai scored 7 runs and it was on Jasprit Bumrah to win the game for Mumbai. But, this time around he was not able to defend the mere 7 runs and Bangalore batsmen won the game for their team on the last ball of the super over.
2. Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals (Match 26)
It was another time when the Rajasthan Royals needed the services of their saviour, Rahul Tewatia and he did not disappoint. A wholesome batting effort from their whole batting department, the Sunrisers posted a total of 158 runs for the loss of 4 wickets at the end of their quota of 20 overs.
In response to that total, the Rajasthan Royals found themselves in a tough spot. The team before the halfway mark in their inning found themselves pitted at 63 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. Many people thought that the match was over for Rajasthan but Rahul Tewatia and Riyan Parag thought otherwise. The duo stitched together a match-winning partnership and guided their team to a 5-wicket win with still a ball left.
1. Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab (Match 36)
If there was ever to be a specimen created for the most thrilling T20 match played, it would be exactly scripted out in the way this match played out. The Mumbai Indians won the toss, chose to bat first and owing to a half-century by Quinton de Kock at the top and finishing touches from Krunal Pandya and Kieron Pollard, the Mumbai Indians posted 176 runs on the board.
When the Kings XI Punjab batters came in to bat, KL Rahul led the attack for his team, scoring 74 runs and was supported by Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran and Deepak Hooda. But, their efforts were seemingly not enough as their inning ended with their score level with that of the Mumbai Indians.
A super over was played out, with Rahul and Pooran batting for Punjab and Jasprit Bumrah bowling for Mumbai. Punjab scored 5 runs and Mumbai, in a freakish turn of events, thanks to Mohammed Shami, were only able to match that score in their turn to bat. And, for the first time in the history of the IPL, a second super over was held. This time around, Mumbai put in Pollard and Hardik Pandya to bat against Chris Jordan. Punjab were set to chase 12 runs, but this turned out to be an easy one for them to get as the combined forces of Mayank Agarwal and Chris Gayle sealed the match.
