Table of Contents
The second game of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 saw Delhi Capitals (DC) emerge on top of Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in a crackerjack clash at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
The destructive knock of Marcus Stoinis (21-ball 53) guided DC to post a respectable 157/8. In reply, KXIP opener Mayank Agarwal’s brilliant 89 almost won the game for his team before he got dismissed in the last over.
The match got pushed to the Super Over, where DC pacer Kagiso Rabada removed KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran in just three deliveries. KXIP could only score two runs in the Super Over, and DC won the game easily.
Amid the jaw-dropping battle, a controversial decision also grabbed the eyeballs of fans and experts. During the 18th over of KXIP’s run-chase, leg-umpire made an error in judgement by disallowing KXIP to count two runs.
Umpire Nitin Menon signalled the attempted couple taken by Mayank and Chris Jordan as ‘short-run’. Later in TV footage, it was revealed that Jordan had his bat inside the crease and the run appeared to be completely legal.
It’s part of the game: KL Rahul on the incident
The blatant umpiring error stirred social media. Several fans and experts slammed the poor umpiring. However, KXIP skipper Rahul showed his immense sportsman-spirit and termed the episode as ‘part of the game’.
Cricket journalist Boria Majumdar tweeted the response of Rahul.
“I asked @klrahul11 late last night if he felt gutted with the 1 short decision and he said: but this is why it is a game dada,” Boria wrote on Twitter.
This @IPL is all about the spirit. I asked @klrahul11 late last night if he felt gutted with the 1 short decision and he said “but this is why it is a game dada”. Brilliant. Admire this spirit and this will serve him and his team well. @lionsdenkxip Exactly the right attitude.
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) September 21, 2020
The assistant coach of Capitals, Mohammad Kaif, also tweeted about the incident. He quoted a famous dialogue from the popular Hindi movie ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ to describe it. Kaif further lauded the efforts of Stoinis and Rabada, who played a crucial role in DC’s first win.
“IPL is a battle of fine margins. Short-run missed no-ball … Bade bade tournaments mein chhoti chhoti baatein hoti rehti hain. Credit to Rabada and Stoinis who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat! #DCvKXIP” tweeted Kaif.
IPL is a battle of fine margins. Short run, missed no ball … Bade bade tournaments mein chhoti chhoti baatein hoti rehti hain. Credit to Rabada and Stoinis who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat!#DCvKXIP pic.twitter.com/xARr6PFNZY
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) September 20, 2020
