KXIP win Super Over thriller

Chennai: Super. A Super Over contest that is. The most exhilarating match of IPL 2010 saw Kings XI Punjab snatch victory from the jaws of defeat over Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk.

Yuvraj Singh and Mahela Jayawardene came in to bat after Chennai’s Hayden, Raina and Morkel had scored 9 from their Super Over. KXIP’s new face, South African ‘Rusty’ Theron, an unknown name in India, came on for the Super Over and bowled Hayden off his second delivery to take the Punjab team close to victory. But Raina hit a six off the next ball to change the dynamics again. Theron, a great death over bowler, got his revenge taking Raina’s wicket to end the CSK Super Over. Theron was deservedly named the Man-of-the-Match.

Needing ten to win, KXIP’s Jayawardene faced his wily Sri Lankan teammate Muralidaran. A six off the first ball convinced KXIP supporters, but Murali took Jayawardene’s wicket to leave the match in the balance. Yuvraj then stepped up and hit a reverse sweep for a boundary to seal the victory for KXIP.

Earlier, Parthiv Patel and Matthew Hayden came out to bat and complete the formalities for CSK, but the night was to take a different turn. After the intial Hayden salvo, 33 run from 24 balls and Parthiv Patel’s rollicking half-century 57 off 58 balls, CSK’s middle-order let them down. They went from a position of strength at 96 for 2 to 136 for 136 for seven. Theron was one of the heroes giving away a mere 17 runs off his four overs.

Sent in to bat after losing the toss, Kings XI Punjab experimented at the top of their order by sending in their last match’s hero Irfan Pathan to open the innings with Ravi Bopara. The move paid off with Pathan Jr. playing his role of a pinch-hitter to perfection.

But Pathan was again playing a lone-hand with Muralidaran bewitching his two Sri Lankan opponents: Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. First the off-spinner enticed the Punjab captain Sangakkara down the track and got him stumped. Then he got Jayawardene to play across the line and miss the ball, and he was plumb leg before.

Pathan did hit one huge six off off-spinner R Ashwin in his cameo of 39 runs off 32 balls before getting out to L Balaji. At 64 for 4 after 11 overs, KXIP were tottering towards the lowest score of this edition of IPL, but Yuvraj Singh, looking out of touch till now, took over from Pathan. His six off Morkel over the midwicket region announcing his return to form. But even he didn’t stay till the end, departing just as he was looking good. He had scored 43 from 28 balls.

With this win, Kings XI Punjab opened their account on the points table and should take the confidence of winning a close one into the next match.