Super Over Drama: How Kings XI Punjab found Super Heroes in Mohammed Shami, Mayank Agarwal

Bengaluru, October 19: The Sunday (October 19) night was not for the weak-hearted. Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab played out two Super Overs to determine the winners, and at the end of the drama the Punjab outfit emerged the victors.

But there were two Super Heroes for Kings XI in the Super Overs - Mohammed Shami and Mayank Agarwal. After both the teams tied at 176 for six after regulation time, the Super Over was required to find the winner. Kings XI came a cropper in the first Super Over, managing just 5 runs against Jasprit Bumrah and they had also lost KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran.

Mumbai played the first Super Over with Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock and Kings XI deputed Shami to bowl the over. Even in the wildest of dreams, nobody would have thought the Kings XI pacer could defend 5 runs against Rohit and De Kock, who had made a fluent fifty earlier in the night.

But Shami nailed yorkers after yorkers after yorkers to deny any scoring opportunities for MI batsmen. Shami delivered six perfect yorkers that included a dot ball to Rohit. Needing two runs to win from a ball, De Kock and Rohit set out for the second run but the South African left-hander was caught inches short of the ground by a throw from Nicholas Pooran. Rahul tonked off the bail as Mumbai and Punjab were tied for the second time on the night. This time on 5 runs.

Mumbai selected Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya for the second Super Over with Chris Jordan operating with the ball for Punjab. Jordan too was effective with his yorkers, although not to the level of Shami.

In the last ball of the second super over, Pollard hammered a low full toss from Jordan to deep mid-wicket when the scoreboard read 9/1. Six. Or everyone thought as much. Mayank Agarwal blocked the ball mid-air and pushed back into play before he touched the ground and Arshdeep Singh collected the ball and powered to back the wicketkeeper.

Mumbai took two runs to end the second Super Over at 11/1. The score could have easily been 15/1 had it not been for that amazing effort by Mayank. It might or might not have made a difference to the eventual outcome but that piece of fielding certainly made Kings XI's task that much easier.

On a dramatic night, Shami and Mayank were the heroes with invincible capes.