IPL 2020 | Turning point between Mumbai and Punjab was Shami’s super-over, opines Joy Bhattacharjya

The game of almosts, Punjab and Mumbai batted out the first-ever twin super-overs in the same game in the history of IPL. Never before have two teams not been able to be separated after 42 overs of play in IPL’s history but the encounter itself was pulsating and riveting. With the ball, on the back of Shami’s 2/30, KXIP managed to restrict them to 176 after the 20 overs. 

In the second half, it was a KL Rahul show, which propelled the run-chase for the men in Red and Silver, as they nearly got to the line before Jasprit Bumrah walked in. A perfect yorker from Bumrah put the game back in Mumbai’s favour before Hooda-Jordan took the game to super over. Needing to defend six runs, Shami’s excellent precision with the ball allowed for Punjab to escape from the jaws of defeat, which cricket analyst Joy Bhattacharjya opined as to the turning point in the encounter. 

“There were so many turning points in this encounter between Mumbai and Punjab. For me, it was Mohammed Shami’s super-over, where he was defending five runs. Nicholas Pooran went out and got out the first ball. Somehow he went out there and Shami defended five runs against Rohit and de Kock. That for me was the game. Did you notice how Punjab was after that, they knew they had just dodged a bullet, going into the second half,” Joy Bhattacharjya told Cricbuzz. 

On the other hand, Joy was equally excited for Punjab’s future encounter, with their form currently scintillating, after having beaten Mumbai and Bangalore in the span of three days, to propel themselves to sixth on the table, ahead of CSK and RR, who are facing each other in Monday’s encounter. 

“I have just a few things to say - Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and good things never die. This has to be written for KXIP, all they need to do is continue this form. They have won two, now it might end next game but they should continue to believe in themselves.”