IPL 2020 | KXIP showed real character to pull the game back, affirms Chris Jordan

IPL 2020 | KXIP showed real character to pull the game back, affirms Chris Jordan

no photo

KXIP have now won two out of two to keep their campaign in contention

|

IPLT20

After a real nail-biter, Chris Jordan has affirmed that KXIP has shown real character to pull back the game against Mumbai in their favour via the second super-over. The all-rounder also credited Rahul-Mayank’s opening partnership as an exceptional brand of cricket and not reckless.

A week ago, Punjab were sitting at the bottom of the table, with just two points on their side, staring at the bottom of the barrel on what went wrong. During the week, they faced two of the sides who are in the top half of the table - RCB, and MI, in must-win encounters for them. While they got over the line in the very last delivery against RCB, they left it till the end against Mumbai as well. 

After a scintillating start from KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, Punjab were cruising at 75/1 before the start of the tenth over, chasing 177, needing just 102 in the last 11 overs. However, Gayle’s wicket, combined with the quick dismissals of Glenn Maxwell and Nicholas Pooran left Rahul and Deepak Hooda with the game. While the two genuinely took the side till the end, Mumbai pulled the game back, as it went to the super-over. 

During the post-match press conference, the English all-rounder Chris Jordan affirmed that the franchise showed real character to pull the game back in their favour. In a see-saw encounter which saw two super-overs being played, Punjab won the game via the second super-over, with Mayank finishing things off for the men in Red and Silver. 

“If you look at the shots Polly played, it was unbelievable shots. Young Arshdeep has bowled really well for us, he nailed a couple of yorkers and missed one or two, where Pollard played brilliantly. It is an area where we can improve. We are constantly trying to improve and judge ourself on the execution. But the way we bowled two overs in such a pressure, we showed real character,” said Jordan at the post-match press conference. 

“I feel like, the games we have played a lot could have ended up on our side. Last two games especially, the team spirit we have shown as a team, the franchise has been second to none. Ya, obviously we got a bit of luck going on by our side now. Hopefully, we don’t get too carried away. You must enjoy nights like tonight, you thought you won it and you lost it and you win again. Hopefully, this can give us momentum,” he added. 

The all-rounder also heaped praises on KXIP’s openers, Mayank and Rahul, who have got the sides off to the best starts in this IPL. In between them, they have scored 918 of Punjab’s runs this season but Jordan believes that all of it has come via ‘exceptional’ cricketing show and not reckless shots. 

“KL and Mayank have been giving us amazing starts, it’s not been reckless cricket, it’s all controlled shots. Both of them have been exceptional and played good cricket. The legend too has come in, scoring a half-century and finishing the game today. Great to have the ‘great’ of the game, we are doing very well with the bat right now. Hopefully, we will aim to finish off games earlier.”

About the second super-over, Jordan stuck to the plans and the belief in the team was that they could pull off whatever Mumbai put on the board in the first half of the second super-over. 

“The only thing that I was worried about was to execute the plans 100% and that’s really what was going through my mind. We knew we didn’t have any choice but to chase, so I just bowled right to the plans, not worrying too much.”

Get updates! Follow us on

Open all