Mumbai Indians prevails in IPL 10's first Super Over

After both teams were locked at 153, MI set a target of 12 thanks to Kieron Pollard's four and a six. Then, Jasprit Bumrah, despite bowling a no-ball and wide, defended the target against the Lions pair of Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum.

Jasprit Bumrah is thronged by his teammates after he defended 12 runs in the Super Over.

Mumbai Indians (MI) held its nerves to score a remarkable five-run win over Gujarat Lions (GL) in IPL 10's first Super Over finish at the Saurashtra Cricket Stadium here on Saturday.

After both teams were locked at 153, MI set a target of 12 thanks to Kieron Pollard's four and a six. Then, Jasprit Bumrah, despite bowling a no-ball and wide, defended the target against the Lions pair of Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum.

SCORECARD

Earlier, the Lions' bowling and fielding departments worked to near perfection. Initially, the spinners, Ankit Soni and Suresh Raina, choked the supply of runs on a slow wicket. Thereafter seamers Basil Thampi and James Faulkner struck big blows in their second spells. Then, three direct-hit run outs by Irfan Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja resulted in a nail-biting finish.

After the Lions chose to bat, Ishan Kishan demonstrated his buccaneering ways of batting; ready to throw his bat against the fast bowlers and spinners alike. Given an opportunity to open the innings for the second time in IPL, the 18-year-old Kishan scattered the ball all over the park. But once Lasith Malinga, returning to the league after a two-match break, got rid of  McCullum and Finch, and Bumrah removed captain Raina, the Lions innings floundered. Eventually, the home team, playing its last match here, posted a modest 153 for 9 with Soni lifting a straight six off the last ball of the innings. 

Playing in his 11th IPL match in two seasons, Kishan cut loose against the short balls sent down by Kiwi left-arm seamer Mitchell McClenaghan, Malinga and Harbhajan Singh before MI realised the folly of feeding the aggressive southpaw. A change in the length resulted in Malinga accounting for McCullum, who danced down wide of the leg stump and lost his off stump. Raina, then, chipped to Pollard at mid-on, where the latter seemed to defy gravity while holding to the catch with hands stretched up. MI took the third wicket before the Powerplaym, when Finch was outwitted by Malinga.

The Lions did not recover from a dismal 48 for three before left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya started the seventh over. Dinesh Karthik perished soon and Kishan left the scene whilst hitting Harbhajan to Pollard at long off. While Kishan was successful to hit the short ball to the boundary, he could not do the same when the ball was pitched up and little straight.

Jadeja, woefully out of form in six previous matches, struck a six over mid wicket and appeared keen to make a big contribution but he became Krunal’s third victim.