Few sights at IPL warm the cockles of the heart more than a speedy bowler hovering amid the chaos. Jasprit Bumrah is often that man for the Mumbai Indians, and his unplayable spell on Thursday (2/18) put the defending champions back on the winning track. But even in a lost cause, a fast bowler standing among the ruins makes for a heartwarming sight. Under the radar of the big six, Sheldon Cottrell of Kings XI Punjab quietly lit his redemptive bow.
Just four nights earlier, left-arm closer Cottrell had been crushed by Rahul Tewatia of the Rajasthan Royals for 30 races in a row, marking the biggest manhunt in IPL history. And it was feared that the proud Jamaican, famous for his marching and greeting celebrations, would forever bond with the Tewatia. But like Stuart Broad before him, Cottrell was quick to shake both memory and sadness.
Audience increased 30% in the first week of IPL 2020: official announcer
In Abu Dhabi, Cottrell, 31, raced to throw his first over since Tewatia, the first over of the contest. For the first four balls, his vicious outswingers had Quinton de Kock nailed to his crease. The next ball slammed into de Kock’s stumps and came a roar and a salute. When the finale ended, a window maiden, the smile had returned to the 31-year-old’s face.
He also stayed there for the rest of his spell, going 4-1-20-1, a far cry from Sharjah. When Cottrell finished with all four of their overs in the 13th of innings, Mumbai was 83 for two, also a long way from where they ultimately finished. In the remaining seven overs without Cottrell, Punjab conceded an incredible 108 runs.
So how did Mumbai get to 192? Well, not all Punjab pacemakers were as impressive as Cottrell. Jimmy Neesham received 52 runs of his four overs, 40 of the last two. Even Mohammed Shami paid the price for a weak over, going from 1/17 after three overs to 1/36. And without Cottrell bowling to death, spinner Krishnappa Gowtham was hit by four sixes by Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya in the 20th.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma Equals Suresh Raina’s Huge IPL Record
Pollard and Pandya finished with undefeated scores of 47 and 30 respectively, the two taking over without a hitch after Rohit Sharma had anchored the innings thus far with 70 steady runs. Now all Sharma had to do was make sure his players got rid of this edition’s Punjab centurions, starters KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, before taking a lot of damage.
Anything an opposition fast pitcher can do, Bumrah can generally do better. In his first over, Bumrah castled Agarwal (for 25) to hurt Punjab early. A few laps later, spinner Rahul Chahar threw his namesake around his waist and the fall had begun, despite the spark of a Nicholas Pooran revival. By the time Bumrah returned to fire Neesham and improve his already excellent figures, the match was over.
.
