Hardik Pandya has described the vision of a secondary player approaching to deliver the 20th inning for the Mumbai Indians during Thursday’s clash against the Punjab Kings XI as “delicious.” K Gowtham, the Kings XI spinner, who was 1-for-20 in three overs thus far, ended up delivering the second-most expensive final by a spinner in the IPL. Kieron Pollard, in particular, liked it a lot and hit three sixes. Gowtham conceded 25 in the final, and the Mumbai Indians entered at halftime on momentum.
Gowtham’s final over was only the 18th instance of a spinner to deliver the final over of an entry in the IPL. It was also the first time this had happened since IPL 2014.
“It was intense, more appetizing for a secondary player to play at 20,” Hardik told his older brother Krunal Pandya in a conversation with IPLT20.com. “Pollard and I were like, ‘Whoever misses has to stand at the end of the non-forward and watch.’ That was me, I missed two balls but Pollard made the most of it.”
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Just one game earlier, the Mumbai Indians had nearly chased 90 in the last five overs against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. On Friday, they looted 104 of the last six overs, with Pollard hitting just 14th, hitting an undefeated 47 of 20 balls, including three fours and four sixes. After winning the Man of the Match award, Pollard said “the sky’s the limit” of what Mumbai can accomplish in the final five overs of any inning.
Hardik, who has played in the 2020 IPL thus far as a specialty hitter as a precaution after back surgery, was in an equally punishing frame of mind, hitting an undefeated 11-ball 30. When they left the field, the pair had added 67 undefeated on just 23 balls to elevate the Mumbai Indians to a score that Hardik deemed was not possible at one point.
“The number of times Pollard and I have done this is fantastic,” Hardik said of their high-impact partnerships. “I’ve always enjoyed it. When we went, it was a clear message that I had to push myself because I was looking to do some big races at the end so I could come up with a total that Kings XI finds difficult. We didn’t. I’m aiming for 192 [as the target], but we were lucky. The big man has done it again. I’m very proud of the way we both hit.
“It’s because of the belief that we have in the Mumbai Indian setting where someone or the other marvels. I’ve been playing for Mumbai for six years and, quite often, I’ve seen it over and over again. It’s just fascinating.”
The work done with the bat was only half of the battle won for the Mumbai Indians. They still had the simple matter of dismantling two fit hitters in Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul, the first two to get runs of the season. Both hitters have hit centuries already this season and seem to have liked the faster bowlers. Kings XI had reached 33 without losing in three overs when Rohit Sharma introduced Krunal’s left arm twist.
Krunal had run out of wickets and did not complete his quota against the Royal Challengers. This, he said, made him decide to do “something special.” His first over was just four, and after applying the squeeze, he went on to fire Karun Nair from the second while cutting. Then in his final two overs, with the Kings XI looking for shooting shots, Krunal threw the superb Yorkers from above and around the wicket. Hardik jokingly compared this to the methods of Wasim Akram.
“When I walked in after the final quarter, where they were going well and I thought, ‘[If] I bowling right here, we’re back in the game. ‘ He was very determined to get it right, “Krunal said, before revealing why he tried to cast them later.” These days hitting skills have increased so much, as wickets are, you have to find a way to make sure that the hitters don’t. go after you. Sometimes you have to do things here and there. At the end of the day, it feels great if you execute your plans. “
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