Mumbai Indians needed four off the last four balls to win the Indian Premier League game against Gujarat Lions in Rajkot on Saturday evening. But Ravindra Jadeja had other plans.
With Mumbai needed 11 off the last over, the pressure was on Irfan Pathan whose first ball was smashed for a six by Krunal Pandya. The next pulled to square leg, a run taken and Jasprit Bumrah was at the crease.
Jadeja then pulled the hosts back into the game with a direct hit that sent Bumrah back to the pavilion.
Four needed off the last three balls. Pandya gathered two more runs for Mumbai and then pulled another delivery to short leg and took one run.
Needing one run off one ball, Lasith Malinga was Mumbai’s man of the moment.
However, he failed to hit the ball well and Jadeja pulled off another direct hit to run out Krunal, who was caught short of the crease despite a desperate dive.
Two direct hits effecting two runs out and IPL 10 was handed its first super over.
Kieron Pollard gave Mumbai a promising start in the Super Over, hitting James Faulkner for a boundary to long-off and a six over long-on off consecutive balls.
But he hit the very next ball into the hands of the fielder at the long-on boundary.
Jos Buttler also fell when he skied an attempted big hit and Mumbai were restricted to 11 runs.
Bumrah then had the Mumbai Indians nervous by conceding a no-ball in the first ball, but prevented Brendon McCullum from making use of the free hit with a good delivery even as the Kiwi star mistimed his shot.
The next ball was wide, but Bumrah made a comeback with another good delivery that was a dot ball. The next ball was full and slightly outside the off-stump. McCullum was unable to connect but ran a bye even as the ball travelled to the wicket-keeper.
Bumrah then produced another couple of excellent deliveries to leave Gujarat needing seven runs off the last ball.
The last ball only produced a single as the host fell six runs short of the target.
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