LSG came out on top in a nail-biting last-ball finish to defeat RCB in an absolute thriller of a match! RCB had posted 212/2 in their 20 overs, powered by the half-centuries of Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, and Glenn Maxwell. But a determined LSG fought back, riding on some magnificent half-centuries from Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran.
The game was poised at 1 run needed off 1 ball as Avesh Khan went in to bat with Harshal Patel bowling from the other end. Patel ran in to bowl but noticed that Ravi Bishnoi had backed up too far and attempted a Mankad. Umpire declared it as not out, and this incident has been the game’s biggest talking point. Nonetheless, LSG emerged victorious in a match full of unparalleled drama!
Let’s look at 3 other instances of Mankading in the IPL:
1) R Ashwin (KXIP) vs Jos Buttler (RR)
Jos Buttler became the first cricketer in IPL history to be the victim of ‘Mankading’. Chasing a total of 184, RR ultimately fell short by 14 runs. However, the dismissal of Buttler in the 13th over overshadowed the result. Buttler, who was on 69, was ‘Mankaded’ by Ashwin for straying too far from his crease. This incident sparked debates on interpreting the game’s laws and ethics codes.
2) R Ashwin (DC) vs Aaron Finch (RCB)
Before the 2020 IPL season, Ashwin was picked up by the Delhi Capitals. Before the tournament kicked off, Ricky Ponting, the DC head coach, warned Ashwin against Mankading. During a game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Ashwin warned Aaron Finch at the non-striker’s end, drawing laughter from Ponting and audiences on the internet. After the match, Ashwin took to Twitter and mentioned that this was his final warning for the competition.
3) R Ashwin (RR) vs Shikhar Dhawan (Punjab Kings)
Last week, Ashwin warned his national team-mate Shikhar Dhawan against leaving his crease before the ball was delivered. In a closely contested match between the Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings, the PBKS team led by Dhawan eventually emerged victorious.
The cameras quickly shifted towards Jos Buttler, who is now a colleague of Ashwin and has a close friendship with him.
