IPL witnessed its first nail-biting tie-breaker to otherwise staid game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals. Sourav Ganguly’s struggle to take the Knight Riders to the other side of 150 didn’t really succeed as his team exhausted the quota of 20 overs dot at 150. The match reached decision through a Super Over which was more entertaining than the entire two innings today, thanks to Yusuf Pathan’s crazy hitting.

Chris Gayle and skipper Brendon McCullum faced Kamran Khan first. Their Super Over fully described is:

Ball 1: Gayle takes a single.
Ball 2: McCullum takes a single.
Ball 3: Wide.
Ball 3 (re-ball due to wide): Gayle hits over mid-on for four.
Ball 4: Gayle pulls to square leg for four.
Ball 5: Gayle pulls to mid-wicket for four.
Ball 6: Gayle hits to deep point for Rob Quiney to take catch

In response, Rajasthan sent Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja to face Ajantha Mendis. Here is their Super Over:

Ball 1: Pathan hits over the covers for a 6.
Ball 2: Pathan takes 2.
Ball 3: Pathan hits over long on for a 6.
Ball 4: Pathan sweeps to square leg for 4 to win the match for the Rajasthan Royals.

Earlier in the game, the Knight Riders elected to field after winning the toss. The Royals had things going good for them. The wickets fell every now and then but the run rate remained healthy till Yusuf Pathan kept blasting the deliveries hurled at him. At a strike rate of 200, he scored 42 which included 6 boundaries and 2 sixes. The game turned slow after Mendis got him off Yashpal Sharma. Ishant Sharma, Anureet Singh and Ajantha Mendis bagged two wickets each as the Royals finished their innings at 150 for 6.

In response, the Knight Riders lost skipper McCullum (3) for cheap but Chris Gayle set the Cape Town ground ablaze with his 41 off 33 balls. Hitting 2 fours and 4 sixes, he got the junta what it really expects out of IPL, some glorious hard-hitting. Ganguly kept things ticking with his 46 off 30 balls but failed his team at 149 at the second last delivery.

Yusuf Pathan was righteously awarded the Man of the Match prize. Rajasthan Royals move up the points tally to the fourth position while Kolkata are now deep in the bottom at the second last spot.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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