MUMBAI, India (AP) — Ravindra Jadeja plundered a record-equaling 37 runs off the last over from Harshal Patel and then took 3-13 with the ball Sunday to guide Chennai Super Kings to a 69-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.
Delhi Capitals later joined Chennai and Bangalore at the top of the standings on eight points after beating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first Super Over this IPL season.
At Mumbai, Jadeja equaled Chris Gayle’s IPL record, set against Kochi Tuskers’ Prasanth Parameswaran during the 2011 edition of the IPL, in a starring role that ended Bangalore’s four-match winning streak.
Chennai chose to bat and Jadeja, who was dropped before he’d scored, rocketed his team’s total from 154-4 at the end of the 19th over to 191-4 at the end of the 20th. He hit the first four balls of the over for six — including a no-ball on the third delivery and another on the subsequent free hit — — for his 28-ball 62.
In reply, Bangalore scored 122-9, mainly due to Jadeja’s left-arm spin.
“Jaddu (Jadeja) is somebody who can change the game on his own,” Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.
Jadeja took the heart out of Bangalore’s run chase by clean bowling Glenn Maxwell (22) and A.B. de Villiers (4). Between those two vital blows, Jadeja ran out Dan Christian with a direct throw which reduced Bangalore to 81-5 in the 10th over with the chase falling apart for Virat Kohli’s team.
Opening batsman Devdutt Padikkal (34 off 15 balls) briefly looked to threaten Chennai’s imposing target before he was caught at backward square leg off Shardul Thakur (1-11) in an otherwise under-par batting effort by Bangalore.
“It’s good to get a performance like this out of the way early in the season,” said Kohli, who scored only eight runs. “You can probably say one guy beat us.”
Earlier, opening batter Faf du Plessis hit 50, his second successive half century, to give Chennai a strong start before Bangalore hit back in the middle overs.
Patel removed Suresh Raina (24) and du Plessis off successive deliveries in the 14th over and had impressive figures of 3-14 off his first three overs before Jadeja’s onslaught saw the fast bowler finish with 3-51.
The IPL is continuing, with players staying and playing in so-called bio-secure bubbles, despite surging coronavirus infections in India.
The 349,691 confirmed infections over the past day brought India’s total to more than 16.9 million cases, behind only the United States. The Health Ministry on Sunday reported another 2,767 deaths in the past 24 hours, pushing India’s fatalities to 192,311.
SUPER OVER
At Chennai, Kane Williamson nearly pulled off victory for Hyderabad but his unbeaten 66 off 51 balls took his team to 159-7 after Delhi chose to bat first and scored 159-4.
Left-arm spinner Axar Patel, playing his first IPL game after recovering from the coronavirus, gave away only seven runs in his Super Over against Hyderabad skipper David Warner and Williamson.
Delhi skipper Rishabh Pant hit a boundary against leg-spinner Rashid Khan and then ran a leg bye off the last ball to hand Hyderabad their fourth loss this season in five games.
“A thrilling game (but) it shouldn’t have gone to the Super Over,” Delhi opener Shikhar Dhawan said. “Kane Williamson played a very good knock, he’s a champion player, but good to win it in the end.”
Patel picked up 2-26 off his tidy bowling in the regular game, but the batters didn’t give up. Needing 16 off Kagiso Rabada’s last over, Williamson hit a boundary and No. 9 Jagadeesha Suchith (14 not out) smashed the fast bowler for a six. The target came down to two to win off the last ball but Rabada conceded only one run to force the Super Over.
Star spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin announced later via a social media post that he was taking a break from the Delhi Capitals.
“My family and extended family are putting up a fight against COVID-19 and I want to support them during these tough times,” Ashwin posted on Twitter.
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