Dubai: South African pacer Kagiso Rabada produced a sensational performance for Delhi Capitals in the Super Over to just two runs and beat Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), get off to a fine start in their opening match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 in Dubai on Sunday (September 20). It was a great finish to a night filled with ups and downs by Rabada.
.@KagisoRabada25 did what he does best, rescue DC in a super-over❕
— Delhi Capitals (Tweeting from 🇦🇪) (@DelhiCapitals) September 21, 2020
ʜᴇ ɪꜱ ᴏᴜʀ @aplapollo_tubes ɪɴɴᴇʀ ꜱᴛʀᴇɴɢᴛʜ ᴘʟᴀʏᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀᴛᴄʜ
🌟#DCvKXIP #Dream11IPL #IPL2020 #YehHaiNayiDilli pic.twitter.com/quzMi7XSSW
Marcus Stoinis’ scarcely believable knock in numbers 🔥⬇️#DCvKXIP #Dream11IPL #IPL2020 #YehHaiNayiDilli pic.twitter.com/ANQH6HaMvE
— Delhi Capitals (Tweeting from 🇦🇪) (@DelhiCapitals) September 21, 2020
With all-rounder Marcus Stoinis proving to be vital in the back-end of both the innings, Delhi Capitals managed to take the game into the Super Over, and 25-year-old Rabada was quick to praise his teammate for the win. “I think it was incredible batting by Stoinis. He played an unbelievable innings towards the end to get us to a respectable total, and I thought Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant batted extremely well together to get us out of that hole early on,” said the speedster.
“What a day Stoinis had – he bowled two full tosses and got two wickets so it was his day. And from there, I think we took our opportunity to win that game,” Rabada added.
Having stepped up to deliver in the Super Over, Rabada conceded two runs off the first ball with his delivery drifting onto KXIP opener KL Rahul’s legs. However, the South African came back to pick up the Indian opener’s wicket by following him down the leg side and forcing him into an awkward position to play the pull shot, which eventually found Axar Patel’s hands. “You don’t plan anything. I don’t plan to win, but instead I plan to execute to win, and I think I managed to do that well in the Super Over,” Rabada discussed on how he approached the six deliveries.
The pacer then managed to strike again as he took apart wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran’s off stump to wrap up the innings in just three balls. “That’s just the way a game of cricket goes. Honestly it was a big relief because I knew if I did that, and with the kind of batters we have, three runs to win, we could do that. I was just very relieved that I took the wicket and could help the team in winning,” expressed Rabada.
The South African also said, “It was nice to be under so much pressure in the first game” as he reflected on Delhi Capitals’ first match. “Unfortunately our top order couldn’t do it this time, but we know all of them are quality players and will click in the upcoming games. So, you know, happy for the win but there’s still a long way to go in this tournament,” he concluded.
