By: Kamusime Barnabas
200 not out for Dhoni
India legend MS Dhoni may have retired from international cricket in the summer, but the 39-year-old is still going strong.
The Chennai Super Kings captain, 39, became the first man to play 200 games in the IPL in Monday’s loss to Rajasthan Royals.
But the wicket-keeper batsman, as cool as ever, insisted it was just another day at the office…
Royals and England batsman Jos Buttler had two reasons to celebrate after the game – his team won and he walked away with his idol’s shirt…
Meanwhile, current India captain Virat Kohli is not far behind Dhoni’s record appearances total.
In Thursday’s loss to Kings XI Punjab, Kohli played his 200th game for Royal Challengers Bangalore; 185 in the IPL and 15 appearances in the Champions League T20.
Kohli’s loyalty and longevity was acknowledged by his team-mate and pal AB de Villiers.
There was even a little dig at Kohli’s haircut from back in the day…
Super over Sunday
It really was some week in the IPL.
Sunday 18 October will undoubtedly go down as one of the most thrilling days of T20 cricket you will ever see.
Two IPL matches resulted in three super overs…
Let’s take a look at how the day dubbed ‘super over Sunday’ unfolded – and how the cricketing world reacted.
In the first of the double-headers, Kolkata Knight Riders took on Sunrisers Hyderabad in Abu Dhabi.
Forty overs couldn’t separate the two sides, so we went to a one over shootout.
Eoin Morgan v Kane Williamson in a super over, sounds pretty familiar, right?
With a strong contingent of England and New Zealand players on both sides, it took many of us back to last summer’s World Cup final.
Lockie Ferguson bowled a superb spell earlier in the game, conceding just 15 runs from his four overs, taking three wickets.
And Ferguson stepped forward again to bowl the super over. This time, he needed just three balls to take two Sunrisers wickets.
With just three to win, KKR easily saw off the chase.
A nail-biting, back-and-forth game but there was no doubt who the man of the moment was….
From Bollywood stars to former cricketers, the world applauded Ferguson…
And this is how a beaming Ferguson reacted after his match-winning performance…
‘The best game of IPL ever’
Very few of us would have expected Saturday’s second game to surpass the drama of the first.
But it did. By a mile.
Some sublime batting in Dubai saw half-centuries by Kings XI Punjab’s Quinton de Kock and Mumbai Indians skipper KL Rahul as both sides finished on 176-6 after 20 overs.
Super over time. The second of the day.
And it was Mumbai’s Jasprit Bumrah and Kings XI’s Mohammed Shami who stole the show. Both seamers, astonishingly, conceded just five runs from their six deliveries.
This India legend was full of praise for his countrymen…
With the scores tied again after the super over, we did it all again.
Mumbai fared better second time round, taking 11 runs from Chris Jordan’s over.
But they could have scored more had it not been for this incredible save in the deep by Mayank Agarwal…
In what became their third run chase of the day, Kings XI sent out big-hitting veteran, and one of the most explosive cricketers of all time, Mr Christopher Henry Gayle.
And the ‘Universe Boss’ was not there to mess about as he launched the very first ball for six and helped Kings XI over the line.
From disbelief to relief – here is how his team-mates reacted as the winning runs were hit…
And when they were all back in the changing rooms…
Superstars from today and yesteryear almost ran out of superlatives to describe the most craziest of days…
Kohli’s kit bag
Away from super over shenanigans, ever wondered what’s in a professional cricketer’s kit bag?
While many club players may find a mouldy banana from the previous season, or (somehow) two left-handed gloves, Kohli is a man who comes prepared…
Another little cameo from De Villiers there. Those two really are inseparable.
‘My duty to carry the drinks’
South Africa and Chennai Super Kings leg-spinner Imran Tahir could well be the nicest bloke in cricket.
The 41-year-old had a stellar season in last year’s IPL – he was the leading wicket-taker with 26 dismissals as he helped his side to the final.
But Tahir is yet to feature in this year’s competition. And while many professional athletes may voice their frustrations at not being selected, this response from Tahir won the hearts of many fans…
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