Even a 200-run target is not safe in T20 cricket, is what IPL 2023 is showing. On Sunday it was Kolkata Knight Riders chasing down 205 against defending champions Gujarat Titans, and on Monday, Lucknow Super Giants pulled off a 213-run chase in a thriller of a match against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Virat Kohli’s powerplay onslaught, Faf du Plessis’ blitz that included a 115m six, Glenn Maxwell’s fiery fifty, all looked a distant memory as the madness reached its peak in the final over where Dinesh Karthik erred in the last ball of the match, allowing LSG to race away with a one-wicket win. After the match, Karthik was bashed left, right and centre by fans on social media with reference to MS Dhoni’s iconic moment.
Remember that 2016 T20 World Cup match? Bangladesh required one run to win in the last ball. The Bangladesh batter, Shuvagata Hom, failed to make contact with the delivery from Hardik Pandya, but took off for a single immediately. Mustafizur Rahman, his partner at the other end of the crease had already gotten a head start. But an alert Dhoni, who already had taken one of his gloves off, collected the ball and instead of throwing, beat Rahman by disloding the bails before the latter could reach the other end. The moment remains etched in the memories of ardent cricket fans across the globe.
On Monday night, RCB fans gave Karthik a reminder of that after the wicketkeeper had fumbled in an exact similar moment. With 1 run needed, Avesh Khan failed to hit the final delivery from Harshal Patel, but had taken off for single, as did Ravi Bishnoi from the other end. But unlike Dhoni, Karthik wasn’t alert. He couldn’t collect the ball it time as it bounced off his hand. And by the time he made the attempt, Bishnoi had cruised through.
Here is how Twitter reacted…
RCB captain Faf du Plessis said he was dissappointed for not being able to close out the match. “Disappointed. They played well through the middle. One ball one run. We backed ourselves to get a run-out. Just looking at the wicket, from 7-14 it was quite slower. The last five overs it started skidding on. Really good for some good cricketing shots. Stoinis and Pooran played everything off the middle,” RCB skipper Faf du Plessis said after the match.
