We have been witnesses to something abnormal, something that you’d rub your eyes for to ensure you’re not delusional, even though you’ve seen it with your own eyes. That is if you watched the carnage that ensued in the match between SRH and MI. And I believe people haven’t digested the significance of this match yet.
Even before the start of the tournament, the SRH batting lineup looked like something out of a bowler’s nightmare, and in that match, the nightmare was realised to an unimaginable potential. As countless records that looked unscalable toppled down one by one, there was a wave of disbelief throughout the SRH innings. As they scored 148 in the first 10 overs, the highest ever in IPL history, RCB’s 262 still looked well away from the realms of possibility. After all, a superhuman effort from Gayle took them singlehandedly toward that massive total, and it is a cherished record that RCB has held for over a decade. People still look back to the match, just not able to believe how such a feat was humanely possible. Adding to that, the frontline aggressors Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma had succumbed to the glory of six-hitting. Sure, they had set it up in a way no one ever has before, but Gayle was set and in destructive mode, there’s no way the record can be broken with a new batter on the field, right? But Klassen had ideas beyond our wildest imaginations, hitting sixes at will and showing why he is currently the cream of the crop when it comes to T20 batting.
SRH looked almost determined to set the highest score ever, hitting sixes at will and tottering any bowler that dared face them. The pitch being a batting paradise and some dismal captaincy calls from Hardik Pandya resulted in a show that didn’t seem to conclude until they were out of deliveries to bowl. Barring Bumrah, everyone was treated with disdain. And as they broke that record that seemed set in stone and, went over it to 277, it was unfathomable. The scorecard looked like a fever dream, one out of an ODI game, and SRH had successfully gotten everyone quaking in their boots. We knew Travis Head coming back would have its advantages, but how could anyone have expected this? And like RCB, SRH would have expected a cakewalk victory, the batsman crumbling under the crushing weight of the required run rate. But MI showed why they have been so dangerous while chasing, and this is what I believe makes this match much more significant than the RCB game against Pune Warriors India.
MI walked in with a determination to chase this score down, something that again, no one would’ve expected. We had seen the pinnacle of T20 batting; a once in a once-in-a-blue-moon experience that can’t be replicated any time soon, let alone a team with the added pressure of chasing it. But the demeanour that Mumbai came in with deserves great appreciation. While the beauty of the RCB match was Gayle’s domination, this match had raised the bar of teamwork making the dream work. Whirlwind batting from the MI meant SRH could be in trouble, and fans couldn’t believe what they were being treated to. This game had skewed expectations that were far beyond a normal match. Commentators were lauding bowlers for giving away 11 runs in an over, talking about how it was a good over “in the context of the game.” And that sums up how significant this game is. It brought change to what the norm of a good over was, how batsmen were expected to be scoring 15 runs every over. And as the match saw the most sixes hit in any T20 match ever (38), one thing was clear. This was a match that will go down in people’s memories for a long, long time.
People talk about that famed RCB game of 262, but this game has taken that record away. And with MI’s spirited fight, this game is even more memorable. 523 runs were scored, and 500 has never even been close to being breached in the IPL. If people can talk about the RCB game for 14 years, they will be talking about this game for a lot longer. And that’s what makes the IPL the best league in world cricket.
