The ongoing Indian Premier League 2023 has witnessed some high-scoring matches, where even totals of over 200 runs have not been safe. This makes the last over of a chase more crucial than ever before. In a recent match, Arshdeep Singh’s exceptional last-over bowling denied Mumbai Indians the opportunity to achieve a record chase at the Wankhede Stadium.
Mumbai Indians had a good start with Ishan Kishan at the crease, but after losing him in the second over, they formed three important partnerships that kept them on track for the daunting chase. Captain Rohit Sharma and Cameron Green shared a 76-run partnership before Green and Suryakumar Yadav added 75 runs together. Tim David played a key role down the order, and with 16 runs required off the last six balls, Mumbai Indians were in a strong position.
However, Arshdeep Singh, who had already bowled an impressive 18th over to dismiss Suryakumar Yadav, was given the responsibility of the last over. David could only manage a single on the first ball, while Tilak Varma missed the next delivery. With Mumbai Indians needing 15 runs off four balls, Arshdeep produced two stunning consecutive yorkers to dismiss Tilak and Nehal Wadhera in a similar fashion. Both times, the left-arm bowler’s deliveries hit the base of the middle stump, breaking the stump worth ₹24 lakh in two halves on each occasion.
The Bay Oval stadium official told Hindustan Times that a pair of stumps cost around 48,000 NZD, and if even one stump gets damaged, the entire set becomes unusable. Punjab Kings won the match by 13 runs, as Jofra Archer could only manage a single off the last two balls.
Arshdeep Singh expressed his happiness after the win, saying that he enjoys taking wickets and is even happier when the team wins. He also revealed that he has shortened his run-up to avoid no-ball issues, and his heartbeat doesn’t even cross 120 beats per minute during high-pressure moments like the final over.
With his exceptional performance, Arshdeep Singh now leads the Purple Cap table with 13 wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 8.16.