DUBAI: Senior India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin endured dream and nightmare in a space of six deliveries as he scalped two batsmen and then suffered a suspected shoulder dislocation during Delhi Capitals' IPL game against KXIP on Sunday.
Brought in during the final Powerplay over, Ashwin first got Karun Nair and then bowled Nicholas Pooran through the gate but a needless dive to stop a single off the last delivery saw him land awkwardly on his left arm with shoulder taking the jerk.
Writhing in pain, Ashwin's jersey became a temporary sling as he left the field along with Capitals' physio Patrick Farhard.
A shoulder dislocation could rule Ashwin out of the tournament.
He had played for Kings XI Punjab last season.
Delhi, inserted in, were 3/13 after four overs but still made 157 thanks Marcus Stoinis’ violent half-century. Forty nine of the 53 runs he made came in the last three overs. Chasing 158, Kings XI lost four wickets for five runs midway into the innings to seemingly lose their way. However, Mayank Agarwal orchestrated one of the great IPL chases to take his team knocking on the door of victory. They needed one run to win with three balls remaining.
That was when Stoinis, one of several contenders for the game’s MVP, bowled a dot before picking two wickets in as many balls to send it to a Super Over. However, Agarwal and Chris Jordan can only blame themselves for picking the fielders off two full tosses to send the match into the Super Over. In the Super
Over, Kagiso Rabada, a man made for conditions like this, removed KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran for just two. The damning thing in all of this was there were three balls to go. After turning down several invitations to win, Delhi finally managed to win in a match neither side seemed keen to win.