Advertisement

Updated May 24th, 2021 at 17:04 IST

R Ashwin reveals how Ankit Rajpoot caused PBKS to lose important match vs MI in IPL 2019

Former Punjab captain R Ashwin recently revealed how his side went on to lose an important game against Mumbai Indians because of Ankit Rajpoot's decision.

Reported by: Aditya Desai
R Ashwin
| Image:self
Advertisement

While India's star off-spinner may have earned recognition for his exploits in the longer format, he has also has proved his mettle in white-ball cricket with inspiring performances in the Indian Premier League as well as in international cricket. The veteran was handed the captaincy of the Punjab-based franchise in the cash-rich league ahead of the 2018 season. The feisty character showcases an aggressive approach while leading the team. The 34-year-old recently recalled an incident from 2019 where his side ended up on the losing side as fast bowler Ankit Rajpoot refused to 'Mankad' as Mumbai Indians batter. 

When Ankit Rajpoot refused to Mankad a Mumbai Indians batsman 

R Ashwin has never shied away from admitting the fact that he supports Mankading. The player has on often occasions warned the opposition batsmen to stay in their crease till he delivers the ball. Moreover, several eyebrows were raised in 2019 when he sent Jos Buttler packing by dismissing him in such a fashion as he thought that the Rajasthan Royals batsman was backing up too far from the non-striker's end. The spinner had dislodged the bails to run the dynamic batsman out. 

While a bowler has a right to run a batsman out if he leaves his crease before the ball has been delivered, the Mankading dismissal has often garnered a lot of necessary attention as a certain section of fans and experts believe that it is against the 'spirit of the game'. The same could have played an impact on Ankit Rajpoot's head when Punjab Kings took on the Mumbai Indians team in a league match in 2019. Speaking with Murli Karthik on his YouTube show DRS with Ash, the champion cricketer revealed unheard details about the particular contest.

Ashwin mentioned that they were taking on Mumbai Indians right after their fixture against the Rajasthan Royals in 2019. The Mumbai side required 2 runs to win from the ultimate delivery, and the onus was on Ankit Rajpoot to help his side claim a victory as they looked to qualify for the all-important playoffs. Alzari Joseph and Rahul Chahar were at the crease and Ashwin pointed out that he had asked Rajpoot to wait before delivering the ball as he expected the non-striker Chahar to take a few early strides. 

Ashwin pointed out that Rajpoot froze after his words and refused to do it as he thought that it would stir up a major controversy. According to R Ashwin, the speedster stated that he did not want to be a 'villain in front of everyone for trying to Mankad a batsman. The Mumbai Indians team ultimately won the final over thriller and R Ashwin. It is worth mentioning that Rahul Chahar was out of the crease by a long distance before the ball was bowled. 

R Ashwin Mankading video 

Source: iplt20.com

Who won IPL 2019? 

Despite the Ashwin Mankading controversy, it was the the two star-studded teams Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians that locked horns in the ultimate clash of IPL 2019. The contest proved to be a blockbuster one as it went down the wire all the way till the last ball. The Rohit Sharma-led side had posted a decent total of 149 in the all-important fixture. Chennai went on to lose the game by 1 run as Lasith Malinga went on to defend 9 runs from the final over. Mumbai Indians is the answer to the - Who won IPL 2019?' query.

PBKS team for IPL 2021 

PBKS team for IPL 2021: KL Rahul (c), Arshdeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Darshan Nalkande, Harpreet Brar, Mandeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammad Shami, Murugan Ashwin, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, Chris Jordan, Prabhsimran Singh, Dawid Malan, Riley Meredith, Jhye Richardson, Shahrukh Khan, Jalaj Saxena, Moises Henriques, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian Allen and Saurabh Kumar.

Image source: R Ashwin / Ankit Rajpoot / Instagram 

Advertisement

Published May 24th, 2021 at 17:04 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending Quicks

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo