October 18 was a historic day in IPL history. It saw three super overs in a day. The evening match saw Kings XI Punjab defeat Mumbai Indians in the second super over after the match in regulation time, and the first super over were both tied.
The second super over was possible due to a rule change after the 2019 World Cup final between England and New Zealand was decided on boundary count after both the 50-overs match, and the super over were tied.
So, when the first super over between Punjab and Mumbai were tied, the two teams played another super over to decide the winner.
So, which was the better match – IPL 2020 match or 2019 World Cup final? Cricwizz takes a look.
Why 2019 World Cup final was greater?
A lot was at stake
It was the World Cup, and the big trophy was at stake. Both the teams – England and New Zealand - fought tooth and nail to bag the match, and win the trophy. In fact, it was a real battle for the biggest prize in the cricketing world.
It was the first instance of a tied super over in international cricket
Never before has an international game seen a tied super over. And neither of the two teams expected the match to end in a tied super over. So, the match had all the drama, thrills, and cricketing action to be rated one of the best limited-overs game in the history of the gentleman's game.
But
It was marred by controversies
The boundary count rule
In the end, the match was trolled, and was marred by controversies as England were named winners on the boundary count despite both the match and super over being tied. Fans then debated what could be other weird and funny scenarios where matches could be awarded when the super over is tied. It led ICC to make changes to the super over, where super over would be played over and over again until a winner is found.
Umpiring error
Umpire Kumar Dharmasena made a blunder in the final when he awarded an extra run to England when the ball deflected from Ben Stokes' bat to the boundary. It cost the trophy to New Zealand. Hence, it left a bitter taste among the Kiwi players.
Why IPL 2020 match was better or greater?
It found a winner legitimately
Unlike the 2019 World Cup, where the winner was determined by a weird rule, the 2020 IPL match between Punjab and Mumbai had a legitimate winner in Kings XI who won the second super over after the first one was tied. Hence, the losing party could not accuse the opposition of winning by unfair means like it happened in the 2019 World Cup final.
Kings XI Punjab were deserving winners, and won it fairly
Punjab first gave away the chance to seal a win after Chris Jordan took the longest distance to complete the winning run, and was run-out on the last ball of the match. But later, Mohammed Shami bowled splendidly to tie the first super over. And in the second super over, Punjab were the the better team than Mumbai, stealing the win by the skin of their teeth. Mayank Agarwal's desperate bid to save a six highlighted how desperate Punjab wanted the win.
Conclusion
2019 World Cup final was definitely one of the best limited-overs games ever played. But it determined a winner through a loophole in the rules. But IPL 2020 match had a winner, who won it by a fair margin. So, IPL 2020 match between Punjab and Mumbai was definitely a better match between the two games.
Cover Credits: IPLT20
