Cricket world in disbelief over 'embarrassing' failed Mankad drama in IPL

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fast bowler Harshal Patel has left the cricket world in a frenzy on social media after a failed last-ball Mankad against the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League. Nicholas Pooran (62 runs off 19 balls) hit the fastest half century of this year's competition and Australia's Marcus Stoinis (65 off 30) contributed to a thrilling one-wicket victory that was secured off the final ball.

Lucknow chased down Bangalore's challenging total of 2-212 with no margin for error, reaching 9-213 in a nervy final over that almost saw RCB snatch victory in dramatic circumstances. Needing five off Patel's last over, it all came down to the final ball after Lucknow lost the wickets of Mark Wood and Jaydev Unadkat, needing just one run for victory off the final ball.

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Patel inexplicably missed a 'Mankad' opportunity to remove Ravi Bishnoi at the non-striker's end, after the Lucknow tailender left his crease early in search of the winning run. Bishnoi was well out of his crease when Patel pulled out of his bowling action and turned around to run his opponent out, only to miss the stumps.

A successful run-out would have thrown the game into the super over but Patel's extraordinary miss allowed the last-wicket pair of Bishnoi and Avesh Khan to scamper through for a bye as wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik failed to gather the ball cleanly. The crazy scenes left fans in a spin on social media, with many slamming Patel for the "embarrassing" blunder and others suggesting it would have been a shocking end to the game, had he completed the Mankad.

Nicholas Pooran's big hitting sets up victory

Lucknow's victory came largely off the back of Pooran's season-fastest fifty, which came off just 15 balls. His exceptional 19-ball knock of 62 runs featured seven sixes and four boundaries. When Pooran holed out at deep square leg off a high full toss from Mohammed Siraj (3-22), Lucknow needed 24 runs off the last three overs.

Siraj and South African Wayne Parnell (3-41), who last played an IPL game in 2014, had put Lucknow on the back foot with their early strikes, before Stoinis revived the chase with an exhibition of big-hitting. The Aussie bludgeoned 65 off 30 balls and then Pooran's powerful strikes dented Bangalore further as spinner Karn Sharma went for 1-48 off his three overs.

"The way Stoinis and Pooran played, if we have two points today it's because of them," Lucknow skipper Lokesh Rahul said.

Earlier, Bangalore were put in and scored heavily: Faf du Plessis was unbeaten on 79 off 46 while Virat Kohli (61 off 44) and Maxwell (59 off 29) also struck rapid half-centuries. Kohli and Du Plessis punished fast bowler Avesh (0-53) before Amit Mishra broke the stand when Kohli was caught at deep midwicket in the 12th over after adding 96 runs for the first-wicket stand.

Maxwell then smashed six sixes and three boundaries in his rapid knock before he was bowled off the penultimate delivery from Mark Wood. RCB skipper Du Plessis said there wasn't much more his side could have done to get the win.

"Disappointed, I mean obviously they played really well through the middle there but I thought we fought back beautifully," Du Plessis said. "I threw all our weapons we had at them."

with AAP

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