Skipper KL Rahul anchored the run-chase with his 67 with Shahrukh Khan finished with a vital 22 from nine deliveries to help Punjab Kings defeat Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets in a thriller in Dubai.
With five needed off the last over, Shahrukh sealed the dramatic win with a six. He slashed it over mid-wicket but didn't clear the boundary. Fortunately, the fielder tipped it over the rope, helping Punjab grab two points and jump to the fifth spot on the points table.
Amid the drama, Punjab were helped by Rahul Tripathi in the penultimate over. As Rahul pulled it flat to the deep, Tripathi plucked a stunner while charging in from the midwicket boundary. However, the third umpire's decision went in Punjab's favour, with replays suggesting that the ball had touched the ground.
Twitter was divided over the decision as many supposed it to be a fair catch. Losing skipper Eoin Morgan also commented on the decision after the match, saying that the outcome could have perhaps been different if Kolkata had got the wicket.
"I thought in real-time it was out (referring to the Rahul catch in the 19th over). Obviously, when you slow things down and analyse it.. that the third umpire thought otherwise and his decision is made, that's final and we need to get on with it. But it would have been nice if we had got that wicket," said Morgan.
Morgan also heaped praise on Venkatesh Iyer, who hit a fluent 67 and continued his dream run in the tournament. The left-handed opener has so far scored 193 runs in five games including two half-centuries.
"Iyer is some player. He's a real find for us, has been with us the whole campaign and we have watched him in practice.. above all his attitude is fantastic for a guy that plays fearlessly as he does with the bat. He takes a lot of responsibility with the ball, Dre Russ leaves a huge gap in the allrounder position for us but to have someone come in and contribute is really outstanding," Morgan added.
Here's how Twitter reacted to Tripathi's catch:
