IPL 2020: Fans gather outside the Sharjah Cricket Stadium to collect balls hit outside the park

The ongoing 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is being played in the United Arab Emirates across three venues namely Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Dubai International Cricket Stadium and Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Out of all the aforementioned grounds, the pitch at Sharjah is considered to be a batting paradise. The pitch is deemed as the flattest and the small boundaries make the ground a six-hitting venue on par with the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

Many teams have managed to breach the above-par score of 200 runs on this pitch. On Monday, October 26, Kings XI Punjab were up against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the same ground and registered a victory by eight wickets.

A video clip from the match has gone viral on social media where some cricket fans can be seen standing outside the stadium to catch the ball in case the batsman hits it outside the park. There have been instances when the people travelling from the road outside the stadium got hold of the ball when a long six was smashed.

Sharing the viral clip, a netizen tweeted, “People outside Sharjah stadium waiting for ball to be hit outside”

People outside Sharjah stadium waiting for ball to be hit outside 🤣 pic.twitter.com/6cu8hBOPuJ

— arfan (@Im__Arfan) October 27, 2020

Summary of KXIP vs KKR game:

The match against the Knight Riders was a must-win game for Punjab to claim a spot for themselves in the playoffs and a comprehensive performance by all the players ensured that they comfortably won it by eight wickets. Batting first, KKR gave a display of mediocre batting.

The Knight Riders could only post a below-par total of 149 at the loss of 9 wickets in their 20 overs. Shubman Gill was the top-scorer for his team with a knock of 57 off 45 followed by Eoin Morgan’s innings of 40 off 25 deliveries.

Mohammed Shami emerged as the highest wicket-taker for the Punjab franchise with 3 wickets followed by Ravi Bishnoi and Chris Jordan who both had two each to their name. Chasing 150 in the 20 overs, Chris Gayle smashed another half-century to take his team KXIP home.

His quickfire knock of 51 off 29 including 5 sixes and 2 fours ensured that Punjab comfortably won the match. Gayle was ably supported by opener Mandeep who played an unbeaten inning of 66 off 56 deliveries.