In Match 2 of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), held in Coimbatore, an unusual incident occurred that left everyone astonished. Abhishek Tanwar, playing for the Chepauk Super Gillies against the Salem Spartans, did something quite perplexing. Tanwar, a 31-year-old bowler, had performed admirably in his initial three overs, conceding only 18 runs. However, when he was assigned to bowl the final over of the innings, everything took a drastic turn.
Despite giving away four runs on the second ball of the over, Tanwar managed to keep the opposition to just seven runs from the first five deliveries. However, a no-ball was called on one of his deliveries as he overstepped and broke the stumps, but the batsman was not given out.
Following that, Tanwar struggled to deliver a legal ball, overstepping three more times consecutively, and eventually bowled a wide down the leg side. During these deliveries, the batsman R Sanjay Yadav, facing Tanwar, hit a massive six, took a couple of runs, and concluded with another powerful six, leaving Tanwar disheartened.
As a result of Tanwar’s troubles, he ended up conceding 18 runs off the last delivery alone, finishing with figures of 44/1 for the Spartans. In response, the Super Gillies posted a total of 217/5, capitalizing on Tanwar’s woes, and went on to secure a commanding 52-run victory by limiting the Spartans to 165/9.
The most expensive delivery ever? 1 Ball 18 runs#TNPLonFanCode pic.twitter.com/U95WNslHav
— FanCode (@FanCode) June 13, 2023
The incident caught the attention of Twitter users, who expressed their surprise at how an experienced bowler like Tanwar, who had taken 17 wickets to become the highest wicket-taker in the previous season of TNPL, could deliver four no-balls in a single over. It is worth noting that no bowler had ever conceded 18 runs on a single delivery before Tanwar, with the unwanted record of conceding the most runs on one ball held by Clint McKay. In the BBL 2012/13, Travis Birt smashed 20 runs off McKay’s delivery.