Picture Credit : BCCI
Needing to win against Chennai Super Kings by 53 or more runs, Kings XI Punjab lost to Chennai Super Kings by 5 wickets. Thus crashing out of the IPL.
The King’s loss enabled Ajinkya Rahane’s Rajasthan Royals to enter the play-offs on a better run rate. The Royals chances got the boost earlier on the day when Delhi Daredevils beat Mumbai Indians by 11 runs.
For CSK South African speedster Lungi Ngidi was the star giving away 10 runs and took four wickets . Ngidi first had dangerous Chris Gayle (0) caught behind and then bowled man in form KL Rahul when the batsman left it alone. Deepak Chahar had Aaron Finch (4) caught by Raina as Punjab managed only 29 runs in the Powerplay overs. Karun Nair ( 54 was the only player to shine, as Kings reached 153 in 194.4 overs.
In his sensational three-over spell, Ngidi conceded just seven runs and scalped both the openers. David Miller (24) and Manish Tiwary (35) repaired the innings with a 60-run partnership
CSK needed to win in 17.3 overs to snatch the top spot but they had to be content with a second-place finish behind Sunrisers Hyderabad as they could overhaul the target only in 19.1 overs.
Deepak Chahar (39 from 20) shared a crucial 56-run stand Suresh Raina (68 not out) in Chennai’s win while skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who batted down the order, scored 16 off seven balls and finished the match with a trademark six. CSK finishing at
CSK’s chase was nervy too, Ankit Rajpoot dismissing Faf du Plessis (14) and Sam Billings (0) in successive balls. This was after Mohit Sharma had scalped in-form Ambati Rayudu (1).
For Kings XI the exit was a bitter one as they clicked well in the first half of the tournament even reaching the top spot. But unfortunately the team floundered towards the second half.
Ravichandran Ashwin impressed early on with his captaincy but fizzled out later on with some bizarre team selection, poor batting and bowling and fielding.
David Miller spent most of the time in the dugout, a huge blow his confidence. Miller is a match- winner, Yuvraj Singh flopped with the bat. His career both in IPL and a return in national team now looks bleak. Ashwin too failed to shine as a bowler.
