New Delhi: In a do-or-die match, Kings XI Punjab let their fans down after suffering a humiliating nine-wicket loss against Rising Pune Supergiant in Match 55 of Indian Premier League. After beating Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab need to beat Pune to qualify for play-offs but failed to do so.
At a time when the fans are dejected with their team's performance, veteran Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who is representing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), posted an emotional message for Punjab.
"Hard luck @lionsdenkxip feel for@realpreityzinta @virendersehwag and squad pune deserved to be in qualifiers well this travelling is just," tweeted Yuvraj, who has played for KXIP in the past.
The match between KXIP and Pune was over by the Punjab skipper Glenn Maxwell (0) got out with the scoreboard reading 32 for five. Punjab put up their worst batting performance of the season when it mattered the most.
After the high of scoring 230 against Mumbai Indians in the last game, their campaign hit the worst note as it became a virtual no-show.
They were all but out of the game after being shot out in only 15.5 overs. Axar Patel was the top-scorer with 22 runs while Wriddhiman Saha's 13 was the next best.
The chase was a mere formality for Pune with Rahul Tripathi blasting the three Sharmas -- Mohit, Ishant and Sandeep -- for four boundaries before hitting a six over deep mid-wicket off Rahul Tewatia.
Ajinkya Rahane, who has been out of form throughout the tournament, played a key role as well as he remained unbeaten on 34 off as many balls.
RPS will be now take on Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 1 while Sunrisers Hyderabad (3rd with 17 points) will meet Kolkata Knight Riders (4th with 16 points) in the 'Eliminator'.
