Kings XI Punjab’s hopes of qualifying for the IPL 2020 playoffs were cut-short by a dominant performance exhibited by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday (November 1).
MS Dhoni’s CSK, who were already out of the contention, played the perfect party spoilers for KL Rahul’s team as the latter could manage to post 153/6 on the board, thanks to Deepak Hooda’s late yet handy knock of 30-ball 62 after being asked to bat first.
In reply, the returning Faf du Plessis (48) provided CSK perfect start at the top with young Ruturaj Gaikwad (62 not out off 49 balls) scoring his third consecutive half-century. CSK openers added 82 runs for the first wicket in just 9.5 overs.
CSK eventually won the game comprehensively by 9 wickets as the promising KXIP outfit were shown the exit doors of IPL 2020.
The Super Kings not only ended their campaign on a high but also plucked Kings XI out from the playoffs race.
Like many other Punjab fans, KXIP co-owner Preity Zinta too took to Twitter to share her sadness on Rahul & Co.’s exit from the T20 extravaganza. She posted two heartbroken emojis without saying a word.
💔💔
— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) November 1, 2020
The Mohali-based franchise also shared a post on social media and captioned it as “#DefinitelyNot the end we were hoping for… #SaddaPunjab #IPL2020 #KXIP #CSKvKXIP.”
#DefinitelyNot the end we were hoping for…#SaddaPunjab #IPL2020 #KXIP #CSKvKXIP pic.twitter.com/tQ7vSH1AsS
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) November 1, 2020
