IPL 2020: Punjab Knocked Out Of Tournament

Kings XI Punjab is now officially out of the IPL 2020. After losing five games on a trot and then winning five matches in a row, it has been quite a rollercoaster experience for the men from Punjab. In a must-win game against Chennai Super Kings tonight, they have lost the match by nine wickets. With this loss, Punjab became the second team to get kicked out of the tournament.

CSK’s skipper MS Dhoni elected to bowl first after winning the toss. Punjab banked on this opportunity as their openers KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal gave a stunning start for their team. They have made a partnership of 48 runs for the first wicket. Finally, Lungi Ngidi broke this stand by taking the wicket of Mayank. After that, CSK bowlers managed to scalp wickets at regular intervals. They have also not allowed Punjab batsmen to go for the big shots. Barring Deepak Hooda (62*), no batsman stood up for Punjab. Thus, they have scored a total of 153 for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs. Ngidi took three wickets (3/39) in the game.

CSK also got a good start while chasing these totals. Openers Ruturaj Gaikwad (62*) and Faf du Plessis (48) started on a slow note but went on hit big boundaries once they settled in the crease. When they were firing, Jordan dismissed du Plessis. After his dismissal, Ambati Rayudu gave good support for Gaikwad. In the process, the latter has scored his third consecutive half-century of the season. Both of them played carefully and ended the match by scoring 154/1 in 18.5 overs. With this win, CSK ended their campaign on a high note.