Kings XI Punjab slumped to a disappointing defeat at the hands of the Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur, failing to chase down a modest target of 159.
Punjab who had defeated the same opposition in their previous match, have struggled with their batting line up except for the in-form, KL Rahul.
No batsman has been able to play the anchor role in the middle order. The management has tried various batsmen at the number 3,4 and five positions. However, the rotation of batsmen has not yet worked out.
During the run-chase against Rajasthan Royals, KL Rahul was the lone warrior for Punjab and scored an unbeaten 95 but did not receive any support from his fellow teammates. The coaching staff decided to drop veteran batsman Yuvraj Singh in the last two matches and picked up Manoj Tiwary instead.
However, the decision backfired, as the Bengal batsman was unable to make any significant contribution in both the matches.
It has left the Punjab fans fuming, as they took to Twitter express their disappointment. They urged the management to bring back Yuvraj Singh in the playing XI for the upcoming matches.
Despite Yuvraj looking vulnerable in the ongoing season, fans believe the veteran might make a difference in the middle order.
Kings XI are currently placed third on the points table. Photo Credit: Rahul Gulati /SPORTZPICS for BCCI
Kings XI are currently in third place on the points table and look favourites to qualify for the playoffs despite the recent loss. They will face Kolkata Knight Riders next on Saturday and it will be interesting to see if Yuvraj will make a comeback.
Here is how the fans reacted.
@lionsdenkxip @realpreityzinta yuvi paji always best Kya mila manoj tiwary ko khila ke… no can best to yuvi paji…. ??????
— gaurav juneja (@garvjuneja) May 9, 2018
@virendersehwag @ashwinravi99 @bradhodge007
Y u picked manoj tiwary in place legend @YUVSTRONG12 Really feeling bad his home team it is— KHADIR ANE NENU (@512Khadir) May 8, 2018
But stoinis is doing his work by picking wickets only manoj tiwary should be replaced by yuvi pa
— Riteshkumar Yuvi (@YuviRiteshkumar) May 9, 2018
22 squad change karo team da, axar te stoinis,manoj tiwary bahar karo. David miller, barinder sran te yuvraj nu inn karo, batting lline spoilers in the middle order, do so to win the trophy?
— Gaurav (@Gaurav00983600) May 9, 2018
@virendersehwag bhaji how can you thinking that akhasdeep nath & manoj tiwary better than @YUVSTRONG12 bhaji plz go for yuvi bhaji in next match #KXIP #VIVOIPL @bradhodge007 @realpreityzinta @
— Randhawa (@palrandhawa005) May 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/GaneshGt333/status/994175769063673856