As the Kings XI Punjab’s (KXIP) Indian Premier League (IPL) road has somewhat ended on a positive note, the co-owner Preity Zinta has expressed gratitude to its die-hard fans for backing the team even in the toughest of the times.
In their last group-match, KXIP has thrashed Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by five wickets on Sunday night.
In 14 matches of the group stage encounters, KXIP has managed to win six matches while losing out on eight.
Ashwin led KXIP:
The Ravichandran Ashwin-led Punjab had a decent start before finishing sixth on the points table with 12 points.
Interestingly, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and Surisers Hyderabad are having a better net run-rate. Besides, Kane Williamson has managed to sneak in top four to eclipse KKR on the basis of the better NRR.
For KXIP, paceman Mohammad Shami has topped the wicket-taking charts with 19 wickets in 14 matches.
On the batting front, KL Rahul top the batting chart with 593 runs at an exceptional average of 53.91. In 14 innings, Rahul has maintained his strike rate of 135.39.
Furthermore, Chris Gayle has played a quintessential role with 490 runs in 13 innings. Overall, the Punjab-based franchise has struggled to win crucial moments of the game which eventually led to their downfall.
Earlier, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) was the first team to get knocked out of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Preity has shared a heartfelt message for the unconditional support from the fans. She has also expressed disappointment following their recent exit.
The Bollywood actress, Preity, however, looked confident for the future. The 44-year-old Preity added Punjab would return as ‘better’ and ‘stronger’ for the 13th edition of the domestic professional Twenty20 league.
In 2014, the KXIP team made it to the finals of the IPL. Unfortunately, the side had been robbed off owing to their inconsistency.
Here’s the tweet:
Not the end to the tournament we expected but happy to end with a win. I want to thank all the @lionsdenkxip fans for their constant support through all the seasons ? Next year we will be back better & stronger. #saddasquad
— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) May 5, 2019
The playoffs fixtures will get underway on May 7 at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.