IPL 2021: PBKS fans furious with Anil Kumble after Royals defeat, slam omissions of Chris Gayle, Ravi Bishnoi – In typical Punjab Kings fashion, KL Rahul and Co bottled a fairly comfortable run chase as they succumbed to a two-run defeat against Rajasthan Royals. Needing just four in the final over, Punjab could only muster a single as Nicholas Pooran and Deepak Hooda were scalped by Kartik Tyagi. The defeat left them seventh in the points table and hurt their chances for playoffs severely, with fans aiming their frustration at Anil Kumble.
IPL 2021: Punjab Kings fans on social media were livid after the playing XI was announced for the clash vs Rajasthan Royals, with birthday boy Chris Gayle and Ravi Bishnoi being the notable omissions from the line-up. Gayle’s omission surprised the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Kevin Pietersen, while Virender Sehwag said that babies don’t change diapers as often as Punjab change their XI. Gayle was sorely missed as Punjab lost impetus in their chase after the dismissal of openers KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, while Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran, for all their industry, did not see the team over the line.
IPL 2021: Adil Rashid’s struggles with the ball also coincided with Ravi Bishnoi’s absence with the XI for the game against Rajasthan Royals, which irked the fans. With speculation linking Kumble to the India head coach’s role after Ravi Shastri’s term comes to an end later this year, some fans took digs at the India great. “He will rest Bumrah and play Praveen Kumar,” wrote one fan. “Kumble taking revenge From Wrong Ravi,” another fan tweeted.
Speaking on the pre-match show on Star Sports, Kevin Pietersen said, “I think he will be disappointed more than us. We can talk about it. There will be some questions asked. I don’t understand why you would leave Chris Gayle out on his birthday. I explained how much emotion he has and how excited he was. He was sporting a big smile. If there was one game you were going to play him, it was today. I can’t understand the thinking at all.”
Sunil Gavaskar added, “I, like KP, am absolutely astonished that Chris Gayle is not playing today. The four overseas players that have been picked today, can play brilliantly and win the game for Punjab Kings today. But the fact remains that on your birthday, you are leaving out one of the stellar players of T20 format.”
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