Punjab Kings put on an absolute show in their final group game of the 2021 VIVO Indian Premier League, as they brushed aside four time champions Chennai Super Kings with seven overs to spare last afternoon. That win gave them an outside chance of qualifying for the playoffs, but their hopes were short-lived as Kolkata Knight Riders managed to win their match a few hours later, thereby eliminating the Punjab Kings. 

“It is quite tough to take. We’ve been doing so many great things as a team,” said Chris Jordan in the post-match press conference when asked about Punjab Kings not making it further in the competition. 

“Our planning and everything has been on point to play a game like we did today, it's just a shame it came so late in the tournament. The type of performance you saw today was what we’ve been striving for the entire season, but it just didn’t quite happen,” added the English fast bowler. 

“But that’s life. You obviously have to move from it as quickly as possible. However, we can still take some positives from it for every single player, and hopefully long may that type of performance continue,” he concluded. 

KL Rahul- A class apart

Chris Jordan was also full of praise for his Punjab Kings captain, who once again stamped his authority on the competition with a blistering 98* off just 42 balls. Rahul played shots all over the park and fearlessly took on the opposition bowlers, earning much acclaim from teammates and others in the cricketing community. 

“KL is a world class batsman. It's such a joy to watch him play. I first played with him when I was at RCB in 2016, and even then some of the shots he played I knew he was a class apart.

“Even today, it felt like anytime he felt like hitting a six he just took it, no matter where the ball was. He can play in various situations and is more or less a 360 degree player as well. It’s just great to see him go out there today and lead from the front and get us over the line in a timely fashion,” said Jordan in reference to the Punjab Kings skipper.